News

📷 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

The MTNA National Competitions are among the most respected student performance competitions in the country. Every year, thousands of young musicians gather to compete. The purpose of the competition is to give students meaningful performance and learning experiences while recognizing excellence in music… 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

Russell Platt, adjunct associate professor of music at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, has released a new album, Mountain Interval: Songs and Chamber Music, through Bridge Records. The digital release is set for November 7 with physical recording to be available November 21. The album brings together more than… 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

On Friday, October 24, the Blair School of Music surprised students with its first Musician Wellness Day, hosted during their weekly Friday Recital Class. The afternoon transformed Ingram Lobby into a hub of activity, with each table focused on a tool or technique to support musicians’ physical, mental, or creative… 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

Abigail Goddard, a student at the Blair Academy for Music at Vanderbilt University and a Myra Jackson Blair (MJB) Scholar, is using creativity and compassion to make a difference far beyond the concert stage.  In addition to her piano studies through the Blair program, Goddard… 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

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

Blair School of Music is excited to present “Together We,” a Master Series event, Sunday, September 14, 2:30 p.m., in Turner Recital Hall. (Reserve tickets) Featuring Grammy-winning flutist Molly Barth, the expansive program was conceived as “an exploration of community, human spirit, and compassion” and is an… 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

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

What if your passion for producing beats, mixing tracks, or designing soundscapes could count toward your degree? This fall, the Blair School of Music introduces a new music technology minor built for Vanderbilt students who create music on their own terms. Led by Grammy-winning composer and producer… 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

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

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

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

  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

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

  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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The final round of the 2022 Vanderbilt University Concerto Competition took place on January 29. Forty-five students competed over the past two weekends. The winners will perform as featured soloists with the Vanderbilt University Orchestra on April 9. Special thanks to our judges, Charlene Harb (piano, Nashville Symphony), Keith Sorrels… Read More

The Blair School of Music is pleased to announce that, effective immediately, we will once again welcome public audiences to attend most concert events in person. Some selected curricular events will only be open to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff with a valid Vanderbilt ID.  Please read all information about… Read More

William Woodard, BMus ’17 Name: William Woodard Blair major: Piano performance with a concentration in collaborative piano Year of graduation: 2017 Where you live now: New York City What does a typical day look like for you now? I’m currently a member of the Lindemann Young… Read More

Five world-class, transformational artists will be joining the faculty of the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music in Fall 2021, Martha Rivers Ingram Dean of the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music Lorenzo F. Candelaria has announced. “Any one of these new faculty hires would have been a big story,” says Candelaria. Read More

As COVID-19 continues to be a concern, the Blair Sch0ool of Music is implementing the following in-person attendance policies for concerts and events taking place this fall: All Vanderbilt community members (students, faculty and staff) are welcome to attend our events and recitals. No external participants from outside the Vanderbilt… Read More

The Vanderbilt University Orchestra, under conductor Robin Fountain, winds down its Spring 2021 concert season with a prerecorded performance of Béla Bartók’s “Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 10.” This iconic masterpiece of the 20th century is scored for double string orchestra, piano (often in a solo role, played… Read More

Vanderbilt Opera Theatre presents ‘Albert Herring’ April 16; Vanderbilt Steel Bands perform April 18 The Blair School of Music, which has been offering online-only concerts this semester, is hosting two outdoor in-person performances on Wilson Lawn that are open to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff. Admission is free, but tickets… Read More

As part of Vanderbilt Blair’s ¡BLAIR! (Blair’s Latin American Initiatives and Resources) activities this semester, members of the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony, directed by Thomas Verrier, joined (virtually) with members of the Banda Sinfónica de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Antioquia in Meddelín, Colombia. The result is this wonderfully produced… Read More

The Blair String Quartet records Vanderbilt’s first-ever virtual reality concert. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced performing arts organizations to get increasingly creative in how we present performances both safely and accessibly. Thanks to the tireless work of our technical crew, the Blair On Air live-streamed fall concert series has been… Read More

On June 16, Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan Wente shared the university’s plan for how we will return to campus for the fall semester.  As you already know, this semester will differ from previous semesters in many ways.  To begin with, here are the Fall Calendar Dates: Start date:… Read More

Dear Friends of the Blair School: Since May 25, we have been moved and inspired as the nation has come together to strive for greater social and racial justice. Often throughout our history, terrible events have awakened our nation, jarring us from complacency and stirring us to action. Such is… Read More

In preparation for this most unusual commencement, we asked the Blair faculty if they had any parting words for the members of the Class of 2020:   Best wishes to the Blair Class of 2020 from the Music “LiBlairy” staff! As you move on to new adventures in different places,… Read More

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Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra is looking for conductors for the 2020-21 school year! Founded in 2012, the Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra (VCO) is Vanderbilt University’s largest student-run orchestra. Their purpose is to bring together musicians from all aspects of the Vanderbilt community and share the music we love. They rehearse… Read More

Select events at the Blair School of Music may be viewed live online via our live-streaming service. Schedule is subject to change without notice. Questions, comments and service issues may be submitted via the web form at the bottom of the streaming page.   No events are currently scheduled… Read More

The Academic Pathways Postdoctoral Fellowship at Vanderbilt is a research/mentorship program that is designed to bridge fellows between academic training and entry-level faculty positions. The program includes teaching and leadership training, grant and manuscript writing and preparation, a multi-level mentoring framework, as well as substantial “protected time” for the pursuit of each… Read More

From Left: John R. Schmidt, Shadle, Alex Ross, Riccardo Muti (Photo: Dennis Polkow)   Douglas Shadle (Associate Professor and Chair, Musicology) celebrated the publication of the book A Portrait in Four Movements: The Chicago Symphony under Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink, and Muti (U. of Chicago, 2019) at a panel… Read More

Name: Jonathan Chu Blair major: Violin performance, with second major in economics Year of graduation: 2003 Where you live now: St. Louis, Mo. Profession: Violist with the St. Louis Symphony What does a typical day look like in your career? I play in the St. Read More

Name: Ben Edquist Blair major: Vocal musical arts Year of graduation: 2013 Where you live now: Houston Profession: Currently a contract opera singer. (Ben works with an agent in New York that sets up auditions every November and December.) Previously in the Young Artist Program with… Read More

On February 2, the Schmidt Vocal Competition will be held at the Blair School. The prestigious singing competition is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school and awards cash prizes to more than 150 students annually. The one-day competition is held annually in 16 locations around the… Read More

