Isaac Raven
Originally from California’s Central Valley, Dr. Isaac Raven is a multifaceted musician whose expertise spans education, research, composition, and performance.
Throughout his higher education career, Dr. Raven has taught extensively in music education and private instruction. At the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and Santa Clara University’s Department of Music, he has supported and taught courses in Electronic Dance Music & Culture, Teaching and Learning in Music Education, Qualitative Research in Music Education, Broadway Musicals of the 20th and 21st Centuries, undergraduate and graduate music theory (tonal and post-tonal), aural skills, musicianship, composition, and woodwind performance. In Los Angeles, he has also taught at Brawerman West Elementary and the Cornerstone Music Conservatory, while managing an active private studio for composition and performance.
Dr. Raven is deeply engaged in scholarly research in music education. His work examines equity for Hispanic students, the imposter phenomenon among undergraduates, familial expectations for first-generation college students, applications of Vocaloid music in music education, proleptic approaches to learning, and post-pandemic academic rigor in music programs. His recent publication, Navigating Familismo with Mexican American First-Generation College Music Students and Parental Expectations: A Multiple Narrative Case Study, explores intergenerational understandings of success within Mexican American families, shaped by immigration experiences and cultural values.
In addition to his work as an educator and researcher, Dr. Raven is an active composer. He has written for ensembles and soloists throughout the greater Los Angeles area and for institutions including Santa Clara University and USC. His recent major works include The Seven Deadly Sins (2022) for alto saxophone and piano and The Seven Heavenly Virtues (2024) for soprano saxophone and piano—complementary compositions that explore contrasting landscapes for each virtue and vice. In addition, his arrangement of Bon Iver's 715 - CR∑∑KS (2019) for saxophone sextet (right) has been widely performed by university student ensembles in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Raven also composes electronic and multimedia works, including compositions for alto saxophone and SuperCollider that generate real-time harmonic and timbral transformations. His scoring projects span commercial media, short films, and video games. His principal composition teachers include Frank Ticheli, Juan Pablo Contreras, Bruno Ruviaro, and Neal Desby.
As a performer, Dr. Raven has appeared on saxophone and piano in renowned concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Louis B. Mayer Hall, Royce Hall, and Wahlberg Concert Hall. He has competed in major solo competitions, including the North American Saxophone Alliance Young Artist Competition and the Music Teachers National Association Solo Competitions, and was the winner of the 2014 Santa Clara University Concerto Competition. He also performs with the award-winning Kintsugi Quartet, which received first place in the MTNA Southwestern Division. His ensemble experience includes the Santa Clara University Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Jazz Orchestra; the USC Thornton Wind Ensemble and Symphony; and the Los Angeles American Youth Symphony. Dr. Raven currently performs with university chamber groups and professional jazz combos throughout Southern California. His primary saxophone teachers include Jessica Maxfield, Larry Honda, and Kristen Stewart, and his principal piano teachers include Melissa Lin, Hans Boepple, Teresa McCollough, and Laurel Ridgeway.
Dr. Raven holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts (2025) and a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance (2019) from the University of Southern California, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Theory and Composition (2015) and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (2015) from Santa Clara University.
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