We received the following great write-up and photos from Music Department professor, Movses Pogossian. Shared credits go to Ben Bartelt, one of the participants. Enjoy!

******

Recently I had the pleasure and honor of performing some chamber music in a former residence of American composer Lou Harrison, for a concert that was both one of the most intense and one of the most rewarding of my life. The venue was a cozy house in the desert town of Joshua Tree, California, approximately around two and a half hours east of Los Angeles, and had been designed by Harrison as a retreat for composing. Our program comprised solely modern masterworks: Bartok’s String Quartet #2, Schoenberg’s String Trio, and three movements from the String Quartet Set by Lou Harrison. I had the wonderful pleasure to play both in the quartet pieces and the trio.

Both groups had been preparing for a long time. Both the Bartok and Schoenberg pieces are extremely complicated, and each required many months of preparation. The Schoenberg we had performed the previous year at UCLA, for the Herb Alpert School of Music’s annual L.A. Composers concert. Eva Soltes, the director of the concert series at the Lou Harrison house, had been in the audience then and afterwards invited Professor Movses Pogossian, the violinist in our trio, to come and perform it there. Work on the Bartok quartet was begun at the beginning of this school year, and we continued to rehearse it until the day of the performance!

Luckily, we were able to perform the quartet repertoire a couple of times prior to the big day in Joshua Tree. First, we played for a music appreciation class at Pierce College. The ambience in the room where we performed was not the greatest, but I was very impressed with the students there. The Bartok is not an easy piece to listen to for the first time, and they were much quieter than I thought they would be. This was due at least in part to a helpful talk that Movses, our coach for the Bartok and Harrison, gave about the music. He explained the context of the piece, talked about the composer, and had us play examples from each movement to show the audience how the piece worked. A week after the Pierce College concert, we performed the Bartok for a similar class, this time at UCLA, again with a lecture-demonstration preceding it.

Before I knew it, the day of our Joshua Tree concert had come. We arrived there midday, and Eva Soltes, the director of the concert series at the Harrison house, entertained us for lunch. After some good food and good conversation, we retired indoors. It was a peaceful setting, quiet, and conducive to napping. But there was work to be done. First went the quartet. We played through some of the Bartok to get used to the acoustic of the room we were playing in. The space was very live and resonant; Harrison had designed it specifically with concerts in mind. We played the Harrison Quartet for Eva, who is an expert on Lou Harrison’s life and music, and she gave us some helpful advice. Afterwards we quickly touched the Schoenberg Trio, and then, all of a sudden, people were arriving! We went backstage–the house’s bedroom and kitchen–to tune and eat some cookies for a last-minute energy boost.

The room grew quiet, and we heard Movses talking to the audience. Then applause, and we walked on. We started the concert with two movements from Harrison’s Quartet Set, both of which were influenced by Medieval music. The first, called Estampie, is a quick dance-like movement with a springy beat and a fluid, ever-changing melody. This was followed by a movement that was a set of variations on a somber 13th-century song. Next up was Bartok. As we started playing, I became completely absorbed the music, and felt the same vibe from the others in the quartet. We had never performed in a setting so warm or so dry, and this had made me a little nervous beforehand. But neither had we performed with such intense concentration, and because of this, my nerves disappeared completely during the performance.

The first half of the concert went reasonably well, and though we were all sweating by the intermission, I felt energized from the music rather than depleted. After a few more quick cookies and chatting with the others about the preceding 45 minutes, it was time for Part 2. After Movses gave his talk about the music, we tuned and started to play the incredibl–and very difficult–Schoenberg. The piece had grown much more comfortable since we had learned it the year before, and it was a lot of fun being able to revisit it. The performance was not without mishaps, though: right as we were starting, I noticed that my mute, which had been on my viola at the end of the Bartok, had somehow disappeared during intermission. Searching in both my pockets turned up nothing, so I played without, and did my best not to play too loud in the soft spots. Twenty minutes and several broken bow hairs later, we were beginning the last piece on the program, which in this case was the same as the first piece, selections from Lou Harrison’s Quartet set. We again played two movements, this time starting with the “Plaint,” a slightly enigmatic piece with a sometimes melancholic, sometimes passionate character. Our final movement was the “Estampie,” with which we had also opened the concert.