Name: Charlotte Ulrich Blair major: Vocal Performance Year of graduation: 2015 Where you live now: Nashville Profession: IQ Talent Partners, a Nashville-based tech recruiting company founded by two Vanderbilt graduates (www.iqtalentpartners.com) What does a typical day look like in your career? I like what… Read More

Blair School trombone student Hiram Rodriguez was one of just seven musicians picked to perform as the SEC Student Music Ensemble during the SEC Football Championship weekend. The ensemble of musicians from across the SEC performed an improvisational jazz set before thousands of SEC administrators, staff and fans at the… Read More

The second annual Precollege Festival of Music will take place at the Blair School from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, with tons of musical family fun throughout the school! All events are free and open to the public. Here’s what’s happening when: 1-5 p.m. Musical instrument petting zoo, crafts, face… Read More

Name: Dana Kelley Blair major: Violin performance Year of graduation: 2012 Where you live now: New York, N.Y. Profession: violist in the Argus Quartet, and the newest member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for the 2018-19 season. What does a typical day look like in your… Read More

Some children excel at soccer. Others take to dance. Natalie Vlach, as a young girl, fell in love with her electronic keyboard. Unlike some childhood infatuations, however, Vlach’s passion for piano endured and deepened, leading eventually to her winning the Linde B. Wilson scholarship at the Blair School. Vlach was… Read More

Name: Evan Mack Blair Major/VU: Piano performance Year of Graduation : 2003 Where you live now: Albany, N.Y. Profession: Composer, librettist and pianist; teaching professor in piano, composition and music theory at Skidmore College (eight years) Currently: Named “2018 Top 30 Pros of the Year” by… Read More

Katrina Lenk, Jonathan Raviv and Tony Shalhoub in “The Band’s Visit.” The Band’s Visit, a musical about an Egyptian orchestra stuck for a night in a remote Israeli town, swept the Tony Awards on June 10, winning 10 awards including Best Musical. The show’s small cast, which features Katrina Lenk… Read More

The Nashville Summer Orchestral Institute, an intensive weeklong summer program, returns to the Blair School May 28-June 1. Students in grades 8-12, graduate students and adults spend a week in intensive orchestral sessions, master classes, sectional rehearsals and a concerto competition. The week culminates in a full orchestra concert… Read More

Several Blair precollege students were top finishers at the Nashville Symphony‘s annual Curb Concerto Competition. Violinist Maggie Kasinger (center), a student of Carolyn Huebl, was first runner-up. Horn player Shawn Zheng (left) and pianist Luke Turner (right) were both finalists. Zheng is a student of Leslie Norton and… Read More

Name: Andy Villemez Blair Major/VU: Piano Performance Year of Graduation: 2010 Where you live now: Cincinnati, Ohio Profession: Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Currently: Gave a presentation at the 2019 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy titled… Read More

At the ACDA Southern Region convention,  four honor choirs will gather to rehearse and perform under the baton of outstanding conductors. Twenty-eight Blair Children’s Chorus students were chosen through auditions to participate. The regional auditions included students from 11 states: Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina,… Read More

Applications are now open for scholarships to the Blair School’s precollege programs for the 2018-19 academic year. Merit- and need-based scholarships are available for private instruction and Suzuki violin and cello. Learn more about our scholarship programs and download the application. Read More

Name: Alicia Enstrom Blair Major/VU: Violin Performance/minor in HOD with emphasis in Leadership Year of Graduation: 2009 (She was slated to graduate in 2006, but took a break to pursue an opportunity to tour with international violin troupe Barrage.) Where you live now: Nashville What have… Read More

Is a summer music camp right for my young musician? A workshop for parents of young musicians will be held at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in Room 2190 at Blair. Violin instructor Carolyn Huebl, Suzuki program director Zachary Ebin and associate dean Pam Schneller will discuss the options, from Suzuki… Read More

The Silent Voices Project is a program through which very young contemporary composers write string quartets and trios based on poetry written by children who died in concentration camps during the Holocaust. The pieces have been performed in concerts in Canada and the U.S., and an album was released… Read More

Photo by Ben Ealovega Attention Vocal Coaches! The Blair School of Music will host the third biennial Roger Vignoles Mentoring Program for Young Vocal Coaches from May 26-29, 2018. This is an intensive four-day program for coaches at the beginning of their professional careers (less than 10 years of experience). Read More

Peter Cain (photo by Scott Suchman) Name: Peter Cain Blair Major/VU: Clarinet Performance Year of Graduation: 2007 Where you live now: Silver Spring, Md. (suburb of Washington D.C.) What does a typical day look like in your career with the National Symphony Orchestra? I’ll have four… Read More

Join Blair’s Mitchell Korn in a six-class series exploring the great symphonic composers who scored the best in cinema. Hugo Friedhofer’s The Best Years of Our Lives, Franz Waxman’s Sunset Boulevard, Dimitri Tiomkin’s High Noon, Alfred Newman’s Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, Malcolm Arnold’s The Bridge on the River… Read More

Head downtown to Schermerhorn Symphony Center anytime between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, for Nashville Symphony’s annual Day of Music. More than 20 performers and groups will perform on three stages throughout the day. Blair performing groups and times are listed below: Noon: Blair Big… Read More

Name: Blake-Anthony Johnson Blair Major/VU: Cello Performance Year of Graduation: 2012 Where you live now: Miami Beach, Fla. What does a typical day look like in your career? That’s really hard to answer! Playing in Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Orchestra rehearsals three to five times a week,… Read More

The Craig Nies concert scheduled for September 29 has been postponed due to injury. The program will now be performed on April 6. We apologize for the inconvenience. Read More

Marvelous and versatile soprano Ah Young Hong made her Blair School performance debut in October 2015, performing Michael Hersch’s monodrama On the Threshold of Winter. This fall she returns for a weeklong residency at Blair, including two performances and a master class. All events take place in Steve and Judy… Read More

Composition professor Michael Kurek’s new album The Sea Knows has held the top position on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums chart for three weeks, since its July 14 release. It debuted at No. 4 on the overall Top Classical Albums chart, dropping to No. 5 in its second and third weeks. Read More

Gregory Melchor-Barz conducted field research in Israel during the summer on a research fellowship funded by the Jewish National Fund and Mediawatch. His current fieldwork project focuses on the politics of Israeli drag performances in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Melchor-Barz is Professor of Ethnomusiclogy, chair of the Department… Read More

The Blair School is now accepting reservations for auditions for the 2017-18 season of Curb Youth Symphony and Nashville Youth Orchestra Program. Auditions will be held in August. Reserve your audition now by emailing your name, instrument, grade and cell phone number to the NYOP Auditions Coordinator. The Nashville… Read More

