News and Announcements

The Department of Music congratulates Owen Klein, one of the five finalists for the University Medal this year.The University Medal—Berkeley’s highest undergraduate honor—was established 154 years ago in 1871, three years after the University of California was...Read more about Music Major Among Finalists for University Medal

Myra Melford, Professor of Composition and Improvisational Practices in the Department of Music, has been named the 2025 Composer of the Year by...Read more about Myra Melford Wins Composer of the Year from Jazz Journalists Association

On April 24, 2025, the Northern California chapter of the American Musicological Society (NorCal AMS) announced that Rubina Hovhannisyan—a graduate student in the Department of Music—was the recipient of the NorCal Prize in Musicology for her paper “Why Organ? Forming the...Read more about PhD Student awarded the NorCal Prize in Musicology

On Sunday, May 4th at 8pm the Department of Music will welcome Hélène Papadopoulos to Wu Performance Hall for a...Read more about Acclaimed Pianist to Perform Bach, Faculty Work at Free Concert on Sunday, May 4

The end of Spring semester is almost upon us, and the Department of Music is gearing up for Summer Sessions. Join more than 16,000 students on UC Berkeley campus—including more than 5,000 visiting students—for these high quality, innovative academic courses taking place...Read more about Summer Classes Offer Great Opportunity to Get Credits, Learn New Skills

On Sunday, April 13 the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (UCBSO) hosted a fundraiser at the Faculty Club to support the upcoming UCBSO Summer 2025 tour to Europe. Many supporters of the Department of Music were in attendance, showcasing the strong support that our performance...Read more about UCBSO Hosts Fundraiser to Support European Tour

In early April, Assistant Professor of Composition Matthew Evan Taylor was honored by Miami University's Frost School of Music for their Centennial Celebration. For the Centennial event, the school brought together 100 alumni who represent the best of the Frost School, celebrating composers,...Read more about Composition Faculty Honored at Frost School of Music Centennial

The Met recently announced their production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, scored by Berkeley Music alumnus Mason Bates (PhD, Composition, 2008)....Read more about Music PhD Scores Production for The New York Metropolitan Opera

On Sunday, March 16, faculty, donors, staff, and colleagues from campus gathered to celebrate the official opening of Wu Performance Hall. The San Francisco...Read more about San Francisco Chronicle covers Inaugural Celebration for Wu Performance Hall

The Department of Music is proud to celebrate the opening of our first new performance space in decades: The Helen and Thomas Wu Performance Hall. Wu Performance Hall serves a vital need for the Department of Music, offering a professional recital space for music, arts, and talks...Read more about Wu Performance Hall Offers New Opportunities to Show Your Support for Berkeley Music

For 50 years, he’s written about the Japanese American internment. Now, he’s turning to opera.

UC Berkeley professor and playwright Philip Kan Gotanda tells the story of a young...Read more about Berkeley News Highlights Upcoming Chorus and Eco Ensemble Performance

This spring, the Department of Music will welcome a new ensemble to the fold: the Latin American and Caribbean Music Ensemble, which will introduce students to a number of Latin American and Caribbean musics, including Cumbia, Merengue, Salsa, Mambo, Danzón, and more....Read more about Department of Music forms New Ensemble to Study Musics of Latin America & Caribbean

To welcome and honor visiting Bloch Professor Ana María Ochoa, the Department of Music is putting the finishing touches in place for the inaugural lecture of Professor Ochoa’s series of five Bloch Lectures on February 7th. Titled “Sonic Extractivisms: Historiographies of Music...Read more about Ana María Ochoa to give Inaugural Bloch Lecture on Feb. 7

Peter S. Shin, PhD (Composition, 2024) has been awarded the 2025-26 Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts, along with artists from other disciplines including sculpture, visual art, and literature.

With the Hodder...Read more about Music Department PhD Awarded Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University

Professor Ken Ueno has co-edited a book to platform East Asian Voices of Resistance Against Racism in Music with thoughtful and brave contributions by: Kunio Hara, Grace Wang, Daniel York Loh, Risa Kaneko, Frederick Lau, Sharon Yang, Sarah Miyamoto, Beata M. Kowalczyk, and...Read more about Professor Ken Ueno's New Book Addresses Anti-East Asian Racism in Music

The Department of Music is pleased to announce two new Assistant Professors of Composition joining the Music Faculty in 2025: Matthew Evan Taylor and Mu-Xuan Lin. These hires are the result of a rigorous, global search to build upon the Music department's already world-renowned...Read more about Department of Music Welcomes Two New Composition Faculty

The Department of Music is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Emily Zazulia’s latest book–Where Sight Meets Sound–is the recipient of two recent awards: the Early Music Award from the American Musicological Society and the Emerging Scholar Book...Read more about Associate Professor Emily Zazulia’s Book Receives Multiple Awards

Clara Olivares, who received her PhD in Music Composition from UC Berkeley in May 2021, will debut her second opera, Les Sentinelles, at the Opéra National de Bordeaux in November 2024, followed by performances at the Opéra de Limoges in January...Read more about Berkeley Music PhD to Premiere New Opera in France

Saagar Asnani was recently interviewed by Berkeley's Division of Arts & Humanities to talk about the impact of graduate studies at Berkeley. Saagar is a graduate student in Musicology and Medieval Studies. He focuses particularly on the regions of France, Italy, Occitania, and Catalonia. He...Read more about Music Graduate Student Interviewed for Arts & Humanities Newsletter