Jan 14, 2020 - Jan 18, 2020 Lucia Mense Lucia Mense will be a guest during Wintersession in “The Recorder Today & Yesterday.” Lucia presently resides in Cologne, this after completing her studies in that city as well as Milano and Amsterdam. Her repertoire encompasses works from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as the contemporary flute literature, which she is actively expanding and developing. She has concertized throughout Europe, Russia, China and the United States as a soloist and as chamber musician. Event Details
Jan 21, 2020 - Jan 24, 2020 Antonio Sánchez Antonio is the Charlie Haden/CalArts Artist in Residence and will teach "The Spirituality of Improvisation" during Wintersession Five-time Grammy Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Antonio Sánchez is considered by many critics and musicians alike as one of the most prominent drummers of his generation, and that was before he caught the attention of the world with his score for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s acclaimed film Birdman. Born in Mexico City on November 1, 1971, he started playing drums at the age of five and began performing professionally early in his teens. He pursued a degree in classical piano at the National Conservatory in Mexico and in 1993 he moved to Boston to enroll at Berklee College of Music. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Jazz Studies. He’s made New York City his home since 1999. Event Details
Jan 21, 2020 - Jan 23, 2020 Thana Alexa THANA ALEXA will be at CalArts for a Wintersession class that is open to the Institute, "Singing with Thana Alexa." Surprising is the word that perhaps best describes Thana Alexa, an extraordinarily creative force in music. An awe-inspiring vocalist, composer, and arranger – for whom the voice is both a lyrical and experimental instrument – her music pushes the boundaries of the genre into new and unexplored territory with deep seeded roots in jazz and overtones of contemporary soul and world music. Event Details
Jan 27, 2020 Vera Ivanova Ivanova's compositions have been described as "... humanistic and deeply felt works ..." (John Bilotta, Society of Composers, Inc.). In her early Fantasy-Toccata (2003) for violin and piano, "the humor takes on a harder, sardonic edge recalling the composer's roots in the work of Shostakovich and Schnittke" (Ted Ayala, Crescenta Valley Weekly). In her later "Three Studies in Uneven Meters for Piano" (2011), "the greatest power of her brief, angular, crystalline music lies in its power to provoke the gods of symmetry" (Laurence Vittes, Lark Gallery Online Blog). After teaching as Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition at the Setnor School of Music of Syracuse University (NY), she was appointed as Associate Professor of Music in the College of Performing Arts at Chapman University (Orange, CA). Ivanova also teaches at the Colburn Academy. Event Details
Feb 3, 2020 Aaron Drake Drake will hold a discussion on how to continue meritorious 'artistic practice' while working professionally as a composer for contemporary visual media. Classically trained as a pianist from age 5, Drake performed competitively between ages 8 and 15 throughout the West Coast (US and Canada). Drake received an MFA in Composition from CalArts where he studied with James Tenney (microtonal music), Mark Trayle, David Rosenboom and Michael Pisaro. CalArts pushed him to conceptualize music beyond the intricacies of advanced music theory which lead to his first film collaborations. Event Details
Feb 6, 2020 Neal Acree Neal Acree is a BAFTA nominated film, television and video game composer and conductor whose work includes the massively popular game franchises World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, Overwatch, Revelation Online, shows like Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Witchblade and over 30 feature films. A versatile and prolific composer with roots in classical, rock and electronic music, Acree's music has been recorded and performed by orchestras and choirs around the world, including the hit concert tour Video Games Live. Event Details
Oct 7, 2019 James Brandon Lewis James Brandon Lewis (b.1983 Buffalo, NY) is a critically acclaimed saxophonist, composer, recording artist and educator. Ebony Magazine hailed him as one of the “7 Young Players to Watch.” James leads numerous ensembles and is the Co-Founder of Poetry Music Ensemble Heroes Are Gang Leaders. Lewis attended Howard University and holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts. Event Details
Oct 8, 2019 - Oct 21, 2019 Lucie Vítková Vítková is a composer, improviser and performer (accordion, hichiriki, synthesizer, voice and tap dance) from the Czech Republic. During her studies of composition at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno (CZ), she has been a visiting scholar at Royal Conservatory in The Hague (NL), California Institute of the Arts in Valencia (USA), Universität der Künste in Berlin (D), Columbia University in New York (USA) and recently at the New York University. Her compositions focus on sonification (compositions based on abstract models derived from physical objects), while in her improvisation practice she explores characteristics of discrete spaces through the interaction between sound and movement. In her recent work, she is interested in the social-political aspects of music in relation to everyday life and in reusing trash to build sonic costumes. She was nominated for the 2017 Herb Alpert Awards in Arts' music category, was commissioned by the Roulette Intermedium in 2017 and became a Roulette resident artist in 2018. Event Details
Oct 9, 2019 Bill Cunliffe Jazz pianist, composer and Grammy Award-winning arranger Bill Cunliffe is known for his innovative and swinging recordings and compositions. Cunliffe began his career as pianist and arranger with the Buddy Rich Big Band and worked with Frank Sinatra, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson and James Moody. He has since established himself as a solo artist and bandleader, with more than a dozen albums under his name. Cunliffe currently plays with his trio; his big band; his Latin band, Imaginación; and his classical-jazz ensemble, Trimotif. He performs in the U.S. and around the world as a leader and sideman as well as a soloist with symphony orchestras. Event Details
Oct 10, 2019 Kristina Warren Kristina Warren is a composer, improviser, and critical maker. Her practice includes building/playing unique instruments, composing for/with chamber ensembles, and writing about gender in electronic music as it centers listening and noise, instrumentality and access. Warren has presented work around the world, including at the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition [US], Espace des arts sans frontières [FR], ICMC [GR, NL], Interfaces [CY], ISSTA [IE], Mise-En Music Festival [US], NIME [US], NYCEMF [US], Spektrum [DE], and TENOR[CA, ES]. Currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the MEME program/Music Department at Brown University, Warren holds a Ph.D in Composition & Computer Technologies from University of Virginia (2017) and a BA in Music Composition from Duke University (2011). Event Details
Oct 11, 2019 Dan Weiss Dan Weiss is a drummer/percussionist whose style combines modern jazz and Indian classical music. A Shifting Foundation grantee, he has been hailed as one of the top five jazz drummers in The New York Times, and his large ensemble recording "Fourteen" made the top 10 list of their best recordings of 2014. Weiss’s innovative drumming and forward-thinking compositions have been pushing musical limits for years. Weiss has also studied tabla for the last 20 years under Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Event Details
Oct 21, 2019 David Ambrosio/Russ Meissner Quartet NYC veteran bassist David Ambrosio has teamed up with his long time musical compatriot of over 20 years Russ Meissner to form this stellar group, featuring the amazing multi-instrumentalist Matt Renzi and subtly masterful pianist Leonard Thompson. This music represents decades of incredible music making and history between these internationally renowned musicians. Event Details
Oct 22, 2019 Nic Gerpe Pianist Nic Gerpe, a Los Angeles native, has been hailed as “magnetic” and “prodigious… heroic." LA Times music critic Mark Swed described his playing as “wonderfully illuminating… his tone is crystalline. His technique is dazzlingly fluid.” A dedicated proponent of new music, Nic has worked with composers such as Steve Reich, Thea Musgrave and Michael Gordon, and has given numerous world premieres locally and abroad. Nic has performed in such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Zipper Hall, the Wallis Annenberg Center and the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater. Nic’s performances have also been nationally broadcast on 91.5 KUSC and classicalkusc.org. Nic’s playing can also be heard on Gernot Wolfgang’s GRAMMY-Nominated album Passing Through. Event Details