Audition dates have been set for the Blair Children’s Choruses for the 2017-18 season: Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m.-noon Monday, May 22, 5-7 p.m. Saturday, August 5, 10 a.m.-noon Monday, August 7, 5-7 p.m. All auditions will be held in room 1109C at the Blair School of Music. Signs will… Read More

Philip Dikeman, associate professor of flute at the Blair School of Music and acting principal flute of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, died at home from cancer April 20, 2017. He was 54 years old. Mr. Dikeman joined the… Read More

A number of Blair School of Music students participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Kentucky/Tennessee Regional Auditions, held April 7-8 at Belmont University. Blair students who placed included: Sarah Parker: First place, freshmen women Arielle Kasnetz: Second place, freshmen women Matt Shorten: Second place,… Read More

There is a threat of severe weather in Middle Tennessee today, with the worst projected for 5-8 p.m. Families who feel it is unsafe to travel should notify instructors as early as possible. Individual teachers may decide to cancel lessons or classes. Those who do will contact students directly, as… Read More

Mary Grace Johnson The 2016-17 MTNA National Competition was held March 17-20 in Baltimore, Md. To compete at nationals, musicians have already won their state and regional divisions. Several Blair School musicians competed, and brought home national honors: Mary Grace Johnson, violin, took first place in the strings category of… Read More

Due to injury, the Blair String Quartet must regretfully cancel its concert that was scheduled for Friday, March 24. We regret the inconvenience. Read More

Pianists Heather Conner and Caleb Harris have postponed their joint recital, originally scheduled for February 17, due to a scheduling conflict. That concert will now take place at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 23, in Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall. Please update your calendars. Read More

Applications are available now for precollege scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year. More than $225,000 will be awarded this spring for 2017-18 lessons in brass, percussion, woodwinds, piano, strings, voice, and folk instruments. Study with Blair’s acclaimed collegiate faculty! Application and complete details about scholarships available on the… Read More

Trombonist Roland Barber will join the faculty of the Blair School of Music in January 2017 as Adjunct Associate Professor of Trombone and Jazz Studies, teaching trombone, jazz brass and jazz improvisation. One-half of longtime Nashville-based jazz duo The Barber Brothers, Barber has also performed with an… Read More

We regret to announce that our Conversation with Robbie Robertson, a Salon@615 event that was scheduled for Tuesday, Dec., 13, has been cancelled due to illness. All tickets will be refunded. Details are available at the Parnassus Books website. Read More

Our new online registration system for precollege and adult lessons and classes will be available very soon for Spring 2017 registration. To learn how it works, download our user’s guide. When you’re ready, register here!… Read More

Acclaimed pianist Boris Giltburg, who will be in Nashville to perform with the Nashville Symphony, will conduct a master class with Blair’s piano majors from 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall. Participation in the class is limited to Blair students by… Read More

Maggie Kasinger Kaili Wang Violinists Maggie Kasinger and Kaili Wang are the winners of the 2016-17 Curb Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. They will perform as featured soloists at the Curb Youth Symphony’s concert on May 8. Honorable Mentions went to cellist Nadja Geier and… Read More

Thinking about studying music in college? You are CHORDially invited to the Second Annual College Music Admissions Discussion, to be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, in Blair Classroom 2192. At the session, led by Blair’s assistant director of admissions, Molly Jewell, and Pam Schneller, associate dean of the… Read More

Acclaimed piano instructor Marvin Blickenstaff will be in residence at the Blair School on Saturday, September 17, for a full day of workshops, lectures and master classes. The sessions are co-sponsored by the Nashville Area Music Teachers Association and the Blair School. All sessions take place in… Read More

Photo by Denise Truscello Michael Kurek, associate professor of composition at the Blair School, has joined the roster of PARMA Recordings artists. PARMA will release its first album of Kurek’s works for chamber and large ensembles in 2017. The New Hampshire-based PARMA specializes in orchestral, chamber, choral… Read More

Tenor Tyler Nelson Photo courtesy of Tyler Nelson Tenor Tyler Nelson joins the Blair faculty as an associate professor of voice.Nelson is one of America’s most promising young tenors and already enjoys success with a wide variety of concert repertoire. His recent engagements have included a performance… Read More

  Charles Calotta performs "Flower in Your Hair," music and lyrics by Jack Coen, from Coen's Folk and Flora. Photo by Steve Green Collaboration and Kindness by Maria Browning Jack Coen. Photo by Daniel Dubois Jack Coen loves flowers. A composition and… Read More

Abbey, left, and Brigit may be twins, but they have different majors. Abbey is earning a bachelor of music degree in musical arts/teacher education (voice). After graduating, she plans to stay an additional year as part of Blair’s MA5 program to become a music educator, earning a… Read More

Photo by Steve Green In June, a jazz quartet from the Blair School of Music visited Colombia as part of the Centro Colombo Americano jazz collaboration program to perform, teach workshops and participate in jam sessions with Colombian musicians in the cities of Medellin, Manizales and… Read More

Ryan Middagh, director of jazz studies at Blair, left, and Jeff Coffin, instructor in jazz saxophone, play with the Blair Big Band. Photo by John Russell Nashville’s moniker “Music City” accurately reflects the proliferation of stellar musicians in town who play all types of music. At Vanderbilt’s… Read More

Steven Fiske as The Celebrant in Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" and members of the Blair Children’s Chorale By Bonnie Arant Ertelt, Photos by Daniel Dubois Mass takes place when the show’s lead character, the Celebrant, snaps, giving in to forces that make him question his faith. Read More

The Blair School is ringing in spring with A Celtic Celebration! With lots of toe-tapping traditional fiddle music, including the guitar expertise of Canadian Grammy-winning songwriter Gordie Sampson (“Jesus Take the Wheel”), it will be a night to celebrate Scottish, Canadian and Irish culture. The party will continue with Irish… Read More

An Evening With Jeff Coffin & the Nashville Jazz Composers Collective Featuring: MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient Ken Vandermark & Made to Break and Nashville of the Arts Big Band 7p.m. Friday, April 8, Ingram Hall Tickets: $15 general admission; $5 for students… Read More

Name: Michael Rinne Blair Major/VU: Double Bass performance Year of Graduation : 2010 Where you live now: Nashville Profession: Bassist and producer Most recently: On tour with Miranda Lambert Assistant Director of Admissions Molly Jewell had the pleasure of catching up with Blair… Read More

The Nashville Symphony has announced that Dr. Tucker Biddlecombe, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, will take over as Interim Director of the Nashville Symphony Chorus in July. Biddlecombe assumes leadership of the chorus from current Director Kelly Corcoran,… Read More

