Department of Music

Pope’s passion for music, exceptional leadership pop out

kelvin — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:44:52 +0000

Pope’s passion for music, exceptional leadership pop out kelvin Tue, 06/17/2025 - 01:44 More Press Releases Jeremy Gutierrez, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications June 17, 2025

Fourth-year music and culture major Deonna Pope had a rough start to her undergraduate experience, coming onto campus during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pope not only had to adjust to college but learn to cope with the initial isolation caused by the pandemic. However, her passion carried her through, and as the campus began to move out of quarantine, she was able to find her place. It was through her major that she truly began to shine as a UC Riverside student.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in college, I just knew I needed to have music in my academic life somehow,” Pope said. “I talked to my counselor at the end of my sophomore year, and she said that this major was available and it seemed different to me because I did not know there was a discipline that combined music and culture anywhere. UCR has a strong faculty who specialize in these studies and the intro classes I took for this major really hooked me in and attracted my curiosity. This major was really about the conversations I would have with fellow musicians and opened my eyes to the world of ethnomusicology and what I can contribute to this field in the future. I felt seen as a Black woman in this discipline and very passionate about learning everything I can about it.”

This dedication garnered the attention of Jennifer Garrison, an undergraduate academic advisor.

“[Pope] truly embodies what it means to be exceptional,” Garrison said, “Not only is she a standout student in the music program, but she also pours her heart into everything she does. Her dedication and leadership shine through in her role with the CHASS Events team and as a representative of the Music Department. She is always ready to step up, whether it’s speaking at the MUS welcome event for first-year students or participating in student panels. Deonna is a gifted violinist, and her passion for music is evident in every performance. She balances all of this while teaching at an elementary school just across campus. Her ability to inspire and connect with young minds, all while managing her demanding schedule, is a true testament to her incredible character. Deonna is the kind of person who doesn’t just excel — she uplifts everyone around her. She’s an inspiring, hardworking individual who continuously strives to grow both personally and professionally, and I have no doubt she will continue to do amazing things.”

As a violinist, Pope has been performing with the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) — the nation’s largest primarily Black orchestra — since 2016.

“Being able to perform Black music and showcase our heritage in various prestigious places is such an honor and privilege,” Pope said. “My conductor, Charles Dickerson III, has steered me in the direction of pursuing higher education, so ever since I was a part of the orchestra, I have had college on my mind. My experiences with ICYOLA have given me the right discipline and routine to be a structured individual.”

In addition to her ICYOLA family, Pope has many people to thank for her success. Among them are her parents, who helped her tour the campus and apply; a friend of a friend who attended UC Riverside and helped her gain her footing; and even her teaching assistants, who helped her with her coursework. Not to forget the faculty and staff of the music department, CHASS, the R-Pantry, and the Basic Needs Center.

“I can’t thank them enough for all the support they have given me. They help me convey the message of my stories and always push me harder to be successful,” Pope said. “CHASS has given me exposure to opportunities to network and know what is going on, on campus, so it helps me get the resources I need. The R-Pantry and the Basic Needs Center are places I go to when I need food or any help with my basic needs.”

Much like her undergraduate experiences, Pope plans a varied post-grad career. She hopes to continue performing in various music ensembles, start her own music group, and teach private lessons while earning her master's and Ph.D. to become an ethnomusicologist. Pope was recently accepted into the graduate program for ethnomusicology at UC Riverside.

FEATURED PHOTO. Deonna Pope lounges on the University of California, Riverside sign on West Campus Drive, arms in the air.

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Department of Music

Student musicians and composers highlighted at Florence Bayz Music Series

kelvin — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 19:02:59 +0000

Student musicians and composers highlighted at Florence Bayz Music Series kelvin Thu, 06/12/2025 - 12:02 More Press Releases Jeremy Gutierrez, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications June 12, 2025

On March 5, several students showcased their musical talents during the Student Performance and Composition series hosted in ARTS 157 at UC Riverside. Part of the music department’s Florence Bayz Music series, the performance allowed students to work on a piece — either instrumental or vocal — and perform it in front of an audience. Jonathan Keplinger, accompanist for the music department, organized the event.

“I’ve very much enjoyed coordinating the Student Performance and Composition Series since I took over the role in 2019,” Keplinger said. “The best thing students can do to become better performers is do lots of performing! It’s my privilege to help our young musicians get an extra opportunity to be in front of an audience, sharing their hard work with supportive peers and professors.”

