2016-2017 Distinguished Composer-in-Residence
RIGOR, CREATIVITY, INNOVATION
Positioned at the heart of a world-renowned academic institution, the Department of Music offers graduate degrees in Composition, Ethnomusicology, and Music History and Theory. The Department also offers an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. Complementing them is a lively performance program that involves undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students.
Latest News and Announcements
Chicago Tribune reports mounting excitement for upcoming Ear Taxi Festival
This October will bring the largest festival of contemporary classical music Chicago has ever seen, and the 5-day event is being spearheaded by University Professor Augusta Read Thomas. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Gusty discusses her approach and what’s happening where and when during the Ear Tax Chicago Festival of New Music.
Mwata Bowden to lead innovative ensemble in Chicago Jazz Festival 2016
Mwata Bowden, the director of the Performance Program’s Jazz X-tet, will be performing in the Chicago Jazz Festival 2016. On September 1st, the festival’s opening day, Mwata will lead fellow AACM players Ari Brown (tenor sax), Harrison Bankhead (bass), and Avreeayl Ra (drums) in a performance at 12:30 pm in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center. The group is also joined by trumpeter Leon Q and spoken word artist Khari B, Mwata's son.
Berthold Hoeckner discusses the relationship between mind, body, and wisdom
Speaking on The Academic Minute, a production of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, Associate Professor of Music Berthold Hoeckner discusses research on wisdom and how being in tune with both mind and body can promote it. The primary goal of the research was to shed light on whether or not everyday, practical wisdom is something that could be trained as a skill.
Anne W. Robertson appointed Interim Dean of Division of the Humanities
The Department of Music congratulates its current Chair, Anne Walters Robertson, Claire Dux Swift Distinguished Service Professor, on her appointment as Interim Dean of the Division of the Humanities, effective July 1. We wish Anne well for her service to the division and know that it will continue to thrive under her leadership. Thomas Christensen, Avalon Foundation Professor of Music and the Humanities, will chair the Music Department starting July 1, returning to departmental duties after an appointment as the Master of the Humanities Collegiate Division (2009-2015) and a leave year supported by the Guggenheim Foundation and the ACLS (2015-2016).
Jack Hughes and Phil Taylor among 64th Annual BMI Student Composer Award winners
A hearty congratulations to PhD students Jack Hughes and Phil Taylor for garnering wins at the 64th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. They are among nine students to receive the award this year, which recognizes excellence in musical composition. There were over 700 submissions this year and all were evaluated anonymously by a distinguished jury.