Gallery: Practicing Passions: Musicians
By Habeba Mostafa
Feb. 15, 2017 11:10 a.m.
“Piano is there when I can’t play the saxophone,” Michael Schwartz, a first-year electrical engineering student, said. Schwartz started playing the saxophone in fifth grade because his best friends had encouraged him to, but he hadn’t been a fan of the consistent classical music they were taught and was convinced that he was the “worst in the district.” However, in the summer of 2009, Schwartz had a “musical revelation,” in which he grew incredibly fond of jazz music. He went from practicing the saxophone 30 minutes a week, to at least four hours a day. His dedication has made him an elite musician, and one of his accomplishments includes being one of the 20 chosen from around the world to be in a high school jazz ensemble, for which he was able to perform in Japan.
(Habeba Mostafa/Daily Bruin)
In fall 2014, when Ellington Peet, a third-year jazz drum student, and Matt Saunders, a third-year English student, met at orientation. Peet’s roommate during orientation, Jack Bastian, a third-year jazz piano student, became Saunders’ roommate for the year, and the three of them met Cole Brossus, a third-year jazz brass student. Together as Apollo Soul, they have released an album titled “Boys Night,” and performed throughout California on a small music tour. They are currently working on an extended play, and credit a lot of their initial success to their talented UCLA friends, mostly designers and musicians, for helping them create and distribute their work. This talented band does not need a vocalist, which demonstrates their uniqueness amidst a very ‘’vocal’’ SoCal atmosphere.
(Habeba Mostafa/Daily Bruin)
Nishanth Selvalingam, otherwise known as ''Nishthefish,'' is a first-year philosophy student who helped form the band Santiago's Trip. His positivity is shown when discussing his hopes in making it big in Los Angeles; he credits the big city as an opportunity for musical possibilities, especially since he is originally from Malaysia.
(Habeba Mostafa/Daily Bruin)
Duke Anderson (far left) can play many instruments, including drums, piano and bass, but this fifth-year ethnomusicology student learned to play the guitar a little over a year ago. His confident playing brings enjoyment to many people on campus who pass by him, while his group of friends either sing along or appreciate his musical abilities.
(Habeba Mostafa/Daily Bruin)
Nathan Bernacki, a first-year ethnomusicology student, passionately plays the gadulka, a Bulgarian folk instrument. He effortlessly plays what many would consider to be an eccentric, unknown instrument, but to him, it’s natural. The Bulgarian culture had been integrated in his early life, since his mom had performed Bulgarian Folk dancing and introduced him to Bulgarian music at a young age. He credits the gadulka for his acceptance into UCLA, since he used this unique instrument for his audition.
(Habeba Mostafa/Daily Bruin)
Will Stevens has always been familiar with music: his drummer father encouraged him to play the piano at an early age. The first-year music student, who specializes in oboe performance, has been playing the oboe since he was in middle school, and credits what many consider to be a “hard and weird” instrument as a beautiful challenge: “It’s challenging in all the ways that I could never get tired of it.” While he was joking about finding work after college, his main goal is to be an orchestral oboist; he already fixes oboes as a side job.
(Habeba Mostafa/Daily Bruin)
