CalArtians are leaders in spurring and advancing Los Angeles’ music scene, according to the LA Times’ classical music critic Mark Swed.

In a recent article, Swed traces the evolution of LA’s music scene from 1987, when Ernest Fleischmann, then-head of the LA Philharmonic, called for the end of orchestras. The visionary impresario urged musicians instead to form larger musical communities to “take on a variety of musical tasks throughout their towns.”

In vein with CalArts’ collaborative and community-centric ethos, alums are strongly represented among the current wave of musicians bringing Fleischmann’s vision to fruition through building communities of musicians.

The connections to the LA music scene mentioned in the piece are just a sampling of CalArts’ network, which reaches far and wide:

The article names pianist and Herb Alpert School of Music faculty member Vicki Ray as a musician engaging in LA’s musical communities. Throughout November, Ray performed a duet with trumpeter, composer and former CalArts faculty member Wadada Leo Smith; played at a Harry Partch concert; opened the 2019 Piano Spheres series with her own program and took part in the Monday Evening Concerts program with pianist Gloria Cheng at Zipper Concert Hall.

Composer, guitarist and fellow Music faculty member Nicholas Deyoe conducted Ray’s recent ensemble at the Monday Evening Concerts, which also featured violist and Music faculty Andrew McIntosh (Music MFA 08). A member of the famed Partch Ensemble, McIntosh has composed a new Bonnie and Clyde opera being workshopped by experimental opera company The Industry. The ensemble was also joined by cellist Ashley Walters (Music MFA 07).

2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid (Music MFA 11), a frequent collaborator of The Industry, was also noted for her achievements. Recently named one of Lincoln Center’s “Emerging Artists,” Reid’s 15-minute “Petrichor” was commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, where she serves as a composer-in-residence.

She has also been commissioned by the Los Angeles Opera and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (twice last season). In November, Pasadena Symphony Music Director David Lockington opened his program at the Ambassador Auditorium with Reid’s “Petrichor,” and closed it with work by Arturo Márquez’s (Music MFA 90) “Danzón No. 2,” played by fellow CalArts alums.

Read the full article here.