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 …
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 …
PhD in Composition student Paul Cosme published in Asian Music
Paul Cosme, PhD in Composition student, was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Asian Music. His article “Beyond Interculturality: A Case for Intraculturality Among Composers from Southeast Asia” proposes Southeast Asian interconnections as “intracultural” rather than “intercultural” as illustrated by composers from this region. “It is important to recognize that Southeast Asia is already vibrant and composed of many varying …
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 …
Rodel Domingo published in National Journal, Teaching Music
Rodel Domingoʻs article “What non-ensemble music course most influenced your growth as a music teacher, and why?” was published in the October 2025 issue of Teaching Music, NAfME’s national music education journal. “John Donaldson, a member of the NAfME staff team, reached out to me about contributing a quote for the October issue of Teaching Music magazine, focusing on a …
Jun Yi Chow Recipient of the John Young Scholarship in the Arts
Jun Yi Chow, Music Composition PhD student, has been name a recipient of the John Young Scholarship in the Arts, the University of Hawaiiʻs most prestigious private scholarship. “Being a John Young Scholarship recipient is especially meaningful because it reflects the values that first drew me to UH—openness, intercultural dialogue, and deep artistic curiosity,” states Jun Yi Chow. “This support …
UH Department of Music Receives Significant Gift from the Estate of the Late Carmen S. Yamada
The UHM Department of Music is the recipient of a major gift in the form of a bequest of over $633,000 from the estate of the late Carmen S. Yamada of Silver Spring, Maryland, one of the largest gifts the department has received. The funds will be used to support the Department of Music as a whole, for purposes of …
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. 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 …