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.
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 …
UH Ethnomusicology Student, Lorelei Harrel, Presents in London on Taylor Swift
UH Mānoa Ethnomusicology graduate student, Lorelei Harrel, traveled to London for the Fifth International Women’s Work in Music Conference. She presented her paper, “No One Likes a Mad Woman: An Examination of the Online Hate of Taylor Swift,” an experience that allowed her to network with other scholars and represent the UH Department of Music in an international setting. The …
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 …
“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 …
Christopher Blasdel’s Book Reviewed by The Times Literary Supplement
In April of this year, shakuhachi performer and Japanese music lecturer Christopher Blasdel’s book, Jiuta Sōkyoku Lyrics and Explanations: Songs of a Floating World, was reviewed by Brian Karentyk in The Times Literary Supplement. In his highly complimentary article, The Floating World: Classic anthologies of Japanese poetry in new translations, Karentyk notes that Blasdel’s book is “the first of its …