School of Music

Ellen Fullman has been developing the Long String Instrument, an installation of dozens of wires fifty feet or more in length since the early 1980s. This project encompasses the study of Just Intonation tuning theory, a compositional practice centered on string harmonics, the development of a tablature graphic notation system, and musical instrument design and fabrication. The enveloping nature of the rich acoustic tones produced by The Long String Instrument evokes a sensation of being inside of a musical instrument.

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The past and the future live side-by-side in the deeply personal love music from Los Angeles-based singer and guitarist San Cha. Born Lizette Gutierrez, San Cha is a musical rebel in every way, even down to her stage name, a play on the Spanish word “san,” which means saint, and “sancha,” which translates to mistress. San Cha’s powerful voice, larger-than-life stage persona, and moving lyrics—which she sings in both English and Spanish—are rooted in authentic storytelling, connecting her to her Mexican heritage while serving as a tool for creative introspection. A native of San Jose, Calif., the singer moved to Los Angeles nearly four years ago at the insistence of friends, and she has already found a fan base and kinship within LA’s vibrant community of queer Latinx creatives.

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Liz Tonne’s work explores the imaginative edge of voice as an instrument, sewing together abstracted song and text using an array of both traditional and extended vocal techniques. Liz was a Boston based improvisor throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s and in numerous groups that helped define Boston’s electro-acoustic aesthetic. As a member of the pioneering ensemble, undr quartet, she contributed to the presentation of a new wave of sonic minimalism referred to as lowercase music. She was also a member of The BSC, a group of eight electro-acoustic musicians who translated a mature, orchestral form of improvised music under the curatorship of Bhob Rainey.

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With pianist/composer Tigran Hamasyan, potent jazz improvisation fuses with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Turning 30 in 2017, he’s one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists of his generation. A piano virtuoso with groove power, Tigran’s latest adventurous project is 2017’s An Ancient Observer, his second solo album, his eighth overall as a sole leader, and his sophomore recording for Nonesuch. (Overall, this is his eighth recording as a sole leader.) Conceptually, An Ancient Observer is a poignant album focusing on the art of observing. 

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Boss Witch Productions is an artistic production company focused on the intersection of experimental sound art, ritual performance, video art, and transmedia collaboration within natural landscapes. It was founded in 2020 by Carmina Escobar, Madeline Falcone, and Madison Heying to establish a sustainable, artist-driven infrastructure for the creation of experimental, site-specific work. We seek to reimagine our relationship to the world around us while leaving a minimal human footprint.


 

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Jeff Watts, the drummer they call "Tain," spent his formative years with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and his compositional skills now command equal attention. Jeff joined the Wynton Marsalis Quartet in 1981 and proceeded to win three Grammy Awards with the ensemble: Black Codes From The Underground,  J Mood and Marsalis Standard Time - Vol. 1. Watts left Wynton Marsalis in 1988.  After working with George Benson, Harry Connick. Jr. and McCoy Tyner, he joined the Branford Marsalis Quartet in 1989, winning Grammy's for I Heard You Twice the First Time and Contemporary Jazz. In the film and television industry Jeff has appeared as both a musician on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and as an actor, Rhythm Jones in Spike Lee’s "Mo Better Blues".

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Sharon Chohi Kim is a classical vocalist who specializes in contemporary opera and experimental voice. She recently performed the role of Hungry Ghost in Meredith Monk’s opera ATLAS with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other performances include the role of Lucha in The Industry’s world premiere of Hopscotch, and the West Coast premiere of Sila: The Breath of the World by John Luther Adams. She has also performed with Los Angeles Opera Company, the Broad Museum, four larks, Getty Villa, MOCA, REDCAT, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. She has toured Canada and the U.K. singing experimental music. As well as performing, Sharon recently co-composed Unseal Unseam. This opera was described as “hair-raising” and “paralyzingly beautiful” (New Classic LA)

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