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 …
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 …
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 …
University of the Philippines Rondalla Ensemble Concert and Workshop
In October UH hosted the University of the Philippines Rondalla Ensemble. They performed a concert at Orvis and facilitated a workshop. José Taton, an ethnomusicology doctoral student who participated in the rondalla workshop, commented on the performance, “The UP Rondalla’s repertoire featured timeless pieces that not only evoked the audience’s emotions, nostalgia, and sense of place but also united Asian …
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.