Blair School Of Music

Sun-A Park and Ammon Perry Bratt will perform September 1 at Blair. When Blair School of Music piano professor Sun-A Park and her husband, pianist Ammon Perry Bratt, sit down at the piano together Sept. 1, they’ll share more than the stage. They’ll share the same 88 keys. Park and… Read More

Ji Hye Jung Blair percussion professor Ji Hye Jung has released a new commercial recording of “Velocities,” one of the defining works in the marimba repertoire. Composed in 1990 by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Joseph Schwantner, “Velocities” has long been considered a landmark of contemporary percussion literature and earned a… Read More

Blair School of Music faculty member Deanna Walker was recognized with the Office of Undergraduate Education’s Faculty Excellence Award during the OUE End of Year Celebration. The award honors an Immersion Faculty Fellow who demonstrates outstanding dedication to mentorship, teaching and supporting immersive student learning. Walker was selected for her… Read More

Blake-Anthony Johnson is a 2012 Blair School of Music graduate. Blair alumnus Blake-Anthony Johnson, BMus’12, has been named the recipient of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association’s 2026 Early Career Professional Achievement Award. He will be honored during the association’s annual alumni awards celebration on Oct. 14, ahead of Reunion and… Read More

Blair School of Music welcomes international jazz star Lucia to Ingram Hall September 18. Her music is enthralling audiences around the world and now acclaimed jazz singer Lucía will make her first Nashville appearance on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music. Since becoming the… Read More

Young musicians and their families from across the Southeast — and as far away as Oregon, Montana, and Maryland — will gather at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music July 12-17 for the Nashville Suzuki Institute, a weeklong immersion in music education built on the renowned Suzuki method. Now in… Read More

When EA SPORTS College Football 27 launches July 9, millions of gamers will hear the sounds of college marching bands performed by an ensemble that included 18 Blair School of Music students, faculty and alumni. The recording sessions marked the third consecutive year that Blair musicians have played a major… Read More

When Hiram Rodriguez, BMus’20, was recently appointed to the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, it marked the latest milestone in a career defined less by convention than by curiosity. A trombonist, composer, songwriter and artistic explorer, Rodriguez has built a professional life by embracing opportunities both inside and outside traditional classical music,… Read More

Blair Academy student Josie Packard is quickly emerging as one of the region’s most promising young vocalists after earning third-place honors in the High School division of the prestigious Classical Singer National Vocal Competition in Boston. She also placed among the top 25 performers in the Musical Theatre category. Josie… Read More

Blair School of Music viola professor Eric Wong will return to the national stage this June when he travels to Virginia for the American Viola Society (AVS) Festival, one of the country’s largest gatherings of violists. The invitation-only conference brings together performers, educators, students, and instrument makers from across the… Read More

Claire Thaler still remembers walking into Blair School of Music for her audition weekend at Vanderbilt. As a violinist from Tallahassee, Florida, she had spent years imagining a future in music, but she wasn’t entirely sure what that future would look like. “Seeing the student showcases and talking to current… Read More

This week, Blair School of Music welcomes more than 55 percussionists from 16 U.S. states and four countries for the 2026 Nashville Marimba Sessions, May 24-30. Now in its second year, the program was created by Blair percussion professor and internationally acclaimed marimbist Ji Hye Jung to provide an immersive… Read More

The Vanderbilt Choral Scholars have spent the last week immersed in the rich musical traditions of Northern England, combining performances, collaborations and liturgical music-making in a tour that is already proving transformative for the Blair School of Music students.Led by Blair professors Tucker Biddlecombe and Mary Biddlecombe, the ensemble began… Read More

Blair School of Music is now a partner university with Charmber Music America. Blair School of Music is pleased to announce a new partnership with Chamber Music America, a non-profit organization that supports ensemble music professionals, providing grants, professional development, and networking opportunities. “We welcome this opportunity to partner… Read More

This month, Blair School of Music viola professor David Samuel will lead three students to Medellín, Colombia, for ten days of performance, teaching, and cultural exchange. It’s an experience designed to extend far beyond the concert stage. David Samuel Samuel will arrive on May 18, a day before his students… Read More

The Blair School of Music jazz program is enjoying a moment that is both a culmination and a launching point. With two new DownBeat Student Music Awards, the release of a new Blair Big Band EP, and a steadily growing national profile, the program under Director of Jazz Studies Ryan… Read More

https://cdn.vanderbilt.edu/vu-sub/wp-content/uploads/sites/279/2026/05/11153029/kady_hillman_video_edit.mp4   When Blair School of Music graduating senior Kady Hillman stepped onto the stage at Vanderbilt’s May 8 Commencement, she delivered an electrifying rendition of the school’s alma mater that drew a powerful response and extended ovation from an estimated crowd of around 10,000 in attendance at FirstBank… Read More

Catherine Brenmark has been named the recipient of the 2026 Founder’s Medal, the highest student honor at Blair School of Music. A senior bassoon performance major, Brenmark is from Plainfield, Illinois, and will be recognized at the 2026 Vanderbilt University Commencement Ceremony, Friday, May 8. Catherine “Catie” Brenmark is honored… Read More

Iris Shepherd When junior violinist Iris Shepherd stepped onto the performance room at the prestigious MTNA National Competitions in Chicago, a single 50-minute performance stood between her and a national title. What no one in the audience could see was everything that led up to it. From months of preparation… Read More

At first glance, Tyler Nelson’s Instagram feed looks like any other humor account, featuring quick cuts, oddball videos, and captions designed to make you laugh. But look closer, and a very specific world comes into focus: the strange, stressful, and often hilarious ecosystem of voice lessons, practice rooms,… Read More

Blair students bring their talents to the Nashville community through teaching, performing, and building connections at places like the Harris-Hillman School and the Acorn School, among others. In this video, senior voice performance major Ariel Olaleye and first-year student Laila Washington share the joy of giving back through music. Read More

A rare and ambitious collaboration between some of Middle Tennessee’s top collegiate music programs will bring one of the most powerful works in the orchestral-choral repertoire to the stage on Aprill 11. The Vanderbilt University Orchestra, conducted by Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi, will join forces with combined choirs… Read More

Thomas Verrier, conductor of the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony. There’s a moment in Princess Leia’s theme from Star Wars that most listeners feel without ever quite understanding why. The melody drifts, searches, and never quite settles. Because it’s not supposed to, Vanderbilt Wind Symphony conductor Thomas Verrier will tell you. Leia’s… Read More

