Shakuhachi master Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, together with Sasha Bogdanowitsch in Striking Light Duo, released their second album An Ocean of Time. The album was very positively reviewed by PitchPerfect. The thoughtful blend of text, texture, and tone, together with a variety of instruments played by Bogdanowitsch, was deeply appreciated by Jamie Funk from PitchPerfect. “I could feel the weight of …
PhD in Composition student Yunxin An wins the UH Bands/UH Music Student Composition Competition
Yunxin An, PhD student in Composition, won the UH Bands/UH Music Student Composition Competition in January with her composition Neon Night. Neon Night is An’s first composition for wind ensemble, inspired by her concept of the modern-day nocturne. “When I stroll around the city these days, I often get this ‘unreal’ feeling. Everything, from the bright lights to the music …
PhD in Composition Student Jessica Ackerley wins first place at International Composer Institute of Thailand
PhD Composition student, Jessica Ackerley, won first place at the International Composer Institute of Thailand this past December having spent a week collaborating with the award-winning New Music ensemble, Tacet(i) for the premiere of the piece entitled, “To Grasp the Movement of the Sun.” For the institute, Ackerley was also mentored by UC Berkeley professor, Ken Ueno, and University of …
First Competition of New Works for the The Kauila Oboe Announces Award Winners
The first-ever composition competition for the Kauila Oboe announces the winners: Contestants were tasked with creating new music that honors and extends the legacy of the Kauila Oboe which was commissioned by J. Scott Janusch, former Hawaii Symphony principal oboist, and created from the wood of a rare 300-year-old Hawaiian kauila tree, felled during a hurricane on Kauai. Special thanks …
Joe Williams, PhD student, receives the 2026 Vanguard Award for Classical Innovation and Community Impact
Joe Williams, a PhD student and Graduate Assistant at the Department of Music, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Vanguard Award for Classical Innovation and Community Impact. Presented by Javacya Arts Conservatory, this award celebrates Williams’ multifaceted career as a recording artist, administrator and pedagogue. As the final mentee of pioneering pianist Frances Walker Slocum (1924-2018), Williams understands …
Paul Gabriel Cosme, Finalist at the Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival
Paul Gabriel Cosme was named a finalist for the 2025 Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival Choral Composition Competition with his composition, “When I Sing to Myself, Who Listens?.” Cosme is a composer and scholar of Filipino music. He is a graduate of Macalester College and is now a PhD student in composition at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. …
Dr. Martin Regan’s Composition “The Book of Names” Performed by Apollo Chamber Players
Dr. Martin Regan’s composition The Book of Names for string quartet and narrator was premiered on October 5, 2024 by the Apollo Chamber Players at Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center (Houston, TX) featuring the legendary actor and activist George Takei. It was subsequently released on August 22, 2025 on the Azica Records recording BAN: Stories of Censorship. Regan’s work was on …
UH PhD Student, Jessica Ackerley, Finalist at Music Festival in Austria.
In September, Jessica Ackerley, PhD student in composition, attended the Bludenzer Tage Zeitgeäßer Musik, an international contemporary music festival in Austria. Ackerley was one of five composers selected for a workshop, and the sole scholarship awardee at the event, hosted by composer and performance artist, Elena Rykova, and the Blaurenz Duo. The Blaurenz Duo premiered her piece, 80 20.61′ N.
UH Alumna, Yoko Sato, Receives Honorable Mention for Choral Composition
Yoko Sato (Ph.D in Music – Composition, UH Mānoa, 2014) received honorable mention for her choral piece, “Stone, Rubble, Clay, Community: A Journey of Reconciliation,” at the 11th Japan International Choral Composition Competition this summer. Sato writes, “the words of the choral part were provided by Chris Rice who was the director of Center for Reconciliation at the Duke Divinity …
Composer Takuma Itoh Honored with New Music USA “2025 New Music Creator Award”
Dr. Takuma Itoh, Professor of Music Composition and Theory at the UH Mānoa Department of Music, was recently honored by the New Music USA 2025 New Music Creator Fund in recognition of his commitment to music creation in the local community. His ongoing series of works comprised of the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds, Symphony of the Hawaiian Forests, and …