The Department of Music recently received a significant addition to its Ethnomusicology Instrument Collection: a historic kulintang gong-chime from the southern Philippines. Donated by the Filipino Association of University Women and formerly owned by Bayanihan dancer Inda Gage, the instrument once belonged to the late Ramon Obusan, a renowned authority on Filipino dance. It now serves as a valuable resource …
UHM Lecturer Marsha Schweitzer Honored by Monarch Chamber Players
Marsha Schweitzer, Lecturer in Bassoon at UH-Manoa, is also a music arranger of some repute and is being honored by the Monarch Chamber Players of Houston, Texas, in their season finale concerts on May 16 and 17, 2026. The Monarchs will perform two of Schweitzerʻs longest and most difficult arrangements at these concerts, Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht and Mendelssohn’s Octet. Both …
Global Scholarship and Leadership in Ethnomusicology
The UHM Ethnomusicology program continues to assert its global presence through the work of its distinguished faculty and emeriti, whose scholarship and leadership resonate across international stages. At the forefront, Professor Emeritus Dr. Ricardo D. Trimillos has been invited as keynote speaker for the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance Performing Arts of Southeast Asia (PASEA) symposium in …
Chris Yohmei Blasdel’s album An Ocean of Time praised by PitchPerfect
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 …
Marsha Schweitzer featured on Copyright Alliance
Marsha Schweitzer, bassoonist, arranger, and author, was featured in the January 20, 2026 Copyright Alliance blog “Creator Spotlight with Composer and Author Marsha Schweitzer”. As an experienced musician with over 45 years of professional experience including Associate Principal Basson with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Schweitzer shares her experiences as a creator and with copyright infringement. Looking back toward the start …
Welcome Dr. LaVerne de la Peña, the first Trimillos Visiting Distinguished Professor of Ethnomusicology
For Spring 2026 we welcome Dr. LaVerne de la Peña. As the first Trimillos Visiting Distinguished Professor of Ethnomusicology, he will be teaching MUS 678D Advanced Problems in Ethnomusicology: Music & Colonialism, a graduate seminar investigating the entangled relationship between music and colonialism in the Philippines. Employing ethnomusicological theories and critical frameworks, his course will explore how music was shaped …
Dr. Fairfield’s Book Launch
Alumnus and lecturer Benjamin Fairfield (PhD Music – Ethnomusicology) presented a book launch concert on October 4th for his new publication from University of Hawaiʻi Press, Kani ka ʻōpala: How can garbage sing? Kani ka ʻōpala: How can garbage sing? is an illustrated children’s book that follows a father and daughter on a scavenger hunt through Ala Moana Beach Park’s …
Dr. Thomas Yee Named Teacher of the Year by the Hawai’i Music Teacher Association
The Hawai’i Music Teacher Association (HMTA) has selected pianist and UH Professor, Dr. Thomas Yee, as Teacher of the Year for his “outstanding contributions to Hawai’i’s music and piano community as an educator and HMTA Vice President/President-Elect (2024-2026), and HMTA President (2026-2028)” (hmta.org). This award reflects Dr. Yee’s musicianship, leadership, and mentorship as a teacher here on O‘ahu. “It is …
“My Name” by Dr. Schumacker wins NCCO Call for Scores
UH Music professor, Dr. Alec Schumacker, was named a winner of the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s (NCCO) 2025 Call for Scores contest. His composition, “My Name,” includes a compilation of words spoken by his daughter on her fourth birthday. “My Name” will be performed at the NCCO national conference in California this November, and will be published by E.C. Schirmer …
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 …