Brian Woods When Brian Woods talks about being “saved” by a near-career-ending fall, he’s not being rhetorical. He means it literally, the kind of moment that rearranges priorities and clears away hesitation. He also means it figuratively: the injury that broke his elbow and sent him into surgery didn’t end… Read More

Galan Trio is (L-R) Petros Bouros, Marina Kolouvou, and Babis Karasavvidis. Internationally acclaimed Athens, Greece-based chamber ensemble Galan Trio will perform at Blair School of Music on Wednesday, March 18, at 8:00 p.m. Renowned for its innovative programming and virtuosic live performances, Galan Trio brings a fresh and energetic approach… Read More

Two Blair School of Music students, Joshua Jung and Ally Hansen, have been named among the 13 national winners of the 2026 Yamaha Young Performing Artists (YYPA) Competition, with fellow Blair saxophonist Jason Johnson earning Honorable Mention. The YYPA Competition recognizes exceptional young musicians studying in… Read More

Blair junior Elizabeth Li. On March 14, the stage of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony will welcome a young pianist whose résumé already spans some of the nation’s most prestigious concert halls. Elizabeth Li, a Vanderbilt University junior double majoring in piano performance and economics, will perform the first movement of… Read More

A collective of Nashville artists has decided that more might actually be better. The 10 multi-genre artists who make up Together We invite Nashvillians to imagine a world of abundance, in lieu of scarcity, through their exhibition and fundraising event on April 26, 2026, at RADAR615 located at 516 Hagan… Read More

New York Voices Grammy-winning jazz ensemble New York Voices brings its celebrated career to a close with The Grand Finale, a special farewell tour that stops in Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music on Thursday, April 2. Renowned worldwide for its sophisticated harmonies, innovative arrangements, and seamless… Read More

Edgar MeyerPhoto: Harrison McClary Audiences will get to watch two master instrumentalists do something rare on March 1: strip music down to a bare, exposed conversation and take the risk of discovery in public. Edgar Meyer, whose career has leapt seamlessly between bluegrass fields and roots music collaborations to… Read More

The Blair Big Band presents Interwoven Threads in Ingram Hall on Friday, February 13, an ambitious concert event that features bold new jazz arrangements of music by an eclectic range of artists, from the progressive rock of Yes, sophisticated grooves of Steely Dan to the raw edge of Nirvana,… Read More

Wu Fei Wu Fei, a classically trained composer, singer, and master of the guzheng, the 21-string Chinese zither, will perform in Ingram Hall on Sunday, February 15. The program, the latest in the Blair School’s Music Unbound Artist Residency Series, is free to attend with tickets required. Wu… Read More

One of Blair’s most cherished traditions, the 2026 Student Showcase concert is set for Friday, January 30, 2026, in Turner Recital Hall. The annual event highlights the exceptional talent of Blair’s most accomplished student musicians across a range of disciplines, from classical performance to jazz and ensemble work. Selected through… Read More

Acclaimed double bassist Edgar Meyer will join forces with visionary saxophonist Chris Potter for a special concert event Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Ingram Hall. Both artists are celebrated for transcending genre boundaries, blending classical precision with jazz spontaneity, and integrating global influences. Together, in this debut collaborative performance, the… Read More

Dear friends, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season! As I reflect on the fall semester and look forward to the new year, I am most grateful for the support of our Blair School of Music alumni and friends in Nashville and throughout the world. This… Read More

Blair School of Music will welcome internationally renowned guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad—Duo Assad—to Ingram Hall on Thursday, February 19, 2026. Called “the best two-guitar team in existence” by The Washington Post, the Assad brothers have electrified audiences around the world with their unparalleled technical brilliance and emotive performances. Honored… Read More

📷 Lauren Carnahan Blair School of Music students welcomed Valerie Cordero, executive director of the W.O. Smith Music School, to campus last week for the presentation of a $2,581 donation. The funds were raised through merchandise sales and a series of other events throughout the year, spearheaded by… Read More

Blair voice professor Hailey Clark is featured in her debut as Magna Peccatrix (Soprano 1 Soloist) in a new Decca Classics album release by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. Conducted by Klaus Mäkelä and recorded during two sold-out performances at the 2025 Mahler Festival in Amsterdam,… Read More

Melissa K. Rose, Dean Blair School of Music Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver has announced the extension of Melissa Rose’s term as dean of the Blair School of Music. Named dean in January 2024, Rose will have her appointment extended an additional year through June… Read More

Steinway & Sons President Gavin English with Heather Conner. Blair School of Music Chancellor’s Chair of Piano Heather Conner has received the prestigious designation of being named to the Steinway & Sons Music Teacher Hall of Fame. She was recently inducted at Steinway’s historic factory in New York City, in… Read More

The award-winning Blair Big Band welcomes guest artist Sean Jones to Vanderbilt for a special collaborative concert event, Thursday, November 6 in Ingram Hall. A Grammy-winning musician, composer and educator, Jones is one of the most respected trumpeters of our time and has performed with a long list of superstar… Read More

Blair School of Music will present the Tennessee premiere of Julia Wolfe’s acclaimed choral work Fire in my Mouth on November 14, 2025, in Ingram Hall. The program will feature a chorus of more than 100 voices performing with the Vanderbilt University Orchestra, including The Vanderbilt Sixteen, Vanderbilt University… Read More

Promising “a mystery where past and present collide, and identity is up for debate,” Vanderbilt Opera Theater’s production of Alice Tierney lived up to its billing and more, as it delighted Ingram Hall audiences October 3–4.  A one-act opera by Melissa Dunphy, Alice Tierney tells the story of four modern-day… Read More

Collegiate voice students can only dream about the opportunity—someday—to be featured as a soloist with a major symphony orchestra. For Blair junior Vyjayanthi “Viji” Burma, a music education major, that dream became a reality in a whirlwind fashion last month. Photo: PJ Muer When the Nashville Symphony Orchestra had a… Read More

The ambitious new production from Vanderbilt Opera Theater, Alice Tierney, features four modern-day archaeology students as they excavate the site of a 19th-century brothel. They uncover not just artifacts but competing ideas of the woman who once lived there and died under mysterious circumstances. Featuring a genre-blending score of… Read More