Vanderbilt Percussion Group is the Blair School of Music percussion studio’s premier performing ensemble, directed by Ji Hye Jung. VPG’s repertoire includes contemporary works for unconducted chamber percussion ensemble. VPG’s spring program includes music that resonates with listeners from all backgrounds, with… Read More

Following its grand-scale fall production of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, Vanderbilt Opera Theatre returns with a change of pace. Written in 2013 by American composer Michael Ching, Speed Dating Tonight! is an immersive, interactive comic opera in one act about ordinary people looking for love in a post-millennial… Read More

Booker Prize-winning novelist Julian Barnes and highly acclaimed pianist Angela Hewitt join forces for an exciting musical and literary residency at the Blair School March 23-25. This is an exceptionally rare opportunity to see two such important and esteemed artists from different disciplines on the same stage. Read More

For the fifth year in a row, Cheekwood’s annual Cheekwood in Bloom spring celebration will include a special Drawing Room Concert Series featuring Blair School of Music performers. The last two Sundays in March and every Sunday in April, from 2-3 p.m., a… Read More

On February 20, the Blair Cello Choir, one of the ensembles in our precollege Suzuki program, performed the National Anthem before the Vanderbilt-Georgia men’s basketball game. The performance was a huge hit, and the ensemble has already been invited back to play again next season. Photos by Joe Howell, courtesy… Read More

Applications are now open for precollege scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year. Precollege students study with the same acclaimed instructors who teach our collegiate music majors! Merit and need-based awards are available for qualified elementary, middle and high school students. Complete information about available awards is available on the… Read More

Join us for a precollege panel discussion: The Challenge of Practicing — Tips for Parents, 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, Room 2192 at Blair. It’s something almost all parents of young musicians struggle with: How do you help your child build good practice habits, stay motivated, and practice his or… Read More

Due to winter weather in the Nashville area, Philharmonia Orchestra rehearsal on Feb. 14 is cancelled. Read More

Due to treacherous road conditions, all Kindermusik classes for Wednesday, Feb. 10, have been cancelled. Read More

1:10 P.M. UPDATE: Due to worsening road and sidewalk conditions, ALL precollege lessons, classes and ensembles will be cancelled on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Nashville Youth Repertory Orchestra rehearsal is cancelled for Tuesday, Feb. 9, due to winter weather. Rehearsals will resume Tuesday, Feb. 16. Read More

Due to winter weather in the Nashville area, Choristers rehearsal has been cancelled for Monday, Feb. 8. Curb Youth Symphony rehearsal is also cancelled for Monday, Feb. 8. Read More

UPDATE: For those who are not able to attend this evening’s Conversation with Robben Ford in person, the event will also be streamed live online starting at 8 p.m. CST. The feed may be viewed via our streaming site in the Steve & Judy Turner Recital… Read More

The Blair School’s award-winning Kindermusik program is expanding. This spring, Blair is pleased to add Cuddle & Bounce to our Kindermusic offerings. NEW CLASS! Cuddle and Bounce Ages: Infants-1 year with parent or caregiver Dates: 12:45-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, January 20-April 27 A class designed for new parents and their babies. Read More

Sixteen members of the Blair Children’s Chorus program have been accepted to the Southern Division American Choral Directors Honors Choirs. Congratulations to these talented young singers! High School Women Kristen Stetzer Clara Warford High School Men Eli Culley Will Wallace Junior High SATB Don Pierce… Read More

Felix Pastorius, acclaimed jazz bassist, member of the Yellowjackets and Hipster Assassins and son of late jazz legend Jaco Pastorius, will perform with the Blair Big Band and Blair Jazz Choir on their season-ending concert, 8 p.m. Dec. 4 in Ingram Hall. Saxophonist Jeff Coffin, the newest… Read More

Recently, we had the pleasure of chatting with Blair graduate Miriam Sherk, and listening with amazement to her day-to-day schedule and accomplishments as a music therapist. It was fascinating to hear how much of a role music plays in her work, in her ability to do… Read More

While in Nashville to perform Julia Wolfe’s acclaimed “Steel Hammer” at OZ Arts Nashville this weekend, Bang on a Can All-Stars will visit Blair for a chamber music master class. The class will take place from 12:20-2:25 p.m. Thursday, November 19, in Instrumental Rehearsal Hall. Read More

The Music Teachers National Association Tennessee performance competition was held over the weekend at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Winners included the following Blair School precollege and collegiate students. Congratulations to all of them! Winner of Chamber Music String: Aurelius String Quartet (students of Stephen Miahky) Alternate of… Read More

The Estrella Consort, a saxophone quartet founded at Arizona State University, will visit the Blair School on Monday, November 16, for a mini-concert and master class with Blair’s saxophone students. The recital runs 1:10-2 p.m. in Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall, and the master class runs… Read More

Carol Nies conducts the Curb Youth Symphony. Congratulations to Carol Nies, the 2015 winner of the Carol Crittenden Arts Advocate of the Year, awarded by Nashville Singers. Below is the announcement from the Nashville Singers News. Congratulations, Carol! Dr. Carol Nies Selected to Receive the 2015 Carol… Read More

The Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University is pleased to announce the appointment of internationally acclaimed trumpeter Jose Sibaja as Associate Professor of Trumpet. He will join the faculty in August 2016. “I’m incredibly excited to join the Blair School of Music,” said Sibaja, “an institution… Read More

The Curb Youth Symphony 2015 Concerto Competition was held on Sunday, November 1. The winners are, in alphabetical order: Joy Fan, violin Jenna Mangum, violin Honorable mentions, also in alphabetical order: Jocelyn Hartley, cello Dustin Lin, clarinet Kazuki Takizawa, piano… Read More

Trumpeter Jens Lindemann is hailed as one of the most celebrated soloists in his instrument’s history and was recently named “International Brass Personality of the Year” (Brass Herald). He has played in every major concert venue in the world, from the Philharmonics of New York, Los Angeles,… Read More

Choristers rehearsal, which usually takes place 6:20-7:20 p.m. Mondays, is cancelled for October 26. Concert Choir, however, will meet as scheduled. Read More

On October 24, immediately following the Blair String Quartet’s performance in Ingram Hall, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University will formally unveil the Kraus Collection, a set of five music-themed paintings by noted artist Harold Kraus. The collection includes “Splendid Pipes,” a new work by… Read More

The Blair School of Music will offer its first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) early in 2016: “Understanding the Music Business: What is Music Worth,” taught by Assistant Professor of Musicology Jen Gunderman and offered through the Coursera… Read More

