Young-Shin Choi
Young-Shin Choi is currently pursuing a doctorate in composition at the University of California at Santa Cruz where he is studying with David Evan Jones, David Cope, Hi Kyung Kim, Paul Nauert, and Peter Elsea. Choi is striving to cultivate an aesthetic based upon a unique combination of musical elements drawn from Korean traditional music, modern Western musical idioms, and electronic music.

Isle of Spring for flute, cello and two gayageums was performed in Japan and Korea in March 2008. One of his electronic music The Chase for video with electronic media was appeared at the 2008 SCI (Society of Composers Inc.) Regional Conference in Huntsville, Texas and Electronic Music Midwest Festival October 17, 2008, Chicago, Il. YX UNSQUARED for chamber orchestra was presented at April in Santa Cruz New Music Festival 2008 by ensemble Paralle and will be performed again in San Francisco November 15, 2008 by BulePrint.

Phoenix Hoefs

Phoenix (Jonathan C. Hoefs) creates a multi-dimentionality of expressions in  disparate idioms.  An example of his concert music, Insaissable Comme Un But (for 2 pianos, clarinet, trumpet, and flute) may be heard on his myspace page at: http//www.myspace.com/jonathanhoefs

Phoenix is also engaged integrally in community organizing at the Tannery, a new and progressive arts community in Santa Cruz, CA.  He organized the performing arts aspects of the Grand Opening Celebration in June of 2009 on 4 different stages in an all-day event that featured 6 hours of live music, poetry, dance, and other performance idioms.  He is currently composing a revolutionary new framework for community organizing and engaged in implementing it at the Tannery.

Monica Lynn
UCSC doctoral composer Monica Lynn's music has been performed throughout the United States with additional premieres in Seoul, South Korea; Beijing, China; Belgrade, Serbia; Panchevo, Serbia; Pavia, Italy; Venice, Italy; and Paris, France.

In addition to her academic work, Lynn has pursued composition studies at Festival MusicAlp, Courchevel Academie Internationale de Musique, in Courchevel, France as well as the European Americaln Musical Alliance, Ecole Normale de Musique, in Paris, France.  In the studio of composer Michel Merlet during both festivals, Lynn explored the compositional techniques of Merlet and his mentor, Olivier Messiaen.

Lynn's recent appearances include Featured Guest Composer for the 9th Annual Woman Composers Festival at University of Harftord In Hartford, Connecticut and Guest Speaker for the New York Treble Singers in New York City.  Honors include awards from ASCAP, the Brevard Institutie and the European American Musical Alliance.  Monica Lynn also serves as President of the National Association of Composers USA in San Francisco, California and Administrative Associate of the UCSC/ISIM Festival and Conference in Santa Cruz, California

Vedran Mehinovic
One of ten young composers/performers selected by Idyllwild Arts Academy to participate in "A Counterpoint of Tolerance," an international project of the Transatlantic Arts Consortium (TAC), in which participants will work with an international leader in composition to create a work exploring the potential of music to enhance our understanding of the human condition in the era of globalization. Noah Meites: Sonata For Guitar and Piano selected for performance at SoundScape Festival, Pavia Italy, July 2008.

Noah Meites
Born and raised in the city of Chicago, Noah Gideon Meites is a composer and trumpet player in the World Music D.M.A. Composition program at UC Santa Cruz. Current projects include a suite for solo viola as well as a mixed chamber ensemble piece for mallet instruments, pianos, electric guitars, SATB chorus, and electric bass. Recent notable performances include a premiere at UC Santa Cruz's April In Santa Cruz new music festival. Last spring a short electronic remix of his string quartet work, Hiver/Printemps, was selected as part of Robert Voisey's 60x60 Project (Pacific Rim Mix). Before arriving at UCSC, Noah received a B.A. with honors in English Literature and Africana Studies from Brown University where he studied composition with Gerald "Shep" Shapiro and improvisation with Ed Tomassi. In his concert music, Noah tries to create works reflecting the diversity of his musical influences, from 'jazz' to 'classical' to 'soul' and beyond. His research interests include African-American improvised music and its relationship to Black Nationalism, intersections of literature and art music, and questions of cultural appropriation and minimalist aesthetics. Noah is also an accomplished performer on trumpet, specializing in live composition and improvisation. When not making music, Noah enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

Nick Vasallo
Composer, guitarist, teacher and singer, Nick Vasallo has been heavily involved in music since a teenager. Though he had received no formal music training before the age of 23, he composed and performed music in a variety of styles and platforms. His autodidactic early musical training and first experience in composition began as a teenager playing guitar, singing, and writing songs for Heavy Metal and Punk bands. His academic musical training began in 2003 at California State University East Bay in Hayward where he studied Music Theory, Harmony, Composition, Counterpoint, and Form & Analysis with composers: Frank LaRocca, Jeffrey Miller, and Rafael Hernandez. Vasallo was a prolific composer during his years at Cal State and even composed music for feature length films while writing for the university as well as his band, Antagony.

Vasallo's studies in Western Art Music, Heavy Metal, Film Music, Electronic, and World Music have enabled him to develop a unique voice in today's concert music world. His music has garnered several awards; both in the Classical, Film Music and Popular Music venues. Notable Awards: 2008 UCSC Student Orchestral Composition Winner, 60x60 project - Pacific Rim Mix 2008-2009 selectee, The 2008 David Cope Award for Music Composition Excellence, The Seattle Pianist Collective 2008 Final Pick, 2008 soundSCAPE Summer alternate, UCSC Chancellors Doctoral Fellowship Award, and UCSC Doctoral Tuition and Fee Fellowship, Best Release of 2000 for Antagony - KSJS radio 90.5 FM, New Jersey International Film Festival Selection "Sinful" musical score, and 2007 CSUEB Student Composers Competition. Vasallo's knack for bridging the gaps between concert music, indigenous music and popular music is the element within his music that makes it sound like a breath of fresh air. "Eclecticism" is a term Vasallo uses to define his style. He draws upon a variety of influences but finds a way to make them meld naturally. For more info about Vasallo please visit nickvasallo.com