Rose Rutledge, the New York-based rogue flutist, producer, and Blair School of Music alumna (BM’06), will bring her Late Blooming project to Brooklyn Art Haus on October 1, 2025. The program, Loops and Light: Electro-Acoustic Explorers, pairs her lush “flutescapes” of layered flute choirs, vocal loops,… Read More

Mariam Adam, Valerie Coleman, Russell Platt, and Alexander Platt, following the premiere performance in Woodstock, New York. Mariam Adam, Blair associate professor of clarinet, recently premiered the revised and rescored version of the Clarinet Concert by Russell Platt at Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, New York. The work was… Read More

Sun-A Park, assistant professor of piano at Blair School of Music. The Blair School of Music is proud to welcome Sun-A Park as assistant professor of piano. A Korean American pianist celebrated for her “exquisite clarity” and “remarkable virtuosity,” Park brings to Blair an extraordinary international career,… Read More

  The critically-acclaimed music duo known as Larry & Joe—Larry Bellorin and Joe Troop—will bring their talents to Vanderbilt Blair School of Music September 22-24, 2025, for a special live concert event and three-day Music Unbound Artist Residency. Fusing Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions, dubbed “Latingrass,” Larry & Joe… Read More

The Avedis Zildjian Company, a world-leading maker of cymbals, drumsticks, and percussion mallets, is bringing its Young Drummer of the Year Competition to the US for the first time, with finalists set to compete in Ingram Hall at the Blair School of Music on October 12, 2025. Read More

Acclaimed faculty cellist Felix Wang will take the Turner Hall stage on September 5 for a Master Series recital, the opening event of the Blair School of Music 2025-26 concert season. Joined by faculty special guests Carolyn Huebl, violin; and new faculty appointment Sun-A Park, piano; Wang will perform the… Read More

The life, music, and visual art of Dr. Yusef Lateef will be celebrated September 12-13, 2025, as the Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music hosts the Yusef Lateef Symposium. The two-day conference will include panel discussions, viewings of the Yusef A. Lateef Collection housed at Vanderbilt, a… Read More

Update: A Gibson Garage pop-up store will be on site in Ingram Hall for the September 11 An Evening with Rick Beato event. The display will have acoustic and electric guitars you can play, Gibson gear, and more. Be sure to arrive early to check it out! Vanderbilt… Read More

Percussionists from five countries and 36 colleges and universities converged at Vanderbilt for the debut Nashville Marimba Sessions, hosted at Blair May 24-31. Spearheaded by Blair School of Music Associate Professor of Percussion Ji Hye Jung, the summer intensive featured a week of presentations, lessons, and performances. “My vision of… Read More

Blair School of Music was honored to recently host the fifth biennial Roger Vignoles Mentoring Program for Young Professional Vocal Coaches. Four emerging vocal coaches and four Blair voice students were selected to attend several days of instructional sessions with the acclaimed Vignoles, which included a special master class… Read More

  Inspired by Beethoven when he first began to play piano at age five, Derek Hartman‘s music career took a huge step forward last week as he was awarded first prize at the prestigious 17th International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna, Austria. The Minnesota native became the… Read More

Grammy-nominated soul stylist and electronic music wizard Jamie Lidell has released a live performance video for “The Center,” recorded live in Turner Recital Hall on March 27, 2025, and featuring Blair student and faculty performers. The song is the lead single from Lidell’s upcoming album, Places of Unknowing, marking his… Read More

Charles Schmitt with Dean Melissa Rose Charles Thomas Schmitt, from Maitland, Florida, is this year’s Founder’s Medalist for Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music. Schmitt majored in trumpet performance with a concentration in jazz studies. As a member of several Blair jazz ensembles, he has performed at some of Nashville’s… Read More

Giving Day 2025 is April 10, so get ready to show some ❤️ for Vanderbilt! The university thrives because of you, and we invite you to join other Commodores to amplify our collective impact by giving back to support students and programs across campus.   This year’s events… Read More

Russell Platt(Photo: Spencer Platt) A new work by Russell Platt, “Arizona Echoes: Sinfonia for Band,” will premiere at the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony’s Saturday, April 5 performance in Ingram Hall. Inspired by both the composer’s visit to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and his personal experience of… Read More

Vanderbilt trombone professor Jeremy Wilson and the vibrant Nashville low brass community have teamed up to present an unforgettable evening of music, artistry, and connection on Monday, March 31 in Turner Recital Hall. The collaborative program, “Bonded in Brass,” brings together the next generation of trombone talent alongside seasoned professionals… Read More

“… the entire thing came together in two weeks, which I genuinely in hindsight don’t know how that happened.” – Aaliya Ramakrishnan When Blair composition student Aaliya Ramakrishnan was asked to create the music for an ambitious AI film project led by a group of 40 Vanderbilt students, she may… Read More

Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University is proud to present the world premiere of Places of Unknowing, a new series of songs by Grammy-nominated English musician, soul singer, and music technologist Jamie Lidell. The concert will take place Thursday, March 27, 8:00 p.m., in Turner Hall, marking a… Read More

Blair Academy at Vanderbilt is pleased to announce its debut Vanderbilt Youth Orchestras (VYO) Chamber & Orchestral Summer Intensive, June 2-6, 2025. The unique program is a one-week, non-residential experience for string students in rising grades 6-12 and brass/wind students in rising grades 9-12. The week will include chamber, orchestral,… Read More

The Vanderbilt Wind Symphony kicks off a three-day tour on Monday, February 24, with an 8:00 p.m. Ingram Hall performance. The ensemble will present a preview of its upcoming appearance at the prestigious American Bandmasters Association National Convention in Chattanooga. Conducted by Thomas Verrier, the diverse program of wind… Read More

Blair School of Music students presented a check for $2,380 to W.O. Smith Music School at Friday’s Student Recital Hour assembly. Students raised the money through a series of events throughout the school year. “The Blair School has partnered with W.O. Smith for many years and we are delighted… Read More

Blair junior trombone performance major Aaron “AJ” Abbey has been named a finalist in the prestigious Kleinhammer Orchestral Bass Trombone Competition. He will travel to London, Ontario, Canada, in July for the annual competition, hosted during the International Trombone Festival which features four days of performances and master classes by… Read More

