Boston University School of Music

Did you know that undergraduate students majoring in music have to pass off keyboard skills no matter their main instrument/degree? Hence the group piano room, where you can take classes to learn and practice keyboard skills and even record yourself onto a computer 🎹💻 register for a class today!

📣 Alum News!! 📣
🎼 Violinist John Bian (CFA’14) who earned his bachelor’s degree from BU, studying with Yuri Mazurkevich was recently announced on the site as the newest member of the Philadelphia Orchestra !! Previously, he was assistant principal second violin of the Milwaukee Symphony . He also serves as a substitute violin in many major orchestras around the country such as the Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, St. Louis, and Detroit symphonies. At BU, he was the grand prize winner of both the Solo Bach Competition in 2012 and the Concerto Competition in 2014.

Congrats to John Bian on this incredible achievement!! 🎉🎶 We are so excited for you.

Read more about him on the Violin Channel and the Philadelphia Orchestra websites (linked in story). ⭐️

https://theviolinchannel.com/philadelphia-orchestra-appoints-four-new-string-players/

https://www.philorch.org/about-us/meet-your-orchestra/musicians/john-bian/

Our Music Education Residency was last week at BU!! Music Ed faculty members (Diana Dansereau, Andrew Goodrich, Karin Hendricks, Tawnya Smith, Andre de Quadros, Gareth Dylan Smith, Brian Kellum, Ruth Debrot, Jackie Smith, and Becky Roesler) and DMA students came together to work together and sounds like they had a great time! ⭐️🎈
Go BU Music Education!! 🎶🧑‍🏫

Music Ed ISME World Conference in Helsinki! 🇫🇮

Pre-Conference:

• Faculty Diana Dansereau paper “Young Children’s Interactions with Musical and Visual/Tactile Montessori Manipulatives: A Critical Participatory Action Research Study”.

• DMA alum Jonathan Dillon “Dialogue as a Sustainable Pedagogical Reimagining: An Action Research Study in Early Childhood Music Education”

Conference:

• Faculty André de Quadros keynote address

• Faculty Jacqueline Smith “Harmonizing Voices: Choir for Students in a Special Education Transition Program in a Vocational-Technical High School”

• DMA student Adam Symborski, Jacqueline Smith & Karin Hendricks “Student-Informed Incorporative Practices for Music Students with ADHD”

• Ryan Zellner, who facilitates online courses in MM program, is CEO of ISME, worked closely w/ MM alum Shree Vaidyanathan, Administration & Communications Manager

• DMA candidate Karen Heath performed bass clarinet world premiere of a new composition by Henrik Denerin in central Helsinki, accompanied onstage by DMA alums Amy Catron & Austina Lee and faculty member Gareth D. Smith

• DMA alum Amy Catron “Talking about Habitus: Disruption and Constancy in Community Music Ensembles”

• DMA candidate Karen Heath “Memory Systems and Cognition for Instrumental Learners”

• DMA alum Kaitlyn Leahy “Compassionate music teaching with adults learning recreationally in lessons”

• DMA alum Austina Lee “Teaching as Improvisation: Cultivating a Culture of Inclusion and Belonging through Responsive Facilitation in High School Music classes”

• DMA alum Austina Lee & faculty Gareth D. Smith “Free Improvisation in a High School Choir for Enhancing Inclusion and Belonging”

• DMA alum Amira Erlich “Innovations Towards Digital, Interdisciplinary, Intercultural and Accessible Music Teacher Education”, w/ Tal Weiss & Beatrise Bar

• DMA alum Evan Kent “Drumming for Democracy: A Percussive Autoethnographic Journey”.