It had a been an interesting and very enjoyable excursion. Thinking about the day’s experiences during the ride home, it occurred to me that I might never play a concert in a setting quite like this again. I knew, though, that it was an experience that would stay in my memory for the rest of my life.

Ben Bartelt, violist, graduating Senior in Music Performance, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

****

The recent concert at Harrison House was an immensely satisfying experience for me, on so many levels.

The uniqueness of the venue is astonishing. Built by the great composer Lou Harrison for himself at the twilight of his life, the House has an incredible vibe, both literally (due to amazing acoustics, designed by Lou himself) and figuratively. It looks as a happy alien who decided to descent from the other civilization to make friends with the chaotic inspiring rocks of the Joshua Tree National Park. The Park, literally, starts from a few yards away. As an unexpected bonus, we were treated to the host of whimsical tall metal sculptures outside, by the fantastic Bay Area artist and old friend of Lou Harrison, Mark Bulwinkle, who recently completed a residency at the House. The Bulwinkle magic continued inside, with his drawings, cards, tiles, and other artifacts, including dozens of friendly metal birds hanging from the ceiling, which were resonating when the music was played.

As a musician, the program was one of the most satisfying that I have ever been part of, both because of its substance, and for the quality of performance. The two great masterworks of the 20th Century chamber music repertoire (Bartok Quartet no. 2 and Schoenberg String Trio) were given much love, attention, and copious amounts of time in the months of its preparation, and it clearly showed during the performance. As it often happens with extremely complex and difficult works, the performers are usually so busy solving one challenge after another, that there is no time to “smell the roses” and to enjoy the music. Therefore, it was really special to witness how the flow of music and the channeling of the composers’ emotive worlds was so natural, compelling, honest, and inspired. An important aspect was the wonderful opportunity to start and finish the concert with Lou Harrison’s music: pure, vibrant, reflective, flowing. To me, it felt deeply logical, and even a little mystical, as the hospitable and generally happy Californian was welcoming with his music to his home the two American Immigrants, both fleeing Europe and Nazis (Bartok and Schoenberg), one of which was his teacher as well…

Finally, as an educator, I have experienced a great pride for our students (and a little jealousy, may I add–I wish I had such opportunities when I was growing up in the Soviet Union!). Sharing music with them, both while coaching and performing, was a joy ride, really. Each of them demonstrated and generously shared with the audience what makes chamber music so special: the power of the inspired conversation of the equals, the intimacy of profound moments experienced communally, the spontaneity of the creative process, and the wonderful realization that the more you give, the more you’ll receive…

Many thanks to Eva Soltes, Lou Harrison’s long-time friend and associate, who made us feel so welcome, and who also gave the students an extremely helpful coaching on Harrison’s music. Thanks to Gregory for cooking the delicious after-concert dinner, which we happily consumed seating at the House’s inner courtyard, surrounded by the fairy-tale-like metal ornaments by Bulwinkle, and an amazing and calming silence of the Mojave Desert. And, finally, thanks to the great audience, which was everything that one could wish for: friendly, intelligent, serious, warm, open-minded, and, most importantly, open-hearted. I hope we can do this again. And again.

Movses Pogossian
Professor of Violin and Chair of Strings
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Performance information:

UCLA Camarades Concert at Harrison House
April 29, 2012, 4:00 PM

L. Harrison — String Quartet Set

B. Bartok — String Quartet No. 2

Mira Khomik and Rhea Fowler, violins, Ben Bartelt, viola, Eric Lee, cello

A. Schoenberg — String Trio (1946)

Movses Pogossian, violin, Ben Bartelt, viola, Jonathan Thomson, cello

UCLA Camarades String Quartet with Eva Soltes at the Harrison House

After the concert: pictured, left to right: Jonathan Thomson, Ben Bartelt, Rhea Fowler, Movses Pogossian, Eric Lee, Mira Khomik

We have heard some great news from composition grad Drew Schnurr–the film “Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist”, produced and directed by Peter Jay Brown and with music by Drew Schnurr, has premiered internationally and will be released in the U.S. on April 22nd–Earth Day.