Celebrated string ensemble the Dover Quartet will we joined by double bass star Edgar Meyer for a special collaborative concert event, Monday, April 7, 2025, 8:00 p.m. in Ingram Hall. “It brings me great joy to welcome the Dover Quartet to Vanderbilt,” said Edgar Meyer. “They breathe new life into… Read More

Molly Herron introduces “Stellar Atmospheres” at the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. Blair professor Molly Herron was recently a featured composer at the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF) in Washington. Her new arrangement of “Stellar Atmospheres,” a reworking of her previous composition of the same name, was performed by… Read More

Samuel Nguyen accepts the first place award in the Tennessee Cello Workshop Competition. Blair Academy student Samuel Nguyen was recently awarded first place in the high school competition of the Tennessee Cello Workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee. The accomplishment is especially notable given that Nguyen, an eighth grader, was eligible for… Read More

A Vanderbilt Blair School of Music jazz ensemble, Blue Note Combo, will perform a benefit concert for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires on Wednesday, February 5, 6-8 p.m., at Rudy’s Jazz Room in in Nashville (809 Gleaves St.). The show is open to all ages with proceeds going… Read More

Pascal Le Boeuf. (📷 Harrison McClary / Vanderbilt) The third time was indeed the charm for Blair music technology professor Pascal Le Boeuf, as he picked up the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition on Sunday, February 2, his third time to be nominated in the category. He won the… Read More

Catie Brenmark was recently a top-five finalist in the prestigious 2025 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, hosted by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. A third-year undergraduate bassoonist, Brenmark is a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar at the Blair School of Music, where she studies with Peter Kolkay. Read More

Iconic swing and jazz ensemble Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will perform at Ingram Hall on Saturday, April 12, 8:00 pm. Celebrating 32 years of touring, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has performed around the world, sold millions of records, and had their music featured in hundreds of movies and television… Read More

The Blair Big Band will showcase the immense talent of the Blair School of Music faculty with an ambitious collaborative concert event, “New Groove,” on Friday, February 7, 2025, in Ingram Hall. The program will feature guest performers from across Blair’s areas of study, including Dean Melissa Rose, piano; and… Read More

Congratulations go to a trio of Blair students who received awards at the 2025 MTNA Southern Division Competitions: Kevin Cho, Maxwell Van Hoeij, and Matthew Phan. Kevin Cho – Winner, Young Artist Piano. A student of Heather Conner, Kevin is a senior in Arts & Sciences, majoring in medicine, health,… Read More

The Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra has released a new six-song album, Tenor Madness, on Ear Up Records. The set features an arsenal of stellar jazz players and has already generated glowing accolades from music writers around the world. Middagh is the director of jazz studies at Blair School of Music. Read More

The life of an operatic soloist can provide amazing international performance opportunities and Blair voice professor Hailey Clark recently enjoyed one of those experiences as she traveled to Ankara, Turkey, to perform with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1993 as an original art project, the orchestra is Turkey’s… Read More

Grace O’Duffy, a Blair School of Music student, is exploring fun ways for the Vanderbilt community to interact with music. Inspired by her passion for fostering connections through new music, Grace embarked on a journey to create an interactive musical instrument: an optical xylophone that plays sound in response… Read More

  Percussionists from across the country and around the world will gather at Vanderbilt May 25-31, 2025, for Nashville Marimba Sessions, a debut program directed by Blair professor Ji Hye Jung. The weeklong experience will give young musicians the opportunity to work closely with world renowned faculty,… Read More

Vanderbilt graduates from across the country convened November 7-10 for the 2024 Reunion Weekend festivities. Blair School of Music greeted guests at a welcome reception and also hosted a panel discussion featuring several notable Blair alums. Connie Heard and Douglas Lee. Tom Mulder ’12, Patrick Thomas ’13, and Blair… Read More

One of Blair’s most celebrated annual traditions, the Concerto Competition gives the school’s standout musicians and vocalists the opportunity to compete to be featured soloists in a spring large ensemble concert. We congratulate the four winners of this year’s competition: Bassist Luke Faessler, percussionist Jordan Katz, and soprano Diana Nalyvaiko… Read More

Blake-Anthony Johnson Blair School of Music alumnus Blake-Anthony Johnson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation (NOJHFF). A nationally recognized leader in music and cultural advocacy, Johnson has previously worked as a civic leader, professional musician, and arts innovator, most recently… Read More

Guest artist Peter Sheppard Skærved’s “Knowledge Exchange Violin: A Performer’s Odessey” program will be presented at Blair’s Turner Recital Hall on Monday, October 21, 7:30 p.m., The second event in the yearlong Music in the Real World Colloquium, Skærved brings together historic instruments, composers, nature, painting, ecologists, architecture,… Read More

Blair Professor of Musicology Cynthia Cyrus with Ariel Olaleye Blair vocal performance major Ariel Olaleye shared her Immersion Vanderbilt capstone presentation on Tuesday, recounting her summer of international travel and research findings on the intersection of Western and Nigerian classical music traditions. Olaleye was one of four Vanderbilt students honored… Read More

Blair professors Ji Hye Jung, Heather Conner, and Lee Vinson, joined by Caleb Harris, are in South Korea this week to perform a special concert at the Seoul Arts Center IBK Chamber Hall on Friday, October 11. The piano and percussion ensemble will present the Korean premiere of “Ways of… Read More

Montrose Duo—featuring Blair faculty members Jared Hauser, oboe, and Richard Todd, guitar—has released its debut album, out today, Friday, September 27. The project includes original arrangements of compositions by Piazzolla, Gershwin, Falla, Ravel, and Debussy. Jared Hauser shares the backstory of the new album: Once Richard and… Read More

Vanderbilt Opera Theatre will present Staggerwing Thursday and Friday, October 3 and 4, 8:00 p.m. in Ingram Hall. The production marks the regional premiere of the new opera, composed by Lisa DeSpain with librettist Rachel J. Peters, which was workshopped in Vanderbilt’s inaugural Opera Lab in 2023. Set… Read More

Molly Barth will present the first performance in her “Together We…” concert series September 13 in Turner Hall. The project, conceived as “an exploration of community, human spirit, and compassion,” is an outgrowth of Barth recently receiving a Chancellor Faculty Fellowship, enabling her to collaborate with inspirational colleagues worldwide,… Read More