Faculty Gareth D. Smith “Drumgender and Punk Pedagogy”

Faculty Gareth D. Smith on panel “Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education”

DMA candidate Stacey Seaman “Lack of Insight: Neoliberal Terminology & Community Music Discourse”

Seven of BU’s brass players are going to the International Women’s Brass Conference in Mito, Japan, leaving August 10 and coming back August 20. In the photos: Tori Gervais, Sarah Brustin, Cassandra McDonald, Hazel Dean Davis (faculty coach), Misa Womack, and Nyla Mawire, Aysel DeBakey and Yeonjo Oh.
They are going to compete in the ensemble competition, and there are solo competitions and orchestral and wind band excerpt competitions as well that several of them are doing. Cassandra Macdonald will be presenting a clinic on Neurodivergence in Music, and her and Misa Womack are playing a duet at one of the recitals! 🇯🇵🎺 Good luck to the Women’s Brass Ensemble this coming week!! 👏🏻👏🏻

Morning photo shoot 💅

Highlighting our two "Group Piano" rooms of Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and Baldwin baby grand pianos. Only 25 more days til these rooms are filled with music and Fall semester begins! 🥳

📣 Alum Feature 🎼 SOM Alum McKena Stickney (BU’24), former student of Linda Toote, competed in the renowned International Young Artist Competition at the National Flute Association Convention in San Antonio, TX this past week. McKena, thanks for making us 🥳🎉🎶

Horn section on the road! Horn Performance major Chris Relyea ‘25 and horn faculty Hazel Dean Davis represented BU SOM at the annual college fair last week! 📯📯📯📯📯

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🔦 Faculty Spotlight! ✨On July 4th, our trumpet faculty member Terry Everson performed in the Boston Pops July 4th Fireworks Spectacular Show at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade with Keith Lockhart, followed by fireworks. He had a feature role in the Duke Ellington set, “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” where he stood up and improvised over the orchestra. Terry says, “It is another (eventual!) teaching moment for my students to demonstrate the value of keeping one’s abilities diverse among classical/jazz/commercial styles and being willing to step out of a comfort zone, improvising on the spot in front of an international audience!” 🎺🎶😁 Hope you all had a fantastic time celebrating the 4th!! 🇺🇸🎆

🔗Link to his feature in bio.

Thank you for making us , Prof. Everson!

Thank you, class of 2028, for joining us at the Open House today! If you have more questions, feel free to send us an email or give us a call 😊

2️⃣: A big shout-out to our undergraduate wind quintet🎶
- Andrew Battaglia (BM Clarinet Performance)
- John Cabell (BM Oboe Performance)
- Nora Cannizzaro (BM Bassoon Performance)
- Bryce Cox (BM Flute Performance)
- Christopher Relyea (BM Horn Performance & BA in Computer Science)
3️⃣: Dr. Gregory Melchor-Barz (Director, School of Music; Professor of Ethnomusicology)
4️⃣: Barb Raney (Manager of Student Services)
5️⃣: Dr. Ruth Debrot (Lecturer, Music Education)
6️⃣: Prof. Terry Everson (Chair, Woodwinds/Brass/Percussion Department; Professor, Trumpet)
7️⃣: BU Symphony Orchestra Rehearsal Observation

IT'S FINALLY HERE! 🥳 Tonight, seven BU School of Music students are taking the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City! We cannot wait to celebrate this moment of success with them as they take the Weill Recital Hall stage at 7:30 pm.

After years of study and months of rehearsals, the select group of talented BU graduate student musicians are traveling from Boston to New York City to perform at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, where world-class, top-tier soloists and performing groups from prestigious musical organizations regularly perform. BU School of Music is proud to recognize graduate student performers Andrew Bearden Brown (CFA’24), Sheng Chan (CFA’25), An-Chi Lin (CFA’25), Yuyeon Lee (CFA’27), Valentina Pulido Pardo (CFA’24), Richard Rivale (CFA’26), and Zhen Wang (CFA’27).

The performers, who participated in a multi-stage competition and selection process run by CFA School of Music, are performing works by Henri Vieuxtemps, Jenö Hubay, Enrique Granados, Jake Heggie, Jörg Widmann, and Akira Miyoshi.

Boston University Music Students Return to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City | College of Fine Arts Boston University Music Students Return to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City Boston University School of Music’s 2024 performers: (top row, left to right) An-Chi Lin, Andrew Bearden Brown, Zhen Wang, Valentina Pulido Pardo, (bottom row, left to right) Sheng Chan, Yuyeon Lee, and...

Make some noise! Happy New Year from your friends at Boston University School of Music!

BU School of Music: Wrapped!

