Department of Ethnomusicology celebrates 50th anniversary with year of special events

The UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology at the Herb Alpert School of Music will kick off its yearlong 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, May 14, with a 7 p.m. concert at UCLA's Schoenberg Hall featuring the department's Music of India Ensemble and Music of Bali Ensemble. The event is part of the department's Spring Festival of World Music and Jazz . In conjunction with the anniversary , the department will offer a variety of performances, lectures and exhibitions throughout the year, many of which are free to the public. It will also host the Society for Ethnomusicology's 55th annual meeting in November and a special alumni symposium for graduates of the department and the general public. Since the founding of the Institute of Ethnomusicology at UCLA in 1960 by pioneering ethnomusicologist Mantle Hood, the campus has been a leader in the study and performance of musical cultures of the world. The first independent ethnomusicology department in the United States and the first program to award both undergraduate and graduate degrees in ethnomusicology, the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology has produced more ethnomusicology graduates than any other program in the world. Throughout its five decades, UCLA Ethnomusicology has been recognized as the world's premier program as a result of its student and faculty achievements, its broad and innovative course offerings, and its training of faculty for other music programs.