The Conservatory's Affirmation
The faculty and staff at the Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific stand in support of Black Americans as well as Indigenous and people of color across the country. We condemn the historic and continuing forms of racism that pervade our society and institutions.
As an academic unit, we acknowledge that we have not acted as if Black lives and Black music have mattered, and that we must do so to serve our students, faculty, staff and community. We commit to:
- Educating ourselves about issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in arts education
- Changing our curriculum to reflect the experiences of historically marginalized groups
- Eliminating forms of systemic oppression within our governance structures, policies and procedures
In doing so, we renew our dedication to “integrity in all our actions and decisions, accountability and transparency” (excerpt, Conservatory of Music Mission Statement).
Pacific Choirs concert celebrates the Black History Month
At the February 2024 concert, Pacific Choirs directed by Professor Darita Seth performed a program titled "Blackbird, Fly!" in celebration of the Black History Month. The musical selections included such composers as J. Rosamond Johnson, Rollo Dilworth, John Lennon and Paul McCartney and others.
Kalena Bovell is Pacific's guest conductor-in-residence
A 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence awardee, Kalena Bovell conducted Pacific's University Symphony Orchestra in works of three historically underrepresented composers—Mason, Lena Frank and Coleridge-Taylor. Bovell was Pacific's guest conductor-in-residence in February 2024.
Pacific Wind Bands spotlight Vietnamese culture
The October 2023 concert of Pacific Wind Bands culminated composer Viet Cuong's residency at Pacific. In addition to Cuong's works, the repertoire included world premiere of Brian Bùi’s "Vietnamese Folk Medley" and soprano Bích-Vân Nguyễn, both made possible by Pacific’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The university's orchestra concert features Ellington's mile-stone work
Combined University Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Jazz Ensemble performed Duke Ellington's mile-stone work "Three Black Kings" at their September 2023 concert. Ellington's final composition was intended as a eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Conservatory sponsored the first Summit on Black Music in the Orchestra and the Motown Christmas concert organized by Stockton Soul Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2023, on the Stockton Campus. Several conservatory alumni, students and faculty participated in the events. In his keynote speech, Joshua Washington '12 shed light on how Black musical approaches can and should be incorporated into the orchestra.
The 2023 production of Sondheim's "Into the Woods" had a diverse and inclusive cast of students, often breaking stereotypical interpretations of the characters. As a performer of the Hmong background, vocal performance major Jordan Yang '24 believes that she added a new dimension to her character's story. "I wanted to give audiences a different image of Cinderella instead of the stereotypical damsel in distress. I dug deep into her backstory for guidance and I realized that she is just as complex and human as everyone else," said Yang.
Music composition major Mary Denney ’24 was the only undergraduate student selected for the Emerging Composers Fellow program at the 2023 Women Composers Festival of Hartford. The program provides qualifying college students with mentorship, masterclasses and opportunities to work with a professional chamber ensemble.
"Chávez's and Parks' struggles for civil rights speaks to me as an educator. It's important to program works that honor these histories," music education major Ryan Abdelmalek '23 performed in the Pacific Bands fall 2022 concert which paid homage to immigration and civil rights struggles.
Music performance major Abigail Miller ‘25 received a $6,250 grant from Pacific Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for her project “Diversification of Pedagogy: Music for Clarinet by American Women Composers of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.” Abigail's mentor is Dr. Patricia Shands, professor of clarinet.
In the fall of 2022, music major Matthew Hui '23 presented a capstone lecture recital featuring East Asian pop composers Yiruma, Joe Hisaishi and VK 克. Hui demonstrated how those musicians create their unique sounds combining electronics with traditional elements from Western and Eastern music.
Flute and hip-hop lecture
Dr. Brittany Trotter presented a flute and hip-hop workshop as part of the Black History Event Series 2023.
Pacific Wind Bands spotlight immigration and civil rights struggle
Pacific Wind Bands' fall concert paid homage to civil rights leaders César Chávez and Rosa Parks, and engaged students with stories of immigration and civil rights struggle.
Music conference features trailblazing female guests
Typically a male-dominated sector of the music industry, the recording arts were represented at Pacific Music Business Conference by trailblazers of the women in audio movement: Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records), Leslie Ann Jones (Skywalker Sound), and Jessica Thompson (Jessica Thompson Audio).
Zeiter Piano Competition spotlights underrepresented composers
The best performance of an underrepresented composer's work is now rewarded with the Special Prize at Pacific's Henry and Carol Zeiter Piano Competition. The inaugural winner in this category was Dylan Nguyen who performed music by Clara Schumann at the 2023 event.