Today, as we prepare for Intersession, we're reflecting on the Fall 2023 semester and all the music we've made! Check out these awesome photos by Emily Wang and Jacob Chang.

Congratulations to our fantastic students for a job well done this semester!

Opera in the works ✨ Tonight at 6:00 pm in the Joan and Edgar Booth Theatre, join us for an exciting evening of scenes performed by BU Opera students from works by Bellini, Cimarosa, Donizetti, Gounod, Mozart, and Verdi. This concert is free and open to the public!

Photos by Jacob Chang (Hydrogen Jukebox, Alice Tierney)

🥳 Today is Giving Tuesday: a global day of giving, and we are asking our alumni, friends, and campus community to support the Boston University College of Fine Arts Fund. This year’s Giving Tuesday donations to CFA will support current students’ ability to participate fully in their programs by offsetting the cost barrier of materials and supplies.

Don't miss your opportunity to give back to BU College of Fine Arts. Make a gift by 11:59pm ➡️ http://spr.ly/6181uLfWz

"The ubiquitousness of the guitar, that chameleonic aspect of the guitar mirrors the possibilities available when you start, like in our department, breaking down some of those walls." - BU School of Music Professor, Dr. Michael Birenbaum Quintero

✨BU Today covers a unique common thread between 4 BU Musicology PhD students and visiting assistant professor Dr. Erik Broess: the guitar.

Read more NOW ⬇️

Ax Increase These guitar-playing scholars are making their mark at the School of Music

GIVE: Mark your calendars, is next week! Join us on Tuesday, November 28, the global day of giving back, to support our incredible community of student artists. ❤️ 📆 Count down to Giving Tuesday with us! ➡️ http://spr.ly/6186uIU7A

Nothing like a fall foliage-filled audition day! 🍂🍁🧣 Welcome, Early Decision applicants!

📣 Already know BU is your perfect fit? Undergraduate Early Decision 1 (ED1) music materials (and Common App) are due by 11:59pm tonight, Nov. 1! Whether you will be auditioning on-campus or from afar, we can't wait to learn more about you!

School of Music Undergraduate Admissions | College of Fine Arts School of Music Undergraduate Admissions Applying to an undergraduate music program at Boston University? Visit the BU Office of Undergraduate Admissions website to complete your application through the Common App. BU College of Fine Arts is test-optional meaning you don’t need to submit your SAT ...

✨ HYDROGEN JUKEBOX opens TONIGHT and runs through this Sunday in CFA's Studio One! A co-production between BU Opera Institute and School of Theatre as a part of the 2023 Fringe Festival, Philip Glass' opera comes to life on stage for four special performances!

🎟️ Tickets: http://spr.ly/6187u953v
🎦 Live-stream: http://spr.ly/6188u953a

Performances are:
Friday 10/27 | 7:30 pm [SOLD OUT]
Saturday 10/28 | 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday 10/29 | 2:00 pm

Join the BU Musicology & Ethnomusicology department as they welcome Michele Rosewoman in residency through this Friday! There are two special concerts that are free and open to the public: an Afro-Cuban Sacred Music concert TONIGHT at 7:30 pm in Marsh Chapel and the New Yor-Uba Ensemble concert this Friday at 8:00 pm in the CFA Concert Hall!

Founded in 1983 and woman-led (Michele Rosewoman), New Yor-Uba is a jazz big band that incorporates Afro-Cuban religious music and features the legendary master drummer Román Díaz ( probably the most important US-based bearer of Afro-Cuban culture and spirituality). The activities planned for the anniversary include a lecture-conversation on Afro-Cuban and African spirituality, a concert of Afro-Cuban sacred music, a composing/arranging workshop in the School of Music, class visits in Religion and Art History, and a concert with the full group featuring a post-concert talkback. This is a rare opportunity for students to talk directly about African spirituality, to see Afro-Latinx people highlighted, and to engage with a creative collaboration between Black American and Black Cubans (as well as white Latinx and Euro-American band members).

TONIGHT! 🤩 Join us for an exciting faculty recital featuring Professors Shiela Kibbe (piano) and Terry Everson (trumpet) at 7:30 pm in the CFA Concert Hall!
🎶 This special evening of music is free, open to the public, and will be live-streamed at: http://spr.ly/6182ubVVi

Terriers Together is back! ✨ From now until October 19, join fellow members of the BU community in supporting BU Bands!