We enjoyed spending an afternoon catching up with Blair School of Music alumna Emily Nelson, B.Mus. ’10. She talked about how Blair helped shape her as a person and a musician, and how Vanderbilt as a whole helped her discover what she wanted to do with her… Read More

Novelist Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections and Freedom, will speak at the Blair School’s Ingram, Hall on Wednesday, September 23, talking about his new novel, Purity. Tickets are $33.50, which includes a copy of the book. Tickets are available through the Salon@615 website. Discounted student… Read More

Due to the Labor Day holiday, Philharmonia will not rehearse on Sunday, September 6. However, Curb Youth Symphony will rehearse on Monday, September 7, as usual. Read More

We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Blair School alumna Sarah Williams, B.Mus. ’06, and learning about her post-Vanderbilt music career. As a piano teacher, performing pianist and singer-songwriter, Williams’ days are a balancing act between creativity, efficient practice and time management. We asked her… Read More

The Blair School of Music admissions team invites high school students and parents to “College 101: The Blair Necessities.” We’ll answer questions and offer guidelines to prepare for any college application and/or music school audition — not just for the Blair School — and provide a general overview of financial… Read More

Blair School undergraduate student Ramakrishnan Kumaran has won first place at the National Flute Association’s annual Young Artist Competition. He is the youngest student ever to win this honor. Kumaran is a sophomore flute performance major studying under Philip Dikeman. He will perform a winner’s recital August 14 in San… Read More

This fall, the Blair School of Music is expanding our Suzuki violin program. We’ve added a new instructor, Tina Simpson, and expanded the hours of our existing instructors. It’s the perfect time to get your child involved! Suzuki instruction builds students’ self-discipline and character. It does… Read More

On a Monday afternoon in early September, Blair School of Music senior Kelby Carlson was crossing Children’s Way, the street that runs in front of the Blair School, just as he had done countless times before. Carlson, who is blind, was with his service dog, a 4-year-old yellow lab named Elvis. Read More

New Director of Admissions Thomas Crespo is making a return to the Blair School — he graduated from Vanderbilt in 2011 with a bachelor of music in bassoon performance and double minors in leadership and organization and in corporate strategy. Crespo earned a master of music in bassoon… Read More

Dwayne Sagen and Roland Schneller (photo by John Russell) Dwayne Sagen, left, and Roland Schneller retired from the Blair School of Music June 30. Sagen, who served as assistant dean of admissions at Blair and also as director of bands since 1986, was honored with a composition… Read More

Tucker Biddlecombe, associate professor of choral activities and choral director, served as conductor for the Florida All-State men’s chorus in 2014. He has also been engaged to conduct two all-state choruses in 2016, the Arkansas All-State Male Chorus and the New York All-State Mixed Chorus. Read More

Dean Mark Wait, Founder's Medalist Nora Pertz and Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos at the May 8 graduation ceremony. At 14, Nora Pertz began pestering her mother to let her study abroad. Her high school piano teacher found a program in Vienna in which Pertz studied piano… Read More

A Gift for the Future On February 7 and 8, the Blair School of Music hosted the inaugural concerts on its new Dobson Organ, Opus 92. Modeled after German organs of the 18th century, the instrument, built by the Dobson Organ Company and installed last August, is in the… Read More

The Vanderbilt BhangraDores dance group collaborated with the Vanderbilt Chorale on a piece at February's Choral Prism concert. Photo by Steve Green When Tucker Biddlecombe, associate professor of choral activities and choral director, first came to the Blair School of Music in 2012, Blair-based performing choirs were… Read More

Stephen Miahky, Joseph Joachim Professor of Violin A teaching continuum More than most professions, music celebrates the line of succession from teacher to student. Almost all master performers are also master teachers, passing on knowledge gained from experience to the next generation. Read More

Brian Cooper, who graduated in May with degrees in musical arts (clarinet) and bioinformatics, in the lab of Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences Antonin Rokas, where he helped develop a tool to look at research on evolutionary genomics. Photo by John Russell Brian Cooper’s typical day… Read More

Jenna Mangum, precollege violin student of Connie Heard, performs at a weekly studio class that includes both precollege and college students. Photo by Susan Urmy   Most undergraduate students don’t have much contact with younger or older learners during their college years. They inhabit a sort of… Read More

Carol Smith, director of the Blair School’s Suzuki strings program, has added an additional information session for families interested in Suzuki instruction for Fall 2015. Sessions will be held 10-11 a.m. Saturday, August 8, and 11 a.m.-noon Saturday, August 15, in Room 1161 at the Blair School. Families interested in… Read More

There has been a change in the dates for precollege piano auditions for students with one or more years of previous study. These placement interviews are for students who plan to take private piano lessons at Vanderbilt’s Blair School in the Fall 2015 semester. Auditions will now be held on… Read More

Joy H. Calico, professor of musicology and European studies and director of the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies, has been invited to deliver the German Studies Association/Berlin Program Distinguished Lecture at the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany, on June 30. Calico’s… Read More

(From left) David Bender, Maggie Kasinger and Kaili Wang. Photo courtesy of Nashville Symphony For the second year in a row, Blair School precollege students took top honors at the annual Nashville Symphony Curb Concerto Competition, held March 15 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Violinist Kaili Wang, a… Read More

Sunday, May 17 7 p.m., Ingram Hall Philharmonia Carol Nies, director Our newest youth orchestra presents its season-ending concert! Presented with gratitude to the Valere Blair Potter Trust for its generous support of the Blair School… Read More

Sunday, May 10 2 p.m., Ingram Hall Blair Children’s Choruses Tucker Biddlecombe and Mary Biddlecombe, directors Featuring the Blair Children’s Concert Choir, Young Men’s Chorus, Chorale, Blair Choristers, Nashville Boychoir, and Training Choir. Presented with gratitude to the Valere Blair Potter Trust for its generous… Read More

Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23 6 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Saturday, April 25 5 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Blair Precollege Program Scholarship Recitals Blair’s finest precollege students present a varied program of solo works for strings, brass, woodwinds, piano,… Read More

TICKET UPDATE: Please note new ticket prices below. TICKETED EVENT Saturday, April 25 8 p.m. Ingram Hall Nashville Jazz Orchestra Jim Williamson, director Five-time Grammy-winning bassist Victor Wooten joins the NJO for its final Blair School concert of the season. Tickets: $25 adults; $20… Read More

Suzuki Cello Graduation and Festival Concert Anne WIliams and Kirsten Cassel Greer, directors Saturday, April 25 1 p.m., Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall… Read More

Suzuki Violin Graduation and Festival Concert Carol Smith, director Saturday, April 25 3 p.m., Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall  … Read More