Seven students — as well as Keplinger — performed, and fourth-year music major Brianna Scott performed twice. Scott has been playing the piano since she was 5 years old. During the event, Scott played a classical piece by Claude Debussy and her original composition, “Starry Night.” Though her skill with the piano is clear, she admitted she is relatively new to the composition track.

“Performing is really nice to just put the music out there and connect with the audience. I think it’s the greatest thing,” Scott said. “The same thing goes with composing. I think today that I got the chance to perform my music. It’s nice to get an audience reception to it. I think it’s just nice to be part of the music.”

Scott hopes to participate in the next Student Performance and Composition event, which will be held during the spring quarter. As a graduating senior, she wants to take advantage of available opportunities. As a student, Scott has learned more about composition and how it differs from performing established pieces.

“Learning music is easy for me,” Scott said. “One thing that I love to brag about is that I love to sight-read and I’m really good at it. But I think composing music sometimes gets difficult because it's the balance of, ‘What’s your inspiration?’ and ‘What can you do to make it different?’ I love Andrew Lloyd Webber but the problem is I want to write music like him, but I don’t want to make it sound just like ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ Taking those inspirations and making them my own is definitely the hardest part of composing music.”

The Performance and Composition series intends to continue putting together one event per quarter, according to Keplinger.

“We have another edition of the Student Performance and Composition Series coming up on May 28 at noon,” Keplinger said. “We usually have one per quarter, traditionally in the ninth week of the term, and always at noon. When the 2025-26 school year kicks off, expect there to be another edition near the end of fall quarter, and so on!”

For more information about the Student Performance and Composition Series, as well as other events from the music department, visit music.ucr.edu/florence-bayz-music-series.

FEATURED PHOTO. Music major Brianna Scott performs a self-composed song.

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Department of Music

Music department elevates cultural and regional music practices, promotes diversity

kelvin — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:33:48 +0000

Music department elevates cultural and regional music practices, promotes diversity kelvin Tue, 06/10/2025 - 17:33 More Press Releases Jeremy Gutierrez, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communication June 10, 2025

The World Music Festival was hosted in the University Theatre on May 2 at 7 p.m. by Professor Jonathan Ritter, chair of the Department of Music at UC Riverside. The festival has been held for approximately the last 20 years, celebrating music from around the world and highlighting some of UCR’s key cultural music ensembles.

The first to perform was the UCR Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, led by director Joko Sutrisno. The Gamelan Ensemble focuses on a set of instruments — referred to as gamelan — from the Java and Bali islands of Indonesia.

The instruments include tuned gongs, chimes, and metal keyed instruments, as well as several xylophones, stringed instruments, and flutes. The ensemble was first founded in 1996, but took a break during quarantine. However, the group was revived two years ago under the new direction of Sutrisno. The music can best be described as careful, ornate, and melodic. While most of the instruments were some form of percussion, they were all pitched, or capable of playing multiple notes. This added depth and variety to the performance.

The second group on stage was the UCR Rondalla Ensemble, led by director Tagumpay “Pi” de Leon. The group played 6 numbers in the traditional Filipino style of rondalla, which features a number of small, guitar-like stringed instruments. The string quintet was very quick in time, supported by a large, steady bass-like instrument that tempered the sound of the music.

Rondalla is the result of large-scale intercultural blending, a reflection of the years of Spanish colonization in the Philippines. The group at UC Riverside was founded in 2001. In 2021 de Leon was named a National Heritage fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts, and is largely regarded as a master musician in his subject.

The third group to perform — and the last of the first act — was Mayupatapi, the UCR Latin American Music Ensemble led by director Emilia Moscoso Borja. Mayupatapi means Riverside in the Quechua language, and the group draws from a variety of Latin American musical practices. Mayupatapi has been performing since 2005, and has been performing under the direction of Borja since 2024.

Their first song drew from Andean panpipe tradition, and involved a circular running movement of the performers while also playing panpipes. Ritter performed with the ensemble, playing both a panpipe and a drum at the same time. The group’s other music included an Afro-Peruvian piece and a Brazilian percussion piece, among others. Several songs involved the use of an instrument that appeared to be a piece of bone, while others utilized percussion through drums or wooden boxes. Other songs still included singing and flutes. Mayupatapi’s music was varied and unique.

