Conservatory faculty engage in California Festival concert featuring Raven Chacon's premiere

University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music faculty are active performers involved in renowned music organizations, programs and events. On November 11, 2023, Eric Dudley, Kyle Bruckmann and Jonathan Latta will participate in San Francisco Contemporary Music Players’ season opening concert at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.

The program entitled “RE:voicing” is presented in association with the statewide California Festival and has been constructed around the Bay Area premiere of Raven Chacon’s “Voiceless Mass.” Chacon is a winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in music and the first Native American (Diné) to receive this prestigious award. He was also chosen as a recipient of a 2023 Macarthur Fellowship.


RE:voicing Program

  • Olivier Messiaen – Apparition de l’Église éternelle (1932)
  • Chinary Ung – Luminous Spirals (1997)
  • Raven Chacon – Voiceless Mass (2021) (Bay Area premiere)
  • George Crumb – Ancient Voices of Children (1970)

The conservatory faculty will be joined by Pacific’s music performance major Katie Pelletier ’26, who will sing the "treble voice" part in Crumb’s piece.

Conductor Eric Dudley
Conductor
Eric Dudley

Conductor and Artistic Director for the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Eric Dudley leads rehearsals for "RE:voicing" and conducts Ung's, Chacon's and Crumb's works during the concert. He also participates in the pre-concert discussion “How Music is Made” with composer Raven Chacon.

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"It means a great deal to me to have a contingent from Pacific taking part in a performance with SFCMP. It speaks to the level of connection between that group's long-standing artistic mission to advance the field of contemporary music, and the commitment of Pacific's Conservatory of Music to be doing the same—both through our faculty's involvement in the professional sphere, and through our educational initiatives with our students. In my view, it's a win-win for everyone!" —Eric Dudley

Oboe
Kyle Bruckmann

Program Director of Chamber Music at Pacific, Kyle Bruckmann is a rostered member of SFCMP. He plays the oboe on Crumb's "Ancient Voices of Children."

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Oboist Kyle Bruckmann

"Crumb's composition is a piece I've been in love with since I first heard it decades ago, when I was a college student myself, just starting to learn about the wider world of music. And Chacon's work is a bold example of where things are right now. With SFCMP's participation in this month's sweeping California Festival, I'm incredibly proud to be, alongside my Pacific colleagues, part of the conversation about where music can—and should—go next." —Kyle Bruckmann

Percussionist Jonathan Latta
Percussion
Jonathan Latta

Program Director of Ensembles at Pacific, Jonathan Latta is one of three percussionists playing in Crumb's "Ancient Voices of Children."

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“It is always a pleasure to get a chance to play with SFCMP. I have many colleagues—percussionists and non-percussionists—who are envious of the opportunity to perform Crumb’s unique 'Ancient Voices of Children.' For a percussionist, the piece requires nuance, attention to color and genuine ensemble skills. It will be an extra treat to perform in Grace Cathedral. It is an amazing chance to explore and share an extensive amount of percussive techniques in a cathedral setting.” —Jonathan Latta