FROM THE DEAN


he arts have played a pivotal role in the life of UCLA and its students since our very earliest days. Over the years, through many changes in fashion, style and taste, UCLA Arts has played a critical role in keeping the arts alive, relevant and revelatory.


Music was among the very first art forms offered at UCLA in its earliest years. Our Department of Music was born when the University of California established its Southern branch in Los Angeles in 1919. It is with this proud history in mind that I share news of the next stage in the evolution of arts at UCLA: the creation of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, a place of exploration, performance and discovery that will bring together music, ideas and people from all over the campus – and all over the world.

The $30 million gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation, a longtime supporter of UCLA Arts, will support the formal alignment of three departments – Ethnomusicology, Music and Musicology – creating a “musical think tank” in which ideas mix, collide and coexist. Each of these departments, already renowned in its own right, will now become part of something even grander, the shape of which will be determined by the students and faculty themselves.

Under the leadership of its inaugural director, Professor Timothy Rice, the new UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music will help its students develop practical and critical skills that will prepare them for careers not only in professional performance and academia, but also in music journalism, the entertainment business, and the public and private sectors. The school’s curriculum will combine musical diversity, interdisciplinary studies, liberal arts values and professional training in a way that takes advantage of its position within a great research university, situated in one of the world’s great cities, a global center for media, culture and the arts.
Christopher Waterman, Dean, UCLA Arts.
photo by Patricia Williams

More exciting news is featured in this issue with Ron Katz and his wife, Madelyn (page 8), UCLA alums and longtime donors who have generously donated $1 million to create the Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music, in honor of Ron’s father, the late, great musician and entertainer. The new chair, devoted to exploring the Jewish music tradition and its offshoots in America and elsewhere, fits perfectly into our vision of what musical education can and should be in the 21st century.

I hope you will take a moment to enjoy the wonderful photos of our Honors Reception, held in October (page 9). This annual event brings together the many benefactors who fund our scholarship programs with the students who benefit from their support. The occasion never fails to inspire, and stands as an annual reminder of our shared commitment to nurture the next generation of artists and creators.

Coming on the heels of the record-breaking Campaign UCLA, and a year after the opening of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Center, the exciting gifts and achievements featured in this issue are all further evidence that there has never been a better time to give to UCLA, to study at UCLA and to become part of the UCLA family.

If you have made one promise to yourself this New Year, we hope that it is to keep the arts alive in your life. With our ongoing programs and brave new initiatives, UCLA Arts will make sure this is one resolution you can keep!

Christopher Waterman, Dean