Following intermission, the show was brought back by Mariachi Los Alteños de UCR — UC Riverside’s own Mariachi group — led by director Cynthia Reifler Flores. Mariachi is a musical practice from Mexico, and involves the use of guitars, violins, (acoustic) bass guitars, trumpets, and singing.

Each song had a different member of the ensemble singing, including several duet and group numbers. The ensemble's closing number, “Homenaje a Selena,” was a mashup, mariachi cover of two of Mexican-American artist Selena Quintanilla’s songs, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” and “No Me Queda Más.”

The night’s closing act was the UCR Taiko Ensemble, led by director Terry Nguyen. Each piece the ensemble played displayed differences in technique, rhythm, and energy. Whereas the first song utilized simpler beats and basic call and response, the last song involved several choreographed movements, including jumps, elaborate, deliberate movement, and even a few moments when the performers ran to swap to themselves between the drums.

Taiko is a Japanese drum tradition, and in a North American context refers to a modern tradition of group drumming drawn from several older traditions. The UCR Taiko Ensemble was established in 1998, and has been under the direction of Nguyen since 2017. Nguyen was actually a pupil of a founder of the UCR Taiko ensemble.

Future CHASS music events like this can be found at events.ucr.edu or music.ucr.edu.

For more information about the Gamelan Ensemble, please visit music.ucr.edu/gamelan-ensemble. The group meets every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. and is open to all UCR students. Information about the Rondalla Ensemble is available at music.ucr.edu/rondalla.

For more information about Mayupatapi, please visit music.ucr.edu/mayupatapi. The group meets Thursdays from 6 to 8:50 p.m, and is open to UCR students as well as community members. To learn more about Mariachi los Alteños, visit music.ucr.edu/mariachi-los-altenos.
Information regarding the UCR Taiko Ensemble can be found at music.ucr.edu/taiko-ensemble.

FEATURED PHOTO. Director Cynthia Reifler Flores of Mariachi Los Alteños de UCR plays the violin as she leads the ensemble.

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Department of Music

"Just come and listen"

kelvin — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 23:19:28 +0000

"Just come and listen" kelvin Tue, 01/09/2024 - 15:19 More Press Releases Alejandra Prado, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communication January 09, 2024

Presented by UCR's Department of Music, the Florence Bayz Music Series has been underway for the 2023-2024 academic year. Held every Wednesday at noon in room 157 of the ARTS building, the series features a variety of concerts, academic presentations, and workshops with the overarching goal of exploring music in various ways.

"The Bayz series epitomizes the rewards of spending time on a university campus: You get to jump into an event and encounter something new, with no prerequisites or expectations," said Deborah Wong, the coordinator of this year’s Florence Bayz Music Series season and a professor of music. "Just come and listen."

This academic year marks the third time Wong has served as coordinator for the new season of the music series. According to Wong, a different faculty member coordinates the music series every academic year.

"One thing I love about the Bayz series is that it’s music-focused but activates questions that are at the heart of CHASS and the humanities in general," she said. "The series is driven by questions that percolate more broadly through popular culture studies, Indigenous studies, Latin American studies, media studies, etc."

Offering an hour of new music and performances, each event of the music series extends its arms to the broader community and is free and open to the public. The Florence Bayz Music Series also serves as a platform to spotlight student performers and the department’s creative and research endeavors, with international guest artists and scholars.

"You can expect to be provoked, awed, and inspired," Wong said. "You will be introduced to new people, new ideas, and new creative agendas."

The Florence Bayz Music Series continues its musical exploration during the winter quarter, kicking off with a roundtable and discussion on Jan. 17, featuring four faculty DJs who curate UCR’s radio station, KUCR 88.3FM.

There is also an interactive performance of "In C," a piece by Terry Riley, on Jan. 31, which encourages participation from the audience.

"You’ll hear all of us together," Wong said. "Bring any instrument or just your voice and prepare to experience that jubilant piece from the inside."

"The Winter quarter line-up is locked in but the Spring is still coming together," Wong said. "Stay tuned as the year goes on."

To learn more about the Florence Bayz Music Series and future dates, please visit music.ucr.edu/florence-bayz-music-series.

To receive monthly updates about the Florence Bayz Series, sign up here.

