UCSB students play for Yo-Yo Ma in a masterclass
The UCSB Viola Studio is a very special place to come and study viola and there are a couple of things that might make UCSB an appealing choice for you for further study.
We have a Young Artists String Quartet which provides a very good tuition scholarship (full instate) and a stipend. The quartet is considered one of the best programs at UCSB and some of our finest students have worked there
and gone on to achieve great success professionally. The YASQ has worked closely with such ensembles as the Emerson String Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet,
The Juilliard String Quartet, The Peabody Trio and Yo Yo Ma among others.
Instate tuition is very reasonable and one of the best deals at a major university in the U.S at about $10,000 a year. Residency can be gained by living in California for about a year prior to study and many students have come to Santa Barbara to gain residency and take lessons either privately or in the extension program - which can count towards your degree.
Although an MM takes just 2 years many students have stayed for 4 - taking a year before and after to get the most out of their experience here. Some have also taken advantage of one of our very unique programs the MM/DMA which combines both degrees in a shorter amount of time. The MM then only takes one year to complete.
Our students have come from and go to major schools all over the country - some from outside the US and some from major schools in the U.S including those of CIM, Indiana, Oberlin, Peabody, Northwestern, SFCM, NEC, Mannes, UCLA, Interlochen, U. Michigan, Rice, Eastman etc. Our students do well nationally and go to top schools after graduation or achieve positions in orchestras and chamber orchestras and teaching positions all over the world.
What is most beneficial from the environment here at UCSB is the way we structure the studio size and schedules. It is one of the rarest schools in the country that provides full professors with a 12 student maximum studio size. One of the benefits of this is that we believe in a lot of one on one time for each student and we want to be able to accept the most appropriate students for the school. It also means there is time to see students more than once a week and we are available to do that. The viola studio is one of the most active studios in the department and we set a high standard in terms of the quality of our program.
There are always a couple of students we accept who are in the extension program and who are looking to gain residency (not something undergrads need to worry about) and to take lessons without other commitments but to be a fully fledged part of the studio. It is a wonderful program and a great way to get a head start.
UCSB Sophomore Alex Chang playing
in a masterclass in Geiringer Hall
The UCSB Viola Studio with Roberto Diaz - April 2005
We have a studio class each week that can go from 1 hour to 4 hours - and later in the year it can go beyond 4 hours to an extra day of the week. All students are assigned their own pianist to work with for the year and we have other events like the Orchestral Soloists Competition that gives the viola students another chance to perform. So far we have had a viola winner every year for the past 5 years!
We also have some kind of major project every other year called the NEW WORKS FOR VIOLA PROJECT. In years past we have assigned a student composer to work with each viola student, write a work for them, study it in depth with us and perform it. Last year an enormous commitment was made by the studio as Joel Feigin, Professor of Composition, wrote a concerto accompanied by 6 violists. A very intense work that took much time for the students to prepare but led to a wonderful performance and a real sense of commraderie within the studio.
We have a distinguished viola masterclass series that brings on average 3-4 visiting professors a year such as Carol Rodland (NEC), Paul Neubauer (Juilliard), Jeffrey Irvine (CIM), Roberto Diaz (Curtis), Yizhak Schotten (University of Michigan), Heiichiro Ohyama (violist and conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra), Henrik Frendin (Sweden), Paul Coletti (The Colburn School), Deborah Lander (Australia), Mara Gearman (Seattle Symphony), Brian Chen (winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition and principal of the San Diego Symphony), Jamie Laredo (Indiana), Roger Tapping (former Takacs, NEC) and Ivo Van de Werff (Rice) among others.
As you can see UCSB is a wonderful place to consider for further study. Add to this the beautiful location of Santa Barbara, the sunny all year round weather, the pacific ocean and its dolphins, brown pelicans, whales, humingbirds and stunning flora and the proximity to Los Angeles - you couldnt ask for a more inspiring location. Come and visit us anytime!
The UCSB campus is nestled by the Pacific Ocean
Roger Tapping working with members of the YASQ
comments about my teaching, the UCSB experience and other things - and these are students who study with me here at UCSB and also those who visit to study in breaks and the summers where I have a big summer teaching academy for over 20 violists from around the world.
For more information please contact Helen Callus, Professor of Viola: hcallus@music.ucsb.edu
For more information about audition and degree requirements please click here