SIGNATURE SERIES Blair Student Showcase Friday, January 23 8 p.m., Ingram Hall The Blair School’s very best and brightest — from solo artists to string quartets — show off what they can do. Come see the future of classical music! UPDATE: Here is the list of performers on… Read More

Saturday, January 24 7:15 p.m. Pre-concert talk by Joy Calico, Choral Hall 8 p.m. Concert, Ingram Hall Vanderbilt University Orchestra Robin Fountain, conductor and Vanderbilt Wind Symphony Thomas Verrier, conductor The Vanderbilt Orchestra performs Claude Debussy’s Fêtes, from Nocturnes; Arnold Schoenberg’s… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL The Atlantic Ensemble Sunday, January 25 3 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Enjoy an afternoon of chamber music with the Atlantic Ensemble! The program includes W.A. Mozart’s piano quartet in E-Flat Major as well as the Piano Quartet in C… Read More

MASTER CLASS Dave Liebman, saxophone Thursday, February 5 2 p.m., Ingram Hall Liebman, once a member of Miles Davis’ band and a formidable performer in his own right, conducts master classes with Blair’s saxophone students. Participation in the class is limited to Blair students… Read More

Vanderbilt Collegiate Choral Ensembles Friday, February 6 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Tucker Biddlecombe, director Choral Prism In its third year, the annual “Choral Prism” concert has become one of Blair’s most anticipated and highly attended student concert events. Choral Prism 2015 features… Read More

  BLAIR PRESENTS An Introduction to the Blair School’s New Pipe Organ Carl Smith, organist Sunday, February 8 3:00 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall This program marks the… Read More

Vanderbilt Community Chorus Saturday, December 13 8 p.m., Ingram Hall David Binns Williams, director The Vanderbilt Community Chorus celebrates its 15th season with a holiday concert featuring traditional and contemporary works by J.S. Bach, Randall Thompson, John Rutter, Franz Biebl and others. Read More

State of the Word Saturday, December 6 7 p.m., Ingram Hall TICKETED EVENT The Blair School of Music and the Nashville Public Library welcome the Seventh Annual State of the Word, featuring the region’s top college and high school writers, poets, emcees and spoken-word artists. On… Read More

Friday, January 16 8:30 p.m. Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Faculty Recital Philip Dikeman, flute and Melissa Rose, piano “Phlutings with Philip” Dikeman and Rose present a varied program include staples of the flute repertoire as well as some hidden… Read More

GUEST RECITAL & MASTER CLASS Yizhak Schotten, viola With Amy Dorfman, piano, Felix Wang, cello, and Polly Brecht, harpsichord Master Class Saturday, January 10 2 p.m., Choral Hall Performance & Master Class Sunday, January 11 3 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner… Read More

Vanderbilt University Concerto Competition Finals Sunday, January 18 7 p.m., Ingram Hall Our best and brightest go head to head. For the fifth year in a row, we open the final round of the Vanderbilt University Concerto Competition to the public. As did last year’s, the 2015 Concerto Competition… Read More

Eight members of the Blair Children’s Chorus program went to Salt Lake City in late February to sing in the National Honor Choirs of the American Choral Directors Association’s National Conference. Blair’s singers were selected from more than 3,000 students from all over the United… Read More

UPDATE: This concert was rescheduled from an earlier date. SIGNATURE SERIES Blair Woodwind Quintet Tuesday, April 21 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall The Blair Woodwind Quintet presents a program that combines classics of the literature with more recent works, all designed to… Read More

Saturday, April 25 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Our best precollege chamber groups wrap up the semester with an exciting ensemble performance. Read More

With severe winter weather predicted for the early part of the week, we will be compiling any weather-related delays or cancellations of lessons, classes and concerts here. Please check back for updates as they become available. Weather news for Saturday, February 21 The Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra concert will take place… Read More

Tuesday, December 2 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Marian Shaffer, director Nine harps on stage at the same time? A surfeit of sweet sounds from our superb student harpists. Read More

Wednesday, December 3 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Gyane Kwame Ahima, director Vanderbilt’s acclaimed African drum and dance ensemble provides adventure in rhythm, movement and music. Take a few hours and escape to another land!… Read More

Wednesday, December 3 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall A musical potpourri for a mixture of chamber ensembles, including string, woodwind and brass instruments. Blair collegiate students perform familiar masterworks as well as rare and new chamber music gems. Read More

Thursday, December 4 8 p.m., Ingram Hall TICKETED EVENT Ryan Middagh, director of Blair Big Band Jim Williamson, director of Nashville Jazz Orchestra A winter jazz showcase combining the talents of our own Blair Big Band with resident professional ensemble the Nashville… Read More

Saturday, December 6 5 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Blair’s precollege student musicians present chamber works for small ensembles — duos, trios and quartets in a variety of instrumentation. Read More

Monday, December 8 7:30 p.m., Ingram Hall Carol Nies, director With Kaili Wang, violin Presented with gratitude to an anonymous friend for generously supporting the Blair School. Read More

Tuesday, December 9 7:30 p.m., Ingram Hall Craig Madole director of Nashville Youth Repertory Orchestra Celeste Holbrook Tuten director of Youth Strings Orchestras and Reading Orchestra… Read More

Blair Precollege Scholarship Recitals Wednesday, December 10 – 6 p.m. Thursday, December 11 – 6 p.m. Saturday, December 13 – 5 p.m. Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Our best high school performers present three varied programs of solo pieces. Strings, piano, brass and woodwinds perform works that… Read More

Sunday, December 14 2 p.m., Ingram Hall Mary Biddlecombe, Artistic Director Our American Composers This performance will feature performances by the ensembles of the Blair Children’s  Chorus Program, including the Chorale, Girls’ Concert Choir, Young Men’s Chorus, Boychoir, Choristers, and Training Choir. The music of… Read More

What do Vanderbilt undergraduates learn outside the classroom? Watch as our undergrads create solutions, create change, and create magic as part of Immersion Vanderbilt. Immersion Vanderbilt is an initiative in the Academic Strategic Plan aimed at creating even more opportunities to help students engage, question and forge change. Blair senior… Read More

NIGHTCAP CONCERT SERIES Melissa Rose, piano, and Jim Lovensheimer, narrator With pre-concert talk by Joy Calico Tuesday, January 20 Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall 8 p.m. Pre-concert talk 8:30 p.m. Performance Enoch Arden by Richard Strauss Lovensheimer and Rose perform… Read More