Eekwol rapping while Liz Przybylski listens during the Bayz event on November 15, 2023 focused on a discussion of Prof. Przybylski's recent book Sonic Sovereignty: Hip Hop, Indigeneity, and Shifting Popular Music Mainstreams. Eekwol is a rapper/educator/activist from the Muskoday First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Photo by Deborah Wong

FEATURED PHOTO. Emyr Ortiz, tenor, and Jonathan Keplinger, piano, running through the song "How It Ends" from the musical Big Fish, during the sound check for the student performance recital in the Bayz series on November 29, 2023. Photo by Deborah Wong

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Department of Music

Audiovisual Frontiers exhibition brings together international artists and scholars

kelvin — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 22:14:33 +0000

Audiovisual Frontiers exhibition brings together international artists and scholars kelvin Fri, 01/28/2022 - 14:14 More Press Releases Alejandra Prado, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications January 28, 2022

International scholars from around the world met together virtually in November to share and discuss Transnational Film and Audiovisual Art.

The Transnational Film and Audiovisual Art conference and the Audiovisual Frontiers exhibition – with more than 70 pieces of audiovisual art – were presented on Nov. 20 by UC Riverside’s Department of Music and UCR ARTS. Audiovisual art can be described as an intersection of sight and sound featuring language, poetry, music, and cinema. The conference and exhibition gave platforms to works of audiovisual art along with national and international scholars and artists.

The conference also featured the unfinished silent film ¡Que Viva Mexico! (1930). During the conference, it was screened with new music commissioned by Rodrigo Sigal, composer, and director of the Mexican Center for Music and Sound Art. An emblem of audiovisual art and the embodiment of film production and sound in mass culture, the film restored the significance of artwork in cinema. Sigal’s score gives the film new perspectives of time, culture, and art.

¡Que Viva Mexico! is a “seed of today’s transnational collaboration in audiovisual creation and production,” said Paulo C. Chagas, the event coordinator and a professor in UCR’s Department of Music.

“We had a variety of perspectives at the conference, from professional scholars to students,” said Sam C. Shin, a Ph.D. student of Digital Composition at UCR. “Bringing in presenters with different backgrounds allowed us to examine a variety of issues in transnational audiovisual art,” Shin said.

The conference also included the Audiovisual Frontiers exhibition, featuring 70-80 selected works of audiovisual art submitted from more than 125 entries from artists around the world including UCR students and faculty.

“We did a call of works that embraces practically every kind of work combining sound and imaging,” Chagas said. “We will show everything, without judgment and censure.”

“The exhibit is a great way to learn about contemporary audiovisual art if you are new to the medium and also showcases a wide variety of approaches to the form; there is both depth and breadth to the exhibit,” Shin said.

Ethan Castro, a Ph.D. student of Digital Composition, said the conference and exhibition “share the same common thread even though they were exclusively different experiences.”

For more information about the Transnational Film and Audiovisual Art conference, please visit audiovisualmusic.ucr.edu/qvm

For more information about Audiovisual Frontiers, please visit audiovisualmusic.ucr.edu

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Department of Music

Performing Arts faces unique COVID-19 challenges

kelvin — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 23:38:30 +0000

Performing Arts faces unique COVID-19 challenges kelvin Fri, 01/29/2021 - 15:38 More Press Releases Mina Shiratsuchi, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications January 29, 2021

As COVID-19 continues to impact UCR, students are facing unique challenges within the CHASS performing arts departments which include Dance, Music, and Theatre, Film, and Digital Production (TFDP).

Acting classes conducted via Zoom begin with a wellness check-in for the students and professors to keep in touch with their own feelings. Talking through emotions during the class period is an important component of the acting curriculum, according to Kimberly Guerrero, TFDP professor and the department’s artistic director. The classes make sure to give students a safe space to be vulnerable and truthful about problems that arise in their personal lives, Guerrero said.

“As actors, our whole goal is to be truthful and to be telling stories authentically as we can which means that most of us are highly empathic people,” Guerrero said. “When you couple that with the fact that the instrument we are working with is our entire being— body, mind, emotions and energetic/spiritual self — it becomes crucial to find ways to find balance and wholeness in order to practice our craft, especially during the extraordinarily stressful season we’re all navigating.”

Despite the challenges of a virtual classroom, Guerrero does see advantages. Professors are able to utilize Zoom to conduct mock online acting auditions and interviews, as well as facilitate online lectures with guest speakers. Earlier this year, students had the opportunity to learn from actress Sarah Drew, who portrays Dr. April Kepner in the popular TV drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.”