Blair senior jazz performance major / guitarist Patrick Kenny has released his debut album, Water Damage, a six-song project that includes guest performances by Blair professors Jeff Coffin and Marc Widenhofer, as well as other Blair student musicians. Kenny composed all six of the jazz fusion-styled pieces for the… Read More

Blair School of Music will host a yearlong series of lectures and events throughout the 2024-2025 academic year investigating the complex, powerful, and infinitely various roles that music plays in the lives of individuals and communities. The Music in the Real World Colloquium seeks to present diverse perspectives from… Read More

Blair School of Music will present a special concert event on October 7, as seven-time Grammy-winning musician and composer Edgar Meyer is joined by Tessa Lark and Joshua Roman. The new collaboration features three powerhouse virtuosos, each carving out their own niche in American music, as they tour together… Read More

A cohort of 82 new students has entered the Blair School of Music, representing hometowns and/or residencies in 24 states in the U.S., Hong Kong, Australia, and including the first Blair student from New Zealand. New students will join each of Blair’s studios in classical and jazz studies, including music… Read More

Blair professor Fred Sienkiewicz holds a special relationship with the Monteux Festival in Maine. Not only was Monteux a transformative early musical experience, it’s also where he met his wife and fellow musician, Kristen. In this Q&A feature, he shares his early festival experiences and how they have impacted… Read More

  Since its founding in 1964, Blair Academy at Vanderbilt has grown from a small music school in a house on 18th Avenue to a community institution serving more than 700 precollege and adult students every year. This year, the Academy is celebrating a proud tradition of 60… Read More

Blair Academy at Vanderbilt will host auditions for its Vanderbilt Youth Orchestras August 8-18, 2024. Open to students in the 3rd through 12th grades, students are invited to audition to be placed in one of Blair’s six performance ensembles. 2024 audition dates will be: August 8-18 – Curb Youth Symphony… Read More

Hailey Clark has been appointed to the faculty of Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music as assistant professor of voice. An award-winning operatic soprano, Clark has garnered praise on the international stage for her signature character portrayals, as well as her versatility in operatic and concert repertoire spanning… Read More

The Vanderbilt Community Chorus, a program of Blair Academy, recently embarked on its second European trip with a concert tour of Italy. Over 12 days, the 35 participants, led by David Binns Williams, toured Rome, Florence, Pisa, Padua, Venice, and Verona with performances featuring repertoire from their recent spring program… Read More

Blair School of Music welcomes David Samuel to Blair School of Music as assistant professor of viola. With a professional music career that spans continents and prestigious ensembles, Samuel has cemented his reputation as a versatile and accomplished musician. “I am beyond excited to have the privilege to work… Read More

Blair School of Music welcomes Kathleen Eads as senior director, presenting services. She comes to Blair School of Music with extensive experience as an arts administrator, specializing in higher education environments. Working around the country from Southern California to New York City, to Western New York and the Midwest,… Read More

3x Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer, and Blair School of Music educator Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band) will release his new star-studded album, Only the Horizon, Friday, July 19 on Ear Up Records. This highly anticipated collection of original compositions showcases Coffin’s extraordinary compositional vision and arranging prowess, blending traditional… Read More

A group of 40 precollegiate students in the Vanderbilt Youth Choirs program recently returned from an unforgettable eight-day tour of Italy. Led by Mary & Tucker Biddlecombe, the trip included choral performances at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, as well as visits… Read More

College Football 25 will be released on July 19. The much-anticipated new EA Sports College Football 25 game, coming in July, has a deep Blair connection as six faculty and alumni musicians were a part of the elite ensemble tapped to record the game soundtrack. Produced over several weeks in… Read More

Blair Associate Professor of Flute Molly Barth is one of 13 outstanding faculty members from across the university selected for the 2024 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. The group is composed of highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from a wide variety of disciplines and areas of expertise. Each… Read More

Colombia-bound Blair students Nate Spratford, saxophone; Patrick Kenny, guitar; Gabe Barnard, bass; and Miles Buchmann, drums. A quartet of Blair jazz students, program director Ryan Middagh, and bass instructor Rob Linton will embark on a performance and educational tour of Colombia June 9-23. The schedule will include seven… Read More

Cynthia Cyrus Blair Professor of Musicology Cynthia Cyrus is currently in Austria on a nine-week research trip as she continues her studies of the Thalbach convent in Bregenz. Cyrus will be visiting the Austrian National Library in Vienna and topical archives housed in Innsbruck. She began her research… Read More

Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi Blair Academy at Vanderbilt is excited to announce that Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi has been named the conductor and artistic director for the Curb Youth Symphony. He serves as assistant professor of conducting and director of the Vanderbilt University Orchestra at Blair School of Music. “I am… Read More

The Blair Big Band has been honored with its 13th DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award. The Blair School of Music jazz program has been honored with its 13th DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award in an announcement released today. The Blair Big Band is a 2024 winner in the Undergraduate… Read More

Blair professors Melanie Lowe and Douglas Shadle have been honored with editor roles for two leading music research journals. Lowe has been named editor-in-chief of The Journal of Music History Pedagogy and Shadle has been appointed editor-in-chief of The Journal of Musicological Research. Serving on the… Read More

The annual Student Awards Ceremony was held on April 19, honoring exemplary students from across Blair’s areas of study. Congratulations to these students receiving honors: Achievement in Teaching Award – Whitney Roberts Andrew Sang Han Memorial Award – Samuel D’Amico Martin Williams Award – Charles Murff… Read More

Marc Vanscheeuwijck, Global Scholar in Residence Vanderbilt University welcomed Global Scholar in Residence Marc Vanscheeuwijck, a Baroque cellist and professor of music history at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, to campus April 15-20. Vanscheeuwijck interacted with students at Blair School of Music and the Romance language studies department, visiting musicology… Read More

The Dave Matthews Band, whose members include Jeff Coffin of the Blair School of Music jazz faculty, has been announced as a 2024 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A saxophonist, composer, and educator, Coffin is a three-time Grammy Award winner as a member of Bela Fleck… Read More

Peter Kolkay accepts the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award from Chancellor Diermeier and Faculty Senate Chair Andrea Capizzi. Peter Kolkay, Blair associate professor of bassoon, was honored with the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching at last week’s Vanderbilt Faculty Assembly. In presenting the award, Chancellor Diermeier noted… Read More

