Famed composer ends residency on high note

Share: Friday night’s joint Lancer concert band and chamber singers concert marked the end of this year’s Pamela L. Girard guest artist/masterclass series. Internationally known composer and USC professor Frank Ticheli, the artist in residence, worked with PCC music students over the course of three days, from rehearsing his famous pieces to evaluating students’ original compositions. “What I [liked] about this residency is that it was very comprehensive, I got to work with a whole wide variety of students,” said Ticheli. “I loved … being …

Music instructor’s talents recognized on Grammy winning album

Share: Last month’s Grammy ceremony was a particularly special event for one PCC instructor since she contributed to a now award-winning album. Alison Bjorkedal, who teaches music appreciation, played an ancient Greek instrument called a kithara on the album “Plectra and Percussion Dances” for the ensemble Partch, named after American composer Harry Partch. Partch, the composer, was known for writing microtonal music and the development of a 43 note-per-octave scale. “Plectra and Percussion Dances” itself is an homage to Partch, as all the music performed …