TFDP 111D students meet and learn from Robert Curtis Brown, actor in The Handmaid’s Tale, Dear White People, and High School Musical 2.
Photo Credit: Kimberly Guerrero

In March, UCR’s concert band and orchestra performance directed by Lauren Wasynczuk, UCR concert band director, and Ruth Charloff, UCR Orchestra director, was canceled a day before the performance due to COVID-19. While the thought of not having live music performance that had fostered social interactions was extremely disappointing, the shift to online instruction became a pathway that yielded creative ways to rethink how musicians rehearse and perform, and maintain community in a remote setting.

Moving everything online presented challenges with latency, performance and location. Music classes have started to implement virtual breakout room sessions and utilize various apps to submit music recordings for grading purposes. These opportunities have continued to encourage student collaborations to build strong team-building skills, as well as learning to use their voices to empower others despite being at home, Wasynczuk said.

“Music is healing and is a key ingredient of the classes,” Wasynczuk said . “While we are learning music, we are also learning about ourselves through the process.”

UCR Music Department’s Experimental Acoustics Research Studio (EARS) assisted in the teaching and supported music students with editing their concert performances to include concert-quality sound. Wasynczuk’s students learned how to edit, record, and mix music to produce high-quality audio at home. UCR Music Department’s Concert December 9th featured skills the music students had learned with both video and musical performances. The experience also led to a piloted program coordinated by EARS Student Group founder, Ethan Castro, will allow students to rehearse and perform live with musicians in different locations.

Talia Mason, a second-year MFA student in experimental choreography, also embraced Zoom technology for her fourth-quarter dance showing, Water Lines. Water Lines is an improvisational piece that includes various projections and video recordings of Mason’s family home on a lake in Maine. Mason is the only one of three students within the MFA in experimental choreography that uses projections and videos to showcase her work, which provided advantages to translating it into a virtual performance.

Originally from the east coast, Mason moved back to Maine to be with her family once UCR’s campus went mostly virtual in March 2020. Mason traveled back to Riverside to prepare for her October performance in UCR’s performing arts studio, and even had water from the Atlantic Ocean shipped out by a friend.

Mason’s family and friends from the east coast were able to view the performance live via Zoom. Many would not have been able to view it if Mason had performed for an in-person audience.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mason said it’s been hard for many of the students within the dance department to have the feeling of wanting to dance and having the energy to dance. Preparing for her own performance has also triggered emotions and made Mason consider what makes her feel happy.

“Art has a way of transporting us and helping us when we’re having a hard time,” Mason said.

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Department of Music

Department of Dance

Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production

From Kendrick Lamar to 'Tiger King'

kelvin — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 19:35:59 +0000

From Kendrick Lamar to 'Tiger King' kelvin Thu, 06/18/2020 - 12:35 More Press Releases Hannah Croft, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications June 18, 2020

Multi-award winning composer Dana Kaufman approaches music in revolutionary ways, and encourages her students to do the same.

The Visiting Assistant Professor in Music Composition is the composer of a new, Netflix original Tiger King-inspired micro-opera titled Exotic v. Baskin: The Micro-Opera, commissioned by the Carlow Arts Festival in Ireland. The performance premiered online during a live stream on June 6. So far, it has received over two dozen press features, including a feature in The Irish Independent and The Irish Times, and has accumulated over 12,500 views across various online platforms.

Kaufman encourages students to develop a well-rounded perception of music. She features numerous concept albums in her class, ranging from Kendrick Lamar to Mozart, to help students analyze the overlap of musical genres and pop culture. Kaufman’s previous original compositions have included Opera Kardashian, an opera about the reality show celebrity family.

Kaufman has been introducing students to a wide range of music through her courses on music theory and composition since her arrival at UCR in 2018. Her classes have led to collaborations with CHASS faculty and staff, including Assistant Professor of Theater Kimberly Guerrero, accompanist Jonathan Keplinger, and production manager Greg Rene.

“Dana possesses this dynamic quality of being boundlessly enthusiastic while also being undeniable, well, brilliant,” Guerrero said. “She's incredibly knowledgeable across so many genres of storytelling from opera, to literature, to feature film and television, to pop culture”.