The Steel ‘Dores rehearse for their April 14 concert event. The exotic musical sounds of the Caribbean will ring in Ingram Hall on Sunday, April 14, as Blair School of Music presents the acclaimed Vanderbilt Steel ‘Dores Steel Drum Band and special guest musicians from the DuPont Hadley Middle School. Read More

Evan Bish is the acting principal for the Nashville Symphony’s bass section. Since graduating from Vanderbilt six years ago, double bassist Evan Bish, BMus’18, has continued a meteoric ascent as an in-demand musician and session player. Originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, Bish studied under Joel Reist at Blair and as… Read More

Visual artist and Vanderbilt University Assistant Professor of Ceramics Raheleh Filsoofi, alongside local musician Reza Filsoofi, will present The Resonance of the Lands on March 22, a celebration of the completion of the first phase of an ambitious art and music project. Filsoofi and other contributing artists sourced… Read More

Chris Lowry, BMus’11, and Peter Dayton, BMus’12, both received recognition in the American Viola Society’s 2024 biennial Maurice Gardner Competition for Composers. Among the 77 submissions to the contest, Chris Lowry was the first prize winner, with his work, “Zenith (for Jackson)” for viola and electronics, winning… Read More

The 2024 MusicTech Camp will be July 8-20 at Blair School of Music. Blair School of Music will host its third annual MusicTech Music and Technology Camp, July 8-20, 2024. The program offers a unique opportunity for teens interested in digital music production and video game design to learn alongside… Read More

Tickets are on sale now for three concert events during the 2024 International Jazz Symposium hosted at Blair School of Music. Blair School of Music will host the 2024 International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC) Symposium May 16-18. The three-day event will include three stellar guest artist… Read More

Tucker Biddlecombe received glowing reviews as the featured guest conductor of Bluegrass Mass, performed last month at Carnegie Hall in New York. The choral concert event featured more than 200 singers performing with a traditional bluegrass ensemble, and included a number of Blair alumni and faculty. New York Concert… Read More

Cabrini, with a score composed by Gene Back, will release worldwide on March 8. An upcoming motion picture, Cabrini, features a score composed by Blair School of Music alumnus Gene Back, BMus’06. Coming to theatres on March 8, International Women’s Day, Cabrini was directed by the award-winning Alejandro Monteverde,… Read More

Composer Lila Meretzky (BMus’20) will premiere Songs at Night on February 27 in New York, performed by the Contemporaneous ensemble. New York ensemble Contemporaneous will premiere works by Blair alumna Lila Meretzky (BMus’20) on February 27, 8:00 p.m. ET, at performance venue Roulette in Brooklyn. The program, Songs at… Read More

Blair professors Heather Conner, piano; Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson, percussion; will be joined by pianist Caleb Harris to present “Ways of Seeing” on February 29. Blair School of Music will present a Master Series faculty performance on February 29 that will include the world premiere of “Ways… Read More

The Blair Big Band will present a collaborative concert, Solidarity, on February 23. The award-winning Blair Big Band, directed by Ryan Middagh, will present a special concert event on Friday, February 23, entitled Solidarity: An Evening of Creative Collaborations. The performance will feature Blair School of Music students, faculty,… Read More

The Vanderbilt Wind Symphony and Symphonic Choir will perform American Icons on Friday, February 9. The Vanderbilt Wind Symphony, conducted by Thomas Verrier, and Vanderbilt Symphonic Choir, directed by Tucker Biddlecombe, will present American Icons in Ingram Hall, Friday, February 9, 8:00 p.m. The program features masterworks… Read More

It was a big night for Blair School of Music as faculty members Edgar Meyer and Dashon Burton added to their Grammy Award collections at the 66th annual ceremonies in Los Angeles. Edgar Meyer was honored with two Grammys—for Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album—through his collaboration… Read More

The 66th Grammy Awards will be Sunday, February 4. It’s Grammy week and Blair will be well represented at Sunday’s 66th annual ceremonies, as two faculty members and a composition alumnus are up for awards. Lauded bassist and composer Edgar Meyer received three nominations for Best Global Music Performance,… Read More

The Vanderbilt University Orchestra, conducted by Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi, will present a special musical celebration of the Vanderbilt Sesquicentennial on Saturday, February 10. The program, entitled Crescere Aude, features the world premiere of new works commissioned by the Vanderbilt chancellor for the occasion, composed by members of the Blair School… Read More

The Student Showcase Committee has announced the chosen performers for the 2024 Blair Student Showcase Concert, Friday, January 26. Performers will include: Catie Brenmark, bassoon Riley Eddins, baritone; and Alekzander Waller, piano Maxwell van Hoeij, violin Victoria Kim, piano Levi Pabst, baritone Percussion Quartet:… Read More

Update: This event is now sold out. If you would like to be on a waiting list, please click here. Blair School of Music will welcome Cécile McLorin Salvant and pianist Sullivan Fortner to Ingram Hall on Friday, January 12, 2024, 8:00 p.m. A three-time Grammy Award winner… Read More

A new album from Jared Hauser, Blair associate professor of oboe, is out today, Friday, December 8. Entitled 20th Century Mosaic, Music for Oboe and Piano, the project is a collaboration with pianist Caleb Harris. Hauser describes the project as “a collection of seminal 20th century works for oboe and… Read More

Blair School of Music’s Vanderbilt Percussion Group will embark on a groundbreaking tour of Korea, December 6-13. Led by percussion professors Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson, the weeklong trip will include a performance at Seoul National University, a masterclass session at the Korean National University of Arts, attending a… Read More

Photo: Jimmy Katz Lauded musician, composer, and educator Wadada Leo Smith will be at Vanderbilt November 28 – December 1 for a residency that will include two musical performances and a special forum interview event. A creative visionary, Smith’s lengthy list of accomplishments and accolades includes a Guggenheim Fellowship, Doris… Read More

Blair School of Music students received numerous awards at the state level of the Music Teachers National Association Competitions, held last month at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. The annual event featured 97 students, ages 11-26, competing in piano, string, vocal, and woodwind categories. In the Piano Competition, Josephine Borne… Read More

Edgar Meyer, Dashon Burton, William Brittelle.           Blair School of Music is well represented in the nominations for the 66th GRAMMY Awards, with a total of five selections announced on November 10. Edgar Meyer, Blair adjunct associate professor of bass and a five-time GRAMMY winner, received… Read More