He has provided the following information:

CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-TERRORIST, a film by Peter Brown with music composed by UCLA PhD Candidate Drew Schnurr, has been theatrically released internationally in countries including Germany, France, and Australia. The film has received excellent critical acclaim from the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Roger Ebert and The Sun Times, Planet Magazine, and the Huffington Post. It will premiere in the U.S. on April 22 (Earth Day), and will be available for viewing digitally on iTunes, Amazon VOD, and Cable Video-On-Demand.

Film Description:

CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-TERRORIST takes viewers on an action-packed voyage with the world’s most wanted environmentalist heroes, Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Seen through the eyes of director, activist and longest serving Sea Shepherd crew member, Peter Jay Brown, the film features 30 years of never-before-seen insider footage of the most exciting, dispairing and triumphant eco-campaigns in the world. During their voyages they’ve been engaged in dramatic conflict including the boarding of ships, arrests, being fired upon by the Norwegian Navy and successfully ramming and/or sinking illegal whaling and fishing vessels worldwide. The group is also credited with stopping drift-netting worldwide and saving the lives of millions of marine wildlife.

Go to http://www.confessionsfilm.com/ for more information.

Congratulations to Drew on this success!

For the last few years, as many of you know, Mrs. Carol Block has hosted a series of musical recitals at the Chancellor’s residence, and has invited employees from departments all across the UCLA campus to come and enjoy the great diversity of talent in our music programs. This year, she has scheduled eleven recitals, which started February 15th and will end with the last one on May 9th. Today she has shared with us some of the photos taken at the recitals which have occurred thus far. Please enjoy our photo gallery!

Young Ah Ha, piano, Mrs. Block, and Jasmine Lau, cello

Stephanie Ng, piano, with Mrs. Block

Mariachi de Uclatlán

String quartet: Ambroise Aubrun, Eriko Tsuji, Din Sung, and Hillary Smith,

Andy Martinez–jazz piano and vocals, with Mrs. Block

BlueGrassHoppers (bluegrass ensemble)

Kevork Andonian was one of five composers selected for the 2012 Emerging Composer-Director Match-Up Programme jointly organized by the Screen Composers Guild of Canada and the Canadian Film Centre (CFC).  This programme takes place annually in Toronto and is akin to the ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop held every summer in Los Angeles.  Kevork was matched up with a Directing Resident at the CFC for whom he composed a three-minute cue.   The cue was recorded by professional musicians and subsequently mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound at an audio post-production facility.

The photograph was taken during the recording session of the cue held at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio.

UCLA Musicology Ph.D. student Alexandra Apolloni recently returned to Los Angeles after spending the fall quarter in London, England.

Alexandra’s dissertation is about British girl pop singers in the 1960s, and she spent her time in London researching performers such as Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, and Cilla Black.  Alexandra did research in the British Library’s extensive newspaper and magazine collection, where she found original interviews and articles in pop music magazines and fashion magazines from the 1960s.  She plans to use these primary sources to talk about how girl pop singers fit into a larger context of how femininity and race were understood in Britain in the 1960s.

Alexandra also spent time at the British Film Institute, where she was able to watch archival video footage of television shows like Cilla at the Savoy, The Sandie Shaw Supplement, and Dusty, which have never been commercially released and have rarely been seen since they were originally broadcast in the 1960s.  Since it is difficult to obtain or view copies of these shows and very few scholars have written about them, Alexandra is very much looking forward to writing about them in her dissertation.

Alexandra’s research trip was funded by the HASOM Student Opportunities Fund, the American Musicological Society, and the UC Center for New Racial Studies.

Dress rehearsal

The UCLA Chorale just returned from their trip to Arizona where they performed the Verdi “Requiem” for the Arizona Musicfest. The performance was a smashing success and we want to thank all who made it possible. They traveled by bus to Scottsdale, Arizona last week, where they combined with the festival orchestra and chorus under the baton of Maestro Robert Moody. Orchestra members came from the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Chicago & Cleveland Symphonies, etc. to perform. They were truly world class musicians. The dress rehearsal was actually a ‘performance’ to a paying crowd of over 500 on Saturday, and the house was completely sold out for the Sunday performance!