Kaufman also teaches a course on Western music analysis, which explores traditional forms of music recycled in modern music, and a course dedicated to the composition of micro-operas.

“I couldn’t love teaching...my students any more than I do,” Kaufman said. “It is an honor to work with them. I want them to keep composing and to feel inspired, to go outside of their comfort zone, and to experience a kind of music perhaps they haven’t explored before. I want students to experience growth as musicians, and to help put them on a path to academic and professional success. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing them grow and thrive.”

Kaufman teaches all genres and will work with students to find their best interest, she said. Kaufman teaches private composition lessons each quarter, working with students on a variety of genres such as film scoring, Latin jazz, musical theater, Classical chamber music, choral music, and more. Her experience in musical composition ranges from operatic music to electroacoustic music, offering a unique perspective.

“I am interested in seeking interdisciplinary connections, incorporating pop culture into my music, and pushing for social justice through my music,” Kaufman said. “I have been researching and composing for trans voice, and so I make the sphere of academic composition more open and inclusive to identities that have historically been marginalized in Western music.”

As a child, Kaufman was always breaking down barriers with her music, co-composing her first piece of work as an alternative to traditional Jewish studies. Kaufman brought her love of composition overseas in 2012 when she received a Fulbright Student Research Grant to study composition and ethnomusicology, or the study of non-Western music, in Tallinn, Estonia. Kaufman studied at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre for a year, where she collected samples of ambient sounds to incorporate into her compositions.

“I was studying music theory, I protested religious school and I wrote my first piece,” Kaufman said. “I think those initial successes and our ability to see and hear our pieces performed are absolutely crucial in encouraging us to write more, so I want to give my students the opportunities that my mentors gave to me.”

Since the completion of her Fulbright, Kaufman has brought her research from Estonia back to the campus and now incorporates her experience with ethnomusicology into her teaching style. Her works have been featured in numerous places and events, including New York Opera Fest, Boston’s Jordan Hall, the Contemporary Music Center of Milan, and Hartford Opera Theater. Her work has also been featured throughout Europe and North America.

“I really try to foster the interdisciplinary connections that CHASS emphasizes and that the Department of Music emphasizes,” Kaufman said. “….I think [these classes] support and [have] been influenced by CHASS’s commitment to equity in education and fostering those interdisciplinary connections within a liberal arts curriculum.”

“I would absolutely encourage students to study with Dr. Kaufman,” Guererro said. “She sets a high bar, but she will also give you the time, the tools and the road map of how to successfully vault that bar...You’ll be a better-equipped musician, composer, and human being because of it!”

Photo courtesy of Liz Przybylski
Kaufman discusses her original opera Opera Kardashian at the New Media and Opera Future Tense Conference at the Los Angeles Opera in February."

FEATURED PHOTO. Visiting Assistant Music Professor Dana Kaufman, (first row, fifth from right), poses with composers, performers, conductors and fellow professor Kimberly Guerrero (far left), at a micro opera performance in December."

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College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Department of Music

Music to our EARS

kelvin — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 18:58:22 +0000

Music to our EARS kelvin Fri, 10/04/2019 - 11:58 More Press Releases Chris Fleming, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications October 04, 2019

The Experimental Acoustics Research Studio (EARS) is making waves at UC Riverside. EARS is a studio within UCR’s Department of Music that focuses on facilitating research and advances in music technology and multimedia. An interdisciplinary group made up of sound engineers, musicians, writers, video editors, cinematographers, and even game designers congregate at EARS to redefine each of these genres through sound design and music composition.

Located on Chicago Avenue in Riverside, EARS works on innovative projects year-round, testing the boundaries between music and other disciplines. The studio was started by UCR Music Professor Paulo Chagas in 2008.

“It’s important to have a studio because it’s necessary to have a place where people can share experiences, ideas, and collaborate,” Chagas said. “It creates a sort of synergy that helps creativity, where people are exposed to new ideas and are getting feedback on their own ideas.”

EARS doesn’t have a budget, according to Chagas, subsisting entirely on grants and fundraising. “It’s been a very big effort to create and support this,” he said.

“One of the things we’re going to do is design some sounds using synthesizers to emulate existing sounds,” said Christiaan Clark, one of EARS’ music graduate students.

Clark will be using these sounds to test listener reactions, according to Ethan Castro, the third-year music major who serves as the vice president for EARS’ undergraduate division.