Guest Artists The Merling Trio Wednesday, January 21 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Now celebrating its 26th season with original members Bruce Uchimura, cello, Renata Artman Knific, violin, and Susan Wiersma Uchimura, piano, the Merling Trio is in residence at Western Michigan… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Felix Wang, cello With Polly Brecht, organ, Bil Jackson, clarinet, John Johns, guitar, and Christina McGann, violin Thursday, January 29 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Versatile powerhouse cellist Felix Wang gives a recital featuring pieces pairing the cello with… Read More

Guest Artist Residency Jose Sibaja, trumpet Monday, February 9 2:15-3:15 p.m. Brass chamber music coaching, location TBD Tuesday, February 10 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Work with the Blair Big Band, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall 1:10-2:25 p.m. Trumpet master class, Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall… Read More

NIGHTCAP CONCERT SERIES Ben Harris, piano, Preston Orr, baritone, Gayle Shay, mezzo-soprano, and Jeremy Wilson, trombone Tuesday, February 10 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Can you hear me? A Modern Musical Fable June has a problem. After 11 years of marriage, she… Read More

GUEST ARTIST RESIDENCY The Cavell Trio Tuesday, February 10-Wednesday, February 11 Tuesday, February 10 Oboe master class: 2:35 p.m.-3:10 p.m., Choral Hall Bassoon master class: 4:30 p.m.-6 .p.m, Instrumental Rehearsal Hall Wednesday, February 11 Clarinet master class: Noon-2 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Peter Kolkay, bassoon With Philip Dikeman, flute, Felix Wang, cello, and Polly Brecht, harpsichord Wednesday, February 11 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Virtue/Virtuosity Bassoonist Peter Kolkay explores the complementary yet problematic relationship between virtue and virtuosity in works by… Read More

GUEST ARTIST Michael Samis, cello with Amy Dorfman, piano Thursday, February 12 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Cellist Michael Samis, recognized for his “shining and expressive” playing (The Tennessean) and “haunting” tone (Cincinnati Post), and Blair pianist Amy Dorfman collaborate in… Read More

Vanderbilt University Orchestra Robin Fountain, conductor and Vanderbilt Wind Symphony Thomas Verrier, conductor Friday, February 13 8 p.m., Ingram Hall The Vanderbilt Orchestra performs the entr’actes from Franz Schubert’s Rosamunde and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. The Wind Symphony performs works including… Read More

MASTER CLASS Mauricio Fuks, violin Saturday, February 14 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m., Choral Hall Sunday, February 15 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Choral Hall… Read More

Nashville Jazz Orchestra Jim Williamson, director with Blair Big Band Ryan Middagh, director Saturday, February 14 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Tickets: $20 adults; $15 seniors (65+) and Vanderbilt faculty and staff; free for students with ID. Tickets available at the door. Read More

Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra Keehun Nam, conductor Saturday, February 21 3 p.m., Ingram Hall L’Inspiration d’Amour Students throughout Vanderbilt come together to present an afternoon filled with drama, romance and the inspiration of love. In its second year, the Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra brings together undergraduates from… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Amy Jarman, soprano and Jerome Reed, piano with Cornelia Heard, violin Sunday, February 22 3 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall O Ravishing Delight! A recital of art song exploring love, tenderness, regret and joy, including Five Hebrew Love Songs by… Read More

GUEST ARTIST John Whitener, tuba Monday, February 23 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall John Whitener has been principal tuba of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra since 2009. He has recorded with the RSNO extensively and toured throughout Europe and China. He has… Read More

GUEST ARTIST Charles Castleman, violin Tuesday, February 24 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Charles Castleman has been soloist with the orchestras of Philadelphia, Boston, Brisbane, Chicago, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, Seoul and Shanghai. Medalist at Tchaikovsky and… Read More

MASTER CLASS & GUEST RECITAL Lauren Jacobson, clarinet Wednesday, February 25 Noon-2 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall As a former member of The President’s Own Marine Band and Orchestra, clarinetist Jacobson has performed frequently at the White House and Kennedy Center in Washington… Read More

Living Sounds Wednesday, February 25 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall New works by Blair’s composition majors, performed by their peers. Always an engaging and highly eclectic evening of music. Come hear the next generation of classical composition!… Read More

BLAIR PRESENTS Carolyn Huebl, violin, and Mark Wait, piano Thursday, February 26 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall World Premiere: Michael Hersch’s Zwischen Leben und Tod Violinist Carolyn Huebl and pianist Mark Wait present the world premiere of a new work… Read More

SCHEDULE UPDATE: This concert was originally scheduled for Feb. 16, but was postponed due to severe winter weather. FACULTY RECITAL Daniel Reinker, viola with Francis Perry, theorbo, Jim Lovensheimer, reader, Jared Hauser, oboe, Keith Nicholas, cello, Melissa Rose, piano, and William G. Wiggins, percussion Sunday,… Read More

Monday, December 1 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Mat Britain, director Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Vanderbilt Steel Bands program with a musical trip to the beach! Let the Vanderbilt Steel Bands take you on an island cruise — calypso, reggae, soca, and maybe even a… Read More

Curb Youth Symphony Carol Nies, director Monday, March 9 8 p.m., Ingram Hall The Curb Youth Symphony performs works by Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Rossini, with featured soloists Chloe Harvel, Jenna Mangum and Kaili Wang on violin and David Bender on cello. Read More

FACULTY RECITAL The Mirabelle Trio Jared Hauser, oboe, Leslie Norton, horn, and Melissa Rose, piano Tuesday, March 10 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall The Mirabelle Trio continues its exploration of trios written for oboe, horn and piano. Heinrich Herzogenberg’s romantic trio… Read More

MUSIC ON FILM Credit: Courtesy of Argot Pictures Béla Fleck: How to Write a Banjo Concerto Thursday, March 12 8 p.m., Ingram Hall In conjunction with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck’s upcoming performances with Vanderbilt Wind Symphony of The Impostor, the concerto he originally composed to perform… Read More

MASTER CLASSES Warren Jones, collaborative pianist Friday, March 13-Sunday, March 15 Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Marvelous collaborative pianist Warren Jones has performed numerous times at Blair accompanying guest vocalists. Now he returns to coach teams of student pianists and singers in collaborative master… Read More

VORTEX percussion Michael Holland, artistic director VORTEX and the American Gamelan With New Dialect Sunday, March 15 Noon: Documentary film: LOU HARRISON: A World of Music, Portrait of a great composer who followed his own dreams. Trading a fast-paced New York career for… Read More

GUEST ARTIST RESIDENCY Timothy Higgins, trombone Master class: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15, Choral Hall Recital: 8 p.m. Monday, March 16, Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Timothy Higgins, Principal Trombonist with the San Francisco Symphony since 2008, will be in residence at Blair March… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Brian Utley, saxophone with Melissa Rose, piano Tuesday, March 17 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Utley’s program is an exploration of the international. Klonos, by Piet Swerts, is described by the composer as a “bravura-like fantasy.” The word itself… Read More

