The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts is thrilled to present a DMA Showcase Concert on Nov. 18, 2020, 6 pm PST.
Concert broadcast link: https://youtu.be/nIGn9loNX8o
Post-concert discussion link: https://youtu.be/OyGADJH5ogE
This special broadcast event showcases the talents of CalArts DMAs Alex Buck, Jeonghyeon Joo, Emilia Moscoso Borja, Alkis Nicolaides, Ben Richter, and Sam Wells.
Jeonghyeon Joo
solo for haegeum (2020)
Jeonghyeon Joo, haegeum
Jeonghyeon Joo is a haegeum performer, composer, improviser, and researcher who is an ardent advocate for new and experimental music. Joo draws a narrative through an exploration of a somatic, corporeal relationship between her instrument and body. Her compositions also frequently borrow a specific musical or sociocultural concept from Korean traditional music. Recently, her works have been supported by Arts Council Korea, Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Seoul National University.
Alkis Nicolaides
Explorations: Guitar Harmonics #3 (2020)
Inspired by Preview (2020)
Alkis Nicolaides, guitar
Alkis Nicolaides is a guitarist, improviser, composer and educator from Nicosia, Cyprus. His music focuses on high-intensity improvisational environments with rhythmic considerations and the integration of technology. His original work is a blend of jazz, contemporary classical, experimental music, metal, and rock. Recently he has been exploring new harmonic environments through alternative guitar tunings and natural harmonics.
Emilia Moscoso Borja
Ciclón (2020)
Convergencia (2020)
Emilia Moscoso Borja, vibraphone and electronics
Electronics in collaboration with Martin Velez (Alumni 2016)
Emilia Moscoso Borja is an Ecuadorian percussionist, composer and art educator based in Los Angeles, CA. The original work she develops transitions between classical / contemporary music and popular music based on Ecuadorian and Latin American rhythms. She has performed in countless musical formations of different styles, always seeking versatility and diversity in her repertoire and musical experiences. Alongside her artistic practice, teaching and cultural production have also become a priority.
Sam Wells
mimenrosp (2020)
Alex Buck, percussion
Jeonghyeon Joo, haegeum
Emilia Moscoso Borja, vibraphone
Alkis Nicolaides, electric guitar
Ben Richter, accordion
Sam Wells, trumpet
Sam Wells is a Los Angeles-based trumpeter, composer, and improvisor who creates evocative and narrative multimedia performances. Sam is a member of Arcus Collective, Kludge, and SPLICE Ensemble. Sam has performed with Contemporaneous, Metropolis Ensemble, TILT Brass, the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, and the Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra. Sam has recorded on the SEAMUS and Ravello Recordings labels.
Ben Richter
Orogenesis (2020)
Alex Buck, drum set
Sarah Fouhy, video
Vinny Golia, basset horn*
Jeonghyeon Joo, haegeum
Emilia Moscoso Borja, vibraphone
Alkis Nicolaides, electric guitar
Ben Richter, accordion
David Rosenboom, piano*
Sam Wells, trumpet
Orogenesis draws from the performers’ most treasured topographical memories, connecting Mount Cube, Tungurahua, Gothic Mountain, Maroon Bells, Jirisan, Troodos, Black Mountain, and Chapada Diamantina. From afar, the musicians join together, layer upon layer, in the creation of a musical mountain.
Ben Richter is a composer, accordionist, and director of Ghost Ensemble. In Ben’s music, sound worlds of constant transformation emerge through shifting timbre gradients and microtonal fluctuations inspired by the primeval Earth, the slow metamorphosis of continents and consciousness, and humanity’s transient yet vital role within the immensity of geologic time. Ben’s recent recordings include Ghost Ensemble’s We Who Walk Again, among Bandcamp Daily’s “10 Best Contemporary Classical Albums of 2018,” and solo album Panthalassa: Dream Music of the Once and Future Ocean (2017).
Alex Buck
Out of Focus – miniature no. 1 & no. 2 (2020)
Conversations With Myselves - Harmonies (2020)
Alex Buck, drum set and electronics
Jeonghyeon Joo, haegeum
Ben Richter, accordion
Sam Wells, trumpet
Parinaz Yazdanparast, video
Out of Focus is a collaborative work that seeks to give voice to sounds and images that usually are not the focus of spectators’ attention during a performance. The music was made out of sounds of the accordion, trumpet, drum set, and haegeum. The images show parts of performers’ bodies that intentionally do not correspond to what one hears.
Alex Buck is a composer, drummer, and educator. Originally from São Paulo, Alex is considered one of his generation's most innovative Brazilian drummers, with a unique approach towards the instrument. He is a member of Trio Ciclos and Bamboo quintet. As a composer, he has specialized in acousmatic music creation. His pieces have been the recipient of critical international prizes and nominations, including First Prize at Prix Métamorphoses (2020), First Prize at MusicWorks Magazine Electronic Music Composition Contest (2019), and First Prize at Musica Nova Festival (2019).
Production team
Sarah Fouhy
Parinaz Yazdanparast
* CalArts faculty
YouTube