“The idea is that, if you’re sitting and facing in one direction and you have two rows of speakers to the left and right of you, since there are eight speakers there, you could hear a sound come from behind you and we could send that sound through eight speakers so it sounds like it’s moving, like a gunshot or something whizzing by you,” Castro said.

EARS has also been known to help with different endeavors around campus. EARS Student Group, launched in 2018, works closely with Gamespawn, a game development club at UCR. EARS Student Group helps with sound design and music for Gamespawn’s projects, specifically at their twelve-hour game jams, where teams attempt to make game demos in a short amount of time.

“EARS is a really great organization to work with,” Yvette Chen said. Chen serves as Gamespawn’s Outreach Coordinator and a second-year psychology major. “They are all super enthusiastic about music and we all mutually benefited from working together. They're fun people to game jam with and our longer running projects are even more amazing because of them.”

EARS is a studio for research, collaboration, and learning, but it’s also a place that musicians call home. “People in EARS are quite friendly,” Ahn Quang said, a fourth-year psychology student. “They’re people with a lot of knowledge about music, and if you’re interested in learning more about music or even making your own music, you’re welcomed there.”

For more information about EARS, visit ears.ucr.edu. For more information about Gamespawn, visit the club’s website.

FEATURED PHOTO. Photos by Sara Bernal/CHASS Marketing & Communications
The Experimental Acoustics Research Studio (EARS) is an interdisciplinary group started by Music Professor Paulo Chagas.

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College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

More than a hobby

kelvin — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 18:46:55 +0000

More than a hobby kelvin Tue, 09/10/2019 - 11:46 More Press Releases Hannah Croft, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications September 10, 2019

Monique Veloz has been creating art her entire life. Painting is more than a hobby for Veloz, it's a way of expressing emotion and giving back.

"There's not one form of art, there are multiple forms," Veloz said. "Everybody needs an outlet. Whether it’s poetry, art or music, whatever makes you feel better about yourself or gets you through your situation."

Veloz is an Academic Personnel Analyst within UC Riverside’s College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, who uses oil paint as a creative outlet. Veloz has created more than 70 original works. Some of her favorites include the "Beautifully Broken" paintings, a series of ten paintings that became her way of expressing emotions after a personal loss, and her "San Gabriel Enslavement" and "Dance For My Ancestors" paintings, created to pay homage to her Serrano and Mexican heritage.

Veloz's favorite piece is currently "Nichole," an oil painting created for a family friend experiencing personal struggles. The piece is intended to showcase the power and strength of womanhood, and alongside her other works, uniquely reflects powerful emotions, messages and history.

"Art is a way to express yourself, and is a way to steer your emotions," Veloz said. "All of my emotions come out through my art. You may have an image in your mind, and then when you start painting it turns out completely different. I like to say that the canvas talks to you, because sometimes things may not flow properly, and you think you'll go back and fix it but you take a step back to look at it and that’s what it was supposed to be."

Veloz has displayed her works in many art shows and galas. Last year, she was featured in an online magazine and four art shows. She sold an original piece at a recent "Pancakes and Booze," a premier world-traveling, pop-up art show.

Veloz strives to bring art to the community through her shows and donations, and has donated art pieces to the local Riverside Community Arts Association. She was also offered a position to teach a children's art class for the Inland Empire Latino Art Association, an organization that offers free dance classes, art classes and other children’s programs to the local community. She also donated two original paintings to the association.

"I just feel like, giving back is something I want to do," said Veloz. "My way to contribute is me donating so they can continue the work that they’re doing. It’s really big to give back where I can. I’m not able to give money, but I can donate a piece that can help them raise money and to me you need to give back to the kids."

Veloz has continued painting with her family, and has influenced her nieces to start painting by encouraging them to express themselves through art. She is continuously influencing and being influenced by them, and continues to find new inspiration for works to display at shows and on social media through her time in CHASS.

"UCR has definitely kept me inspired," Veloz said. "My departments are Art, Art History, Music and Creative Writing, and when I see what the professors are doing it keeps me motivated to keep going."

Veloz plans to continue her art, and hopes to one day exhibit her art in New York. Her ultimate goal is to hold an art show in Europe, and to be on display in France or Spain.

Follow Monique Veloz @monique.veloz on Instagram or at moniqueveloz.com.

Veloz has been featured in an online magazine and four art shows.
Photos courtesy of Monique Veloz

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