Maestro Moody, a former student of Professor Donald Neuen’s from his tenure at the Eastman School of Music, invited the UCLA Chorale to perform as choir-in-residence, a great honor and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the UCLA students! The Chorale performed brilliantly, and the praise from the conductor, orchestra members and audience was exuberant and overwhelming. The Chorale (who joined the 100-voice Phoenix Chorus—which was prepared by our UCLA Associate Director of Choral Activities Rebecca Lord) made UCLA proud. The students had a wonderful, exciting time; many saying that it was one of the greatest experiences of their lives. We are grateful to all who cooperated in helping make this experience possible for our students. They will cherish their memories for years to come!

In addition to the activities above, Dr. Rebecca Lord was just featured as a conductor at Carnegie Hall with the Young People’s Chorus of NYC. This successful performance received rave reviews in the New York Times, and occurred just prior to her travel to Phoenix, where she served as orchestral cover conductor and chorus master for the Verdi Requiem. We certainly are fortunate to have her on-board in our UCLA area of choral activities and its greatly expanding outreach program.

Choralel members relaxing at the hotel

There’s nothing like white tie and tails, with cactus!

All:

I hope you will join me in congratulating Zachary Wallmark for being the motive force behind a $25,000 UCLA Council on Research (COR) Transdisciplinary Seed Grant. The PI is, technically, me — and I’d like to think I did help some — but it was Zach who had the basic idea, and who put a grant application together along with myself and Prof. Marco Iacobone of the Brain Imaging Center. The project, “Understanding Musical Empathy Through the Audiomotor Mirror Neuron System,” will use fMRI imaging to examine what happens in the brain when test subjects listen to music they love…and music they hate. As Zach put it:

A musicologist and a neuroscientist join forces in order to better understand music’s unique power to unite people through shared empathy or to divide people based on cultural or other factors. The researchers plan an experiment involving the brain imaging of 20 participants — 10 musicians and 10 non-musicians– as they listen to excerpts of three different kinds of music: unfamiliar music, music they claim to “strongly like,” and music they claim to “strongly dislike.”  A fourth baseline condition (the control) involves examining the brain during the presentation of white noise.  If successful, the researchers expect that the results of this study could propose a biomarker of musical liking in humans, thereby laying the foundation for a theory of musical empathy rooted in embodied cognition.  The researchers plan to publish the results in neuroscientific and musicological journals and use the data for grant applications to NSF and NEH.

I am very excited to bring our department’s musicological expertise and sensitivity to culture into a realm where brain scientists have largely been working either on their own or in more purely medical contexts (hearing aids, etc.). And the validation of Zach’s interdisciplinary research focus is well-deserved.

More on this as it develops. But I have already ordered my white lab coat.  :)

rwf

Robert Fink

Professor and Chair

Department of Musicology

UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

This Thursday, February 23, one of our current students will perform in the Fowler Museum courtyard as part of the Fowler Out Loud concert series.

Gaayatri Kaundinya is a B.A. student in the Department of Ethnomusicology. The concert is free and open to the public. More information can be found here:  http://fowler.ucla.edu/events/fowler-out-loud-gaayatri-kaundinya. Ravi Deo (B.A. ’08 Ethnomusicology) will also perform.

UCLA alumni Chase Smiegiel (left), Andrew Look (middle) and Charles Bergmann. Photo courtesy of The Daily Bruin.

A recent Daily Bruin article features Charles Bergmann, a 2011 Ethnomusicology alum, and fellow UCLA alumni Andrew Look, Chase Smiegiel and Nate Smith. Together, the four have created PROnoise, a music-sharing website aimed at helping budding artists gain exposure to new fans.

Read the article here.

Alexandra Grabarchuk

Alexandra Grabarchuk, a third-year graduate student in the Department of Musicology, traveled to Finland in early December to present some of her pre-dissertation work at the Sibelius Institute’s Radical Music History Symposium.  Alexandra’s project explores radical art rock of the Soviet Union from the mid-‘70s, focusing on the complicated relationships between songwriters and the official Composers’ Union.  Throughout this project, Alexandra has been guided by the mentorship of musicologist Robert Fink and Russian popular music scholar David MacFadyen. Alexandra’s travel was supported by the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Student Opportunity Fund.