The Vanderbilt University Orchestra, conducted by Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi, will pay tribute to groundbreaking musician, composer, and educator Florence Price with its November 14 concert, 8:00 p.m., in Martha Ingram Hall.  The program will include a guest performance by pianist Susan Yang. The event is the culmination of the monthlong… Read More

The third solo album from Blair Professor of Trombone, Jeremy Wilson, Aurora, is set for release on Thursday, November 9. “The project is infused from top to bottom with joy, celebration, fun, and most of all… hope,” said Wilson. “It features seven epic new works for trombone by gifted composers… Read More

big dog little dog Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music will welcome acclaimed composer, violinist, and educator, Jessie Montgomery, to Ingram Hall on Thursday, November 9. Montgomery will perform with bassist Eleonore Oppenheim, a duo styled as big dog little dog. The concert event will mark the culmination of a… Read More

Red Maple, Music for Bassoon and Strings is the new album from Peter Kolkay, recently released on Bridge Records and available everywhere. Recorded with the Calidore String Quartet and Estelle Choi, cello, the collection includes works by contemporary composers Joan Tower, Russell Platt, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Judith Weir. “This album… Read More

In her new book, From Dixie to Rocky Top, published by Vanderbilt University Press, Carrie Tipton shares the surprisingly complex stories behind some of the iconic collegiate fight songs that we all know; a history that encompasses class, race, gender, and regional identity. In a recent interview with literary… Read More

Malcolm Matthews The musical artistry of Malcolm Matthews will be on full display in his Saturday, October 28 recital event, 8:00 p.m., in Turner Recital Hall. Performing on Blair’s resident Dobson organ and his own personal harpsichord, Matthews has prepared a special program that includes works by Bruhns, Hanff, Bach,… Read More

The Ayoub Sisters Acclaimed Scottish/Egyptian instrumentalists and composers, The Ayoub Sisters, will perform in Turner Recital Hall Monday, October 16, 8p. The duo rose to stardom after their debut album premiered at No. 1 in the Official Classical Charts. The sisters are recognized internationally for their chemistry on stage,… Read More

Barcelona Clarinet Players Renowned for their meticulous chamber work and energetic staging, the Barcelona Clarinet Players are on campus for a weeklong residency that will include two performances: Wednesday, October 11 in Turner Recital Hall and Friday, October 13 in Ingram Hall, as the quartet will be special guests for… Read More

Kathryn Huether An essay by Kathryn Huether, visiting assistant professor of musicology, has been published in the online educational journal Music and the Holocaust. “Heiling or Holding? Jojo Rabbit (2019), the Beatles, and Cognitive (Sonic) Dissonance” offers an introspective insight into the coupling of visual and musical symbolism, focusing… Read More

The Music of Ned Rorem As a kickoff for LGBTQI+ History Month, the Blair School of Music faculty will present a concert of works written by and for composer and author Ned Rorem, Tuesday, October 3, 8:00 p.m., in Turner Recital Hall. Known for both his breadth of output for… Read More

Award-winning composer, violinist, and educator Jessie Montgomery was warmly welcomed back to Blair School of Music September 18-22 for a residency that included classroom instruction, a masterclass session, and lecture during Friday’s Student Recital Class. Five student chamber groups were personally coached as they performed works composed by Montgomery; those… Read More

Blair School of Music Associate Professor of Voice Tyler Nelson was in Sydney, Australia this month, where he conducted a voice masterclass at the Academy for Music and the Performing Arts (AMPA). Nelson also participated in several Vanderbilt student recruitment activities. We thank him for sharing these personal photos from… Read More

Two of Blair School of Music’s premier large ensembles will take the stage this week. The Vanderbilt Wind Symphony, conducted by Thomas Verrier, associate professor of conducting, will open its fall performance season on Friday, September 22, with Symphonic Songs. The program will feature a guest appearance by… Read More

International Jazz Composers’ Symposium   Blair School of Music will host the sixth International Jazz Composers’ Symposium, May 16-18, 2024. Presented by the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC), the conference provides a forum that unites jazz composers of all ages and nationalities in an informal exchange of… Read More

Raheleh Filsoofi has been named one of 15 recipients of the prestigious 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellowship, awarded to artists working in the fields of painting, sculpture, installation and land art. She will receive an unrestricted $60,000 grant, to be disbursed over five years. Filsoofi is assistant professor in ceramics at… Read More

Florence Price: A Celebration Florence Price: A Celebration, a multi-event music festival, will pay tribute to the life, music, and enduring legacy of a woman who broke barriers of race and gender in classical music. Taking place at venues across Nashville October 3 through November 14, the series is produced… Read More

Students, faculty, and deans gathered recently with Malcolm Matthews, adjunct artist teacher of organ and harpsichord, to celebrate the installation of Blair’s new practice organ, a 10-rank mechanical instrument built by Austrian builder Gregor Hradetzky. Originally constructed for a home in Arizona, the organ was later used as a liturgical… Read More

The Wilson Music Library has completed the installation of five exhibits in Ingram Hall that complement the upcoming immersive concert, Voices of Mississippi, on September 15. Three exhibit cases feature a newly acquired archival collection of Otha Turner, a Mississippi fife musician. Turner was one of the last well-known fife… Read More

Raheleh Filsoofi Raheleh Filsoofi has been awarded a Tennessee Art Commission Grant for her project, “The Resonance of the Lands: Finding Identity and Place in Tennessee Through Clay, Music, and Community.” The program involves mapping and extracting clay from various locations across the city to create 25 clay instruments, taking… Read More

Voices of Mississippi   The Vanderbilt University Wilson Music library will present Voices of Mississippi on Friday, September 15, 7:30 p.m., in Blair School of Music’s Ingram Hall. Voices of Mississippi is an immersive multimedia concert event that celebrates the music, art, and storytelling traditions of the people of… Read More

We’re excited to share photos from the groundbreaking Banding Together United States / Cuba collaborative orchestra festival in Cuba. Directed by Blair’s Thomas Verrier, the finale performance in Havana on July 21 featured a concert band comprised of 40 Cuban musicians from the Centro Nacional de la Musica de Concierto,… Read More

Molly Herron Molly Herron will be in New York next week for the July 25 premiere of her new orchestral work, “Spin, Span, Spun,” which will be performed by Orchestra of St. Luke’s at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, conducted by Brad Lubman. Herron is one of three composers… Read More

