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He’s Paid ‘Rent’ in FullHe’s Paid ‘Rent’ in Full
Broadway veteran Telly Leung comes full circle by guest-directing UCI Drama production of landmark 1996 rock musical whose themes particularly resonate in 2023 By Greg Hardesty When he was 16, native New Yorker Telly Leung was a self-described Rent head. He would line up on 41st Street...
Arts Advocates: Goran MatijasevicArts Advocates: Goran Matijasevic
BRIDGE BUILDER Q&A with Goran Matijasevic As executive director of the UCI Chief Executive Roundtable, Goran Matijasevic, Ph.D., MBA, serves as an ambassador to the business community. He’s also one of the most avid supporters of the arts at UCI, attending nearly every performance,...
Art + Technology = InnovationArt + Technology = Innovation
Alum Garnet Hertz’s new book chronicles 100 years of innovative DIY technology practices By Greg Hardesty As a child and teenager, Garnet Hertz lived in two worlds. He grew up in Saskatoon, a city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. In Saskatoon, snow is on the ground a third of...
Advocating for disAbility in DanceAdvocating for disAbility in Dance
M.F.A. student Bradford Chin envisions a more inclusive future in dance By Christine Byrd Leotard. Tights. Classical music. To M.F.A. dance student Bradford Chin, these aren’t just universal symbols of ballet but potentially barriers for people who don’t fit a predefined mold. In the...
Unleashing Artists’ CreativityUnleashing Artists’ Creativity
By Christine Byrd Matt Bailey, MBA ’12, remembers how hard it was to be an artist on a student budget. He constantly needed film, photo paper, canvas and paints – and all of that was expensive, especially on top of tuition and living costs. Sometimes he just couldn’t afford the supplies. “It...
Kaysie José Comes Full Circle at CTSA Kaysie José Comes Full Circle at CTSA
By Mia Hammett A once-UCI undergraduate, alumna Kaysie José (B.A. '11) is particularly qualified — and wholly committed — to bolstering the creative career pursuits of UCI’s arts students. After working in UCI’s Student Housing department, José joined the Claire Trevor School of the Arts (...
Building Roads with MusicBuilding Roads with Music
Musician and professor Kojiro Umezaki builds connections between communities By Christine Byrd Kojiro Umezaki plays a traditional Japanese bamboo flute called shakuhachi, which has been around for centuries. But he also uses artificial intelligence to analyze and layer recordings of himself...
Forging the Path AheadForging the Path Ahead
The ICIT Ph.D. program’s embrace of diverse forms of music hit the right notes for percussionist, sound artist and educator JoVia Armstrong By Greg Hardesty JoVia Armstrong, a 2022 graduate of the Department of Music's Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) Ph....
Music’s Hidden Figures: Women at the PianoMusic’s Hidden Figures: Women at the Piano
Visiting scholar Joe Davies sheds new light on female musicians throughout history By Christine Byrd Clara Schumann was a 19th century piano virtuoso – a performer, composer, teacher and arranger. Yet for nearly a century after her death, she was recognized as little more than the wife of...
Arts Advocates: Joel VeenstraArts Advocates: Joel Veenstra
INSPIRATIONAL IMPROVISOR Q&A with Joel Veenstra Professor Joel Veenstra, M.F.A. ’11, is a professional stage manager whose production credits span Los Angeles to London, and who co-leads the Department of Drama’s stage management program as a professor of teaching in the Claire Trevor...
UCI's Creative EngineUCI's Creative Engine
Through art, dance, music and drama, UCI artists push boundaries and fuel innovation By Christine Byrd This winter, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts will treat audiences to riveting performances and thought-provoking exhibitions, all of which are the result of a thriving creative engine...
Broadway Visions Come TrueBroadway Visions Come True
UCI Dance alumni Justin Keats and Amy Quanbeck share their skills during a masterclass homecoming By Isabella Granqvist and Mia Hammett At UCI, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) Department of Dance does one thing exceptionally well: turn talented, eager undergraduate dance majors...
Living the DreamLiving the Dream
M.F.A. student Blake Elliott returns to UCI after following career aspirations in New York City By Christine Byrd For students dreaming of a career in theater, nothing beats working on a New York City stage. Just ask second-year M.F.A. student Blake Elliott, who returns to UCI this winter...
A Name to RememberA Name to Remember
M.F.A. candidate Mary Hill stars as Biddy Mason – and hopes you’ll remember them both By Christine Byrd Unlike many of her peers who were on stage from the time they were little, Mary Hill didn’t find her way to the theater until college. In fact, her pursuit of the arts resulted from a happy...
A RevelationA Revelation
Ariyan Johnson teaches hip hop, jazz and healing to her dance students By Christine Byrd Ariyan Johnson is used to being ahead of the curve. First as a pioneer of East Coast hip hop and as an actor and, since coming to UCI in 2020, as a scholar, too. This year, she is one of seven UCI junior...
Marlaina Owens Is An Operatic Force to Reckon WithMarlaina Owens Is An Operatic Force to Reckon With
The Fulbright scholar on privilege, Paris and the paired criticisms of being ‘too much’ By Mia Hammett A classical singer, actress and performer, Marlaina Owens has the pleasure of adding “2022-23 Fulbright Scholar” to an already extensive set of professional arts experiences. Owens...
Arts Advocates: Dr. Steven M. SorensonArts Advocates: Dr. Steven M. Sorenson
DIVERSITY CHAMPION Q&A with Dr. Steven M. Sorenson Dr. Steven M. Sorenson is a radiologist and arts advocate. He serves on the board of directors for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Dr. Sorenson is also the president of the Ibex Foundation...
Made in CaliforniaMade in California
The arts and education helped new dean Tiffany Ana López reimagine her own life By Christine Byrd For Tiffany Ana López, joining the Claire Trevor School of the Arts as dean is a double homecoming. Both a return to her native California and to the public higher-education system that shaped...
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