I grew up in a household of musicians and started formally training in Indian Classical Music at the age of 4. Yeah, I think I could sing better than before I could speak. If Hugh Everett’s perception of the “multi-verse” was indeed true, I’d probably be doing music more formally as a career (although who’s to say, life’s short).

Voice

Choral Music

I started singing in choirs when I joined USC in 2021. I was a part of the USC University Choir in 2021 as a Soprano, and then a recurring member of the USC Concert Choir as an Alto, conduced by the amazing Dr. Cristian Grases. With the USC Choirs, I have performed music from all over the world, spanning multiple music styles, cultures and languages. In May 2024, we went on a funded tour around Southern California and Mexico with our music! This was such a surreal experience – USC is a such a great school to be able to accommodate a CS PhD student like myself to sing and go on tour with the choir!

A few pieces that I LOVED while performing with the USC Choirs:

“Anmwe” — Sydney Guillaume
Conducted by Cristian Grases and featuring soloist Madeleine Tozer, this powerful piece gives voice to a mother’s grief, pain, and hope.

“Janger” — Budi Susanto Yohanes
Performed by the USC Thornton Concert Choir at Newman Recital Hall in April 2024, conducted by Cristian Grases.

“Cantos De Mi Tierra” — Jesús Rondón
A vibrant USC Concert Choir performance featuring four soloists and percussionists Yonathan Gavidia, Aaron Serfaty, and Euro Zambrano.

“O Lux Beata Trinitas” — Ko Matsushita
Performed by the USC Thornton Concert Choir at Newman Recital Hall in April 2024, conducted by Cristian Grases.

“Tshela Moya” — traditional Sesotho hymn
Michael Barrett’s arrangement, performed by the USC Thornton Concert Choir under the direction of Cristian Grases.

“云中 (In the Clouds)” — Xingzimin Pan
Conducted by Shijia Ye, with Cathy Yang as collaborative pianist, at Newman Recital Hall in April 2024.