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Graduate Students

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Chen-Kang Kao

Chen-Kang Kao is a PhD student in digital composition at the University of California, Riverside. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at National Taiwan Normal University and had a firm foundation in music theory. His master’s thesis was on the application of total serialism to his own works. After graduation, he started to find interest in electronic music and continued to compose and present his pieces every year. Knowing his lack of knowledge in electronic music, he decided to study abroad and was awarded a studying abroad scholarship by the Ministry of Education. In his doctoral studies, he tries to find his way to integrate music with dance and Asian elements, hoping to make music more diverse and approachable.

E-mail: ckao028@ucr.edu

Lorna Katz

Lorna Katz is a second-year Ph.D. student in Digital Composition at the University of California, Riverside. She has been a singer and performer for most of her life. She is a professional actor and twenty-three-year member of the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Radio and Television Artists. She has an IMDB page and has appeared in various TV shows, feature films, and commercials.

Lorna earned her Master of Music degree in Theory and Composition at the California State University, Fullerton, where she was a student of Dr. Pamela Madsen. She graduated from CSUF in May 2023 and was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Composer award during the school’s 2023 convocation ceremony. She is a fellow in the California State University’s Chancellor Doctoral Incentive Program. Lorna was awarded the 2023 Ellen Jane Lorenz Grant for Graduate Composition from the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, which funded her attendance at Operation Opera in 2023 as an Art Song participant in composition. Most recently, Lorna had been selected as one of twelve composers for the Choral Arts Initiative PREMIERE|Project Festival 2024, held at the University of California, Irvine. Lorna made her composer debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this past August, where the LAKMA (Los Angeles Korean-American Music Association) Chorale and Philharmonic Orchestra performed her choral work “Peace.”

E-mail: lorna.katz@email.ucr.edu

Barbara Macz

Barbara Macz's musical journey began in childhood with early experimentations on keyboard and violin. Later, she became a self-taught church musician, playing piano, guitar, drums, and electric bass for many years. During high school, she also had a brief stint as an orchestra pianist and alto sax player in the school band. After a few years of filmmaking and fine art studies, she then pursued formal music studies at a community college in Los Angeles, where she focused on classical piano and voice, ultimately earning Associate’s degrees in Music and Humanities. Barb transferred to San Diego State University (SDSU) as a music education major with piano as her primary instrument. After three years in the music education program, she transitioned to focusing on teaching in higher education, teaching lessons on multiple instruments, and tutoring music theory. She also taught ESL courses for international students of all ages.

Barb graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Professional Studies and later a Master’s in Music Composition from SDSU. Currently a second-year PhD student in composition at the University of California, Riverside, she focuses on pop music, music technology, recording, and chamber music. She also leads a unique songwriting and climate activism workshop series for middle school students in San Diego. Outside of her professional pursuits, Barb enjoys playing soccer and fetch with her large and fluffy border heeler rescue, Schubert.

E-mail: barbara.macz@ucr.edu

Sam C. Shin

Sam C. Shin is an electroacoustic composer and creative coder whose work explores the impact of technology on contemporary life and draws from his love of electronica and Korean culture. His work has been presented at festivals and conferences such as the SEAMUS National Conference, Electronic Music Midwest, and the SPLICE Institute. Sam is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Digital Composition at UC Riverside where he studies with Ian Dicke, Dana Kaufman, and Paulo Chagas. Other composition teachers include Elainie Lillios and Mikel Kuehn at Bowling Green State University, Michael Sidney Timpson and Chihchun Chi-sun Lee at Ewha Womans University, and Eric Chasalow at Brandeis University. When not composing, Sam can be found exploring southern California with his wife and taking pictures of his cat.

E-mail: slong028@ucr.edu