Connect
Art in AbsentiaArt in Absentia
UCI’s first professional exhibition in a virtual format, The Black Index, benefits from processes developed for student showcases during the pandemic By Christine Byrd When the artists, curators and preparators painstakingly install an exhibition in one of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts...
Alumni Ryan Rost, M.F.A. ’14 produces new albumAlumni Ryan Rost, M.F.A. ’14 produces new album
Jazz musician and UCI Music alumnus Ryan Rost released his jazz trio album, “I Was Here,” on Oct. 29, 2020. The album features Doug Carter on piano, Peter Buck on drums and Rost leading on bass, and explores Rost’s curiosity through a unique compositional framework. “I’m constantly asking...
Alumni Headed to the GrammysAlumni Headed to the Grammys
Kalbasi (B.Mu, ’10) performed as a soloist and with the Los Angeles Master Chorale on “IVES: Complete Symphonies,” nominated for Best Orchestral Performance. Allen (M.F.A., ’14) performed on “Choirmaster” by Ricky Dillard, which has been nominated for Best Gospel Album. Kalbasi is a SAG-AFTRA...
Rachel Fine discovers her calling by leading arts organizations Rachel Fine discovers her calling by leading arts organizations
by Richard Chang Not everyone who studies piano and music in college grows up to be a world-class, professional artist. Some grow up to be world-class, professional arts executives. Rachel Fine attended UC Irvine in the 1990s as a transfer student, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta...
Practice Makes PerfectPractice Makes Perfect
Miles Vinson created an app for musicians with help from the Medici Scholarship Program By Christine Byrd Violinist Miles Vinson wanted to replace his handwritten practice journal with an iPhone app to help him track his practice sessions, similar to a fitness app that might help a runner...
Zachary Price Combines Scholarship and DramaZachary Price Combines Scholarship and Drama
By Richard Chang Professor Zachary Price is fascinated with various modes of performance, from the proscenium stage to the street corner. He’s a new faculty member at UC Irvine, teaching in the Department of Drama. He started his position as assistant professor of doctoral studies in July...
Is A Career In Dance Worth All The Sacrifices? Is A Career In Dance Worth All The Sacrifices?
Sometimes, there’s a struggle between your passion and a longing for financial stability. At other times, your practical grandmother has the answer. By Sydney Leong, a feature from Dance Major Journal, Volume 8, 2020 “Are you impressed, Lola?” I always showed video clips of rehearsal to my...
Alumni Profile: A Conversation with Glenn KainoAlumni Profile: A Conversation with Glenn Kaino
Professor of Art Simon Leung chats with Glenn Kaino (B.A. ’93), an artist who’s been at the intersectional forefront of art and activism for more than two decades. Known for his conceptual, activist, and frequently collaborative multifaceted art practice, Kaino occupies a unique place in the art...
Arts Advocates: Janice F. SmithArts Advocates: Janice F. Smith
OPPORTUNITY MAKER Q&A with Janice F. Smith Janice Smith is a longtime advocate for the arts in Orange County, having served on the board of the Bowers Museum, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, and the John Wayne Airport Arts Commission. She served on the Claire Trevor School of...
Empowering the Artists of Tomorrow Amid the PandemicEmpowering the Artists of Tomorrow Amid the Pandemic
By Christine Byrd Theaters, concert halls and art galleries have been closed for nearly a year, but the global pandemic hasn’t stopped artists from creating. If anything, it’s fueling rapid incorporation of technology across all artistic mediums and inspiring new ways to create and share art...
Tapping Into a New EraTapping Into a New Era
By Christine Byrd In his dance, “Waiting for Amazon,” Carl “Dougie” Sanders, M.F.A. ’21, moves in his living room, expressing the exhausting boredom of being stuck at home, and the angsty anticipation before a parcel delivery. We may not move quite like Sanders, but we know exactly what he’s...
Alumni Profile: Samira Yamin, M.F.A. ’11Alumni Profile: Samira Yamin, M.F.A. ’11
By Allyson Unzicker, Associate Director & Curator, University Art Galleries Samira Yamin, M.F.A. ’11, is an Iranian-American artist based in Los Angeles who uses war photography as her medium. As an Iranian American who felt disconnected from depictions of Iraq and Afghanistan in the media...
UCI Lighting Designers ReuniteUCI Lighting Designers Reunite
COVID-19 has ushered in a new way to connect and reconnect with the people in our lives. One opportunity that faculty and students at UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts have taken advantage of is the connection through Zoom online virtual meetups. The digital platform allows people from all...
Arts Advocates: Ivan WilliamsArts Advocates: Ivan Williams
MEDIA MENTOR Q&A with Ivan Williams Ivan Williams, MBA ’96 is a former chemical engineer and oil executive who now focuses on something that first captivated his attention in high school: filmmaking. Today, he is a film, television and theater producer, and a staunch advocate of...
Kristine N. Haag, ’06Kristine N. Haag, ’06
Costume design alumna Kristine N. Haag has been nominated for a 2020 Emmy Award. Haag is part of the costume design team nominated for “Outstanding Contemporary Costumes” for her work as the Assistant Costume Designer on the Netflix show Grace and Frankie for the episode “The Tank.” Her colleagues...
Jason Valdry Named Assistant Dean, Claire Trevor School of the ArtsJason Valdry Named Assistant Dean, Claire Trevor School of the Arts
Dean Stephen Barker has named Jason Valdry the next assistant dean for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA). The assistant dean is responsible for the entire scope of planning, operations, and resource management for the School, involving its administrative, instructional, and research...
Arts and WellnessArts and Wellness
By Christine Byrd The seats were empty, the orchestra silent, the studios dark. More than 700 undergraduate and 150 graduate students, and the scores of faculty and staff who teach and support them, disappeared literally overnight. It was March 17, and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts,...
UCI Music Professor Uses Technology to Build BridgesUCI Music Professor Uses Technology to Build Bridges
By Richard Chang Michael Dessen, a music professor at UC Irvine, specializes in telematics, or networked music performance. He knew his field was important and growing, but he didn’t expect the entire world of musicians to be calling him nonstop during the coronavirus pandemic. It turns out...