Kathryn Huether   Kathryn Huether will join the Blair faculty as a visiting assistant professor of musicology in fall 2023. She is a classically trained violinist who received her Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Minnesota in 2021, followed by a year as a postdoctoral fellow. She just completed… Read More

Thomas Verrier leads a rehearsal in Colombia during the 2022 Banding Together event. Thomas E. Verrier will lead a Vanderbilt group to Cuba this week for the third rendition of the groundbreaking collaborative music project, Banding Together: La Orquesta CubanAmerican de Vientos (“The Cuban American Wind Orchestra”). Funded by a… Read More

The Limón Dance Company. Back row (L-R) Artistic Director Dante Puleio, choreographer Kathryn Alter, and Blair School’s Seth Soloway. The world-renowned Limón Dance Company had a busy and productive time at Vanderbilt, as it readied two new works for the company’s 78th professional touring season. During the two-week… Read More

Annika Hsu Rising Blair School of Music senior Annika Hsu recently performed at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for their Music in the Atrium Concert Series. Hsu is currently working as a summer intern at NIH, researching gene therapy with Dr. John F. Read More

Dr. Nathan Cheung Nathan Cheung will join the Blair School of Music as an instructor of collaboration in fall 2023. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Cheung is known for his versatility as a soloist, collaborator, composer, and improviser. These roles are fueled by a life-long passion to… Read More

Dante Puleio, Artistic Director(Photo: Kelly Puleio)Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music will host a two-week residency with the acclaimed Limón Dance Company, June 20 – July 1, 2023. The company is preparing for its upcoming production of Missa Brevis, to premiere for Limón’s 78th season, at the top of… Read More

Russell Platt(photo: Alejandro Otero)Russell Platt, Adjunct Associate Professor of Music, has been awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship in composition from the Tennessee Arts Commission. “I am grateful to have been awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship,” said Platt. “I have been living and composing in Tennessee and at Vanderbilt… Read More

Mat Britain, Adjunct Instructor of Steel Drums, led a group of 14 adult students from Vanderbilt’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institue (OLLI) to the island of Saint Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean for a 10-day Steel Band Workshop in May, where he taught alongside world renowned steel pan performer/educator/composer Andy Narell. Read More

The annual cohort of the Vanderbilt Choral Scholars is in Leeds and Liverpool from May 16-27, singing performances and services at Leeds Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. Led by Tucker Biddlecombe, these are Immersion Vanderbilt experiences in which students perform the choral concert repertory they study at the Blair… Read More

Eric Wong will join Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music as Assistant Professor of Viola in fall 2023. Described as possessing a “tone like toasted caramel” and “amazing” (Musical Toronto), Wong has appeared on the world’s most iconic stages including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of… Read More

Dr. Bethany Wiese will join Blair School of Music as Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium in fall 2023. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Dr. Wiese most recently served as Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina) and spent two years as a… Read More

  The Vanderbilt University jazz program has been awarded three DownBeat Student Music Awards in an announcement released on May 4, 2023. The honors are for Undergraduate Large Ensemble and two individual awards going to Blair senior Kevin Shinskie, for Undergraduate Outstanding Composition (“Endeavors”) and Outstanding Soloist in a… Read More

Jeremy Wilson, Assoc. Professor of Trombone, is currently leading a group of Blair students on an unforgettable trip to Vienna, Austria. Wilson was formerly a member of the famed Vienna Philharmonic. Their week includes seeing several live performances and participating in masterclass sessions. Today’s update from Jeremy Wilson: On Sunday,… Read More

Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi will join Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music as Assistant Professor of Conducting in fall 2023. Hailed for his “expert direction” by Fanfare magazine, he is Music Director of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and the Mankato Symphony Orchestra; the first Paraguayan to become Music Director of a… Read More

Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi will join Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music as Assistant Professor of Conducting in fall 2023. Hailed for his “expert direction” by Fanfare magazine, he is Music Director of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and the Mankato Symphony Orchestra; the first Paraguayan to become Music Director of a… Read More

Congratulations to the performers, directors, and crew who brought Benjamin Britten’s epic War Requiem to life April 14 & 15. 📷 Kenny Swartout Conductor Robin Fountain War Requiem                                 Soloist Lauren Urquhart     Soloist… Read More

Pascal Le Boeuf, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Music and Technology, and Contemporary Music Ensemble Director, has been awarded a prestigious 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition. Le Boeuf is among 171 fellows selected this year for excellence in scholarship and the arts. Described as “sleek, new” and “hyper-fluent”… Read More

Tyler Nelson, Associate Professor of Voice, recently performed with The Atlanta Opera in their production of the 1956 Leonard Bernstein operetta, Candide, at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. Playing the role of Cacambo, Nelson was heralded by Broadway World as “one of America’s most promising young tenors” in their… Read More

The Missoula Symphony Orchestra premiered Pascal Le Boeuf’s “Triple Concerto for Violin, Percussion Duo and Orchestra” March 4-5, at the Dennison Theatre, featuring solosits Tim Fain (violin) and Arx Duo (percussionists Garrey Arney and Chris Whyte). Le Boeuf, who is serving as the Missoula Symphony’s first-ever composer-in-residence, describes his Triple… Read More

A Blair contingent traveled to the Steinway & Sons factory in New York last week to take on the exciting, and daunting, challenge of selecting a new concert grand piano for the school.  The group included Melissa Rose, Amy Dorfman, Heather Conner, Addie Sullivan, Jeff Stevens, and Robert Klingbeil from… Read More

Tubist Jarrett McCourt had the exciting experience of being called on to tour with the legendary Berlin Philharmonic in 2022. In this video, he shares the story behind his adventures, along with personal photos from his travels. Jarrett McCourt is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Vanderbilt University… Read More

Vanderbilt Blair School of Music and Vanderbilt Opera Lab will present Staggerwing on Friday, February 17. The new opera celebrates the historic flight of Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes as they compete in, and win, the 1936 Bendix Trophy Air Race, the first year that female-piloted teams were allowed to compete. Their… Read More

The Vanderbilt Wind Symphony, directed by Thomas Verrier. The Vanderbilt University Wind Symphony, directed by Thomas Verrier, will perform at the national conference of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) February 16, in Athens, Georgia. This marks the second time the Blair ensemble has been invited to participate in… Read More