BU Bands is dedicated to providing fun, worthwhile, quality music-making opportunities to all students of BU, regardless of major.

Your support of BU Bands during Terriers Together helps to provide a great musical outlet for busy college students, and the venues and places in which BU Bands performs adds to the excitement of college life.

Contribute now! http://spr.ly/6188uZHY0

Interested in pursuing a DMA in Music Education online from Boston University? Meet Matthew Kilby (CFA'26) and hear about his musical journey as an Online DMA student in Boston University College of Fine Arts' student spotlight of the week!

MEET: Get to know Matthew Kilby (CFA'26), an online Doctor of Musical Arts Music Education student at Boston University School of Music! 🎶 💻

Describing CFA as bold, Matthew has been exposed to a lot of new ideas that he's applied to his teachings. "Although there have been many late nights, I return to work with my 'cup filled,' ready to try new ideas or think about existing structures in new ways to benefit students," says Matthew.

"From a practical standpoint, working on my writing has helped me develop skills I’ve used to publish in Percussive Notes, the Percussive Arts Society magazine. Mentors and teachers at Boston University have expressed interest in collaborating on projects/publications and have been available to chat with me separately about developing my ideas, which is amazing!"

Read more on Matthew's experience as an online music student and what inspires him on a daily in CFA's Instagram ➡️ http://spr.ly/6181PlwZV

📸 Stephanie J. Shank

This coming Monday, October 16th at 2:45 pm, BU School of Music will welcome Weston Sprott, Dean and Director of The Julliard School Preparatory Division for a special Guest Lecture: "Diversity, Pedagogy, and the Changing Classical Music Landscape."

Co-sponsored by BU SOM's String Pedagogy & DEIA-A Committee, this event is free and open to the public.

View the Zoom details below:
Where: http://spr.ly/6188uV1wq
Meeting ID: 913 3011 3274
Passcode: 843632

As a part of BU's annual Fringe Festival, 'Alice Tierney' opens this Friday, October 13th, and runs through Sunday, the 15th.

A co-production of Boston University Opera Institute and School of Theatre, Alice Tierney explores the mythic stories surrounding the death of the real-life 19th-century “dissipated woman” Alice Tierney. Tierney was found hanging by her own petticoats on a fence in a seedy Philadelphia neighborhood early one morning in 1880. Despite suspicious circumstances, the death was ruled accidental and never investigated by police. But who was Alice? Can four grad students investigating the site discover the truth?

Don't miss out on the chance to see this exciting production come to life on stage this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in BU CFA's Studio One.

Tickets can be purchased at: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36437/production/1176624

TECH rehearsal for Alice Tierney!
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Running October 13-15
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Tickets: bu.edu/cfa/music/opera/fringe-festival/
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Today at Noon! Don't miss this exciting interdisciplinary arts experience in the 808 Gallery with our very own Dr. Jennifer Bill!

Presented by the BU College of Fine Arts School of Music. Featuring Dr. Jennifer Bill (saxophone) and Linnea Maas (visual artist), BRUSH|REED is a collaboration between artist and musician to explore the parallels of painting and sound through live performance. BRUSH|REED engages an audience through color, pitch, representational lines, rhythm, intensity, and expression: an aural visual experience. The artists join together to explore the parallels between painting and music via live performances. Jennifer transforms the printed notes of her musical score into lush soundscapes, Linnea further interprets the music into visual color and form on her fresh canvas. The live art that blooms at every BRUSH|REED performance captivates and resonates with the audiences. The paintings that emerge establish a visual memory of the sights, sounds, and emotions of each intimate affair, impressing upon each audience member a feeling of symbiosis between the two disciplines presented to them.

As a part of the 2023 Fringe Festival, this performance is not to be missed!

Learn more at http://spr.ly/6180u10Nw.

A college fair in your own backyard = lots of goodies at the table! 🎁🎁🎁

Visit us today at for a music school college fair, 11am-1pm! SLPC building, 255 St Botolph St, Boston.