An Evening of Chamber Music With Matthew Hunter, viola, the Blair String Quartet, and student musicians Wednesday, March 18 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Violist Matthew Hunter of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra joins Blair students and the Blair String Quartet for a… Read More

MASTER CLASS Linda Strommen, oboe Tuesday, March 17 2:30 p.m., Choral Hall Linda Strommen is Professor of Oboe at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, a regular guest faculty teacher at The Juilliard School, and a faculty member of the Interlochen Arts Camp and the… Read More

Vanderbilt String Orchestra Robin Fountain, conductor Thursday, March 19 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Violist Matthew Hunter of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra joins the String Orchestra this week as guest coach and leader. The program will include a number of works by seminal 16th-century English composer… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Stephen Miahky, violin with Amy Dorfman, piano, and Polly Brecht, harpsichord Friday, March 20 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall J.S. Bach, Sonata in E major, BWV 1016 Charles Ives, Second Sonata Luciano Berio, Sequenza VIII for… Read More

2015 College Band Directors National Association Conference March 24-28 The Blair School is honored to host the biennial meeting of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). All concert events are free and open to the public, although priority seating will be reserved for conference attendees.  … Read More

GUEST ARTISTS The Waldland Ensemble Hillary Herndon, viola, Jeremy Reynolds, clarinet, and Bernadette Lo, piano Thursday, March 26 8 p.m., Choral Hall An exciting chamber music recital featuring five new works commissioned from important modern composers. Herndon, of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Reynolds, from… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Blair’s Jazz Department Friday, March 27 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall The Vanderbilt Jazz Faculty — Bruce Dudley, Liz Johnson, Jerry Kimbrough, Ryan Middagh, Derrek Philips and Roger Spencer — will present a diverse recital of music ranging from the Great American Songbook… Read More

Vanderbilt University Concert Choir David Binns Williams, director Sunday, March 29 2 p.m., Ingram Hall The oldest performing group on campus performs choral works of all genres. Read More

SIGNATURE SERIES Craig Nies, piano, and Carolyn Huebl, violin Sunday, March 29 8 p.m., Ingram Hall The Mozart Sonatas for Piano and Violin Pianist Nies and violinist Huebl, over the course of four evenings throughout the 2014-15 concert season, perform W.A. Mozart’s entire set of… Read More

Brilliant Spanish pianist Joaquín Achúcarro comes to Nashville this week to perform Brahms’ monumental Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Nashville Symphony (Nov. 20-22). While in town, he’ll conduct a master class with Blair’s piano students. Participation in the class is limited to Blair piano majors… Read More

FEB. 17 WEATHER UPDATE: Due to severe winter weather, the February 17 concert from ALIAS Chamber Ensemble has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. TICKETED EVENT Photo by John Partipilo ALIAS Chamber Ensemble Tuesday, February 17 8 p.m., Steve & Judy… Read More

Monday, May 4 7:30 p.m., Ingram Hall Curb Youth Symphony Carol Nies, director Presented with gratitude to the Valere Blair Potter Trust for its generous support of the Blair School… Read More

Tuesday, May 5 7:30 p.m., Ingram Hall Nashville Youth Repertory Orchestra Craig Madole, director Youth Strings Orchestras, Reading Orchestra, and Beginning Reading Orchestra Celeste Tuten, director Presented with gratitude to the Valere Blair Potter Trust for its generous support of the Blair School… Read More

NOTE: This concert was originally scheduled for February 17, but was postponed due to severe winter weather. Tickets purchased for the original date will be honored. TICKETED EVENT Wednesday, May 6 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall ALIAS Chamber Ensemble Daniel Elder, The Ties… Read More

Saturday, May 9 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Vanderbilt Community Chorus David Binns Williams, director The Vanderbilt Community Chorus celebrates its 15th anniversary with a special retrospective program showcasing the choir’s favorite musical moments since its founding in 2000. The choir returns… Read More

Blair Harp Ensemble Marian Shaffer, director Thursday, April 2 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Blair’s harp students take center stage for an enchanting musical evening showcasing the “sweetest of strings.”… Read More

SIGNATURE SERIES Blair Brass Quintet Monday, April 6 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall The quintet performs a diverse brass program including George Frideric Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Jörg Widmann’s Three Canzoni, Charles Whittenberg’s Little Fantasy on a Bach… Read More

Vanderbilt Steel Bands Mat Britain, director Tuesday, April 7 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Kick your summer off with the sunny island sounds of the Vanderbilt Steel Bands. Music from Trinidad and other warm-water locales is sure to put you in a Caribbean state of mind. Read More

Living Sounds Wednesday, April 8 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall New works by Blair’s composition majors, performed by their peers. Always an engaging and highly eclectic evening of music. Come hear the next generation of classical composition! The April 8 program includes: That is the Question,… Read More

Master Class Michael Chertock, piano Thursday, April 9 2:45-5 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Pianist Michael Chertock of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, an highly acclaimed and prolific orchestral soloist and Telarc recording artist, conducts master classes with Blair’s piano students. Participation in the… Read More

TICKETED EVENT Blair Big Band Ryan Middagh, director with Jeff Coffin and introducing The Nashville Jazz Composers Collective Thursday, April 9 8 p.m., Ingram Hall The Blair Big Band closes its concert season with Grammy-winning saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Coffin is an internationally… Read More

Vanderbilt University Orchestra Robin Fountain, conductor Friday, April 10 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Violinist Elizabeth Drabkin, pianist Marissa Uchimura and percussionist Liam Underwood, the winners of the 2015 Vanderbilt Concerto Competition, perform as featured soloists with the Vanderbilt University Orchestra. Read More

Sankofa Vanderbilt’s African Drumming and Dance Ensemble Gyane Kwame Ahima, director Saturday, April 11 8, Ingram Hall Vanderbilt’s acclaimed African drum and dance ensemble is always a rollicking good time. Get some rhythm in your weekend!… Read More

Blair Suzuki Violin Performing Group Carol Smith, director and Blair Children’s Cello Choir Kirsten Cassel Greer, director Sunday, April 12 2:30 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall… Read More

FACULTY RECITAL Christina McGann, violin, and Jingwen Tu, piano Monday, April 13 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Violinist Christina McGann makes her Blair School concert debut with guest pianist Jingwen Tu for a delightful duet program including Arnold Schöenberg’s Fantasy for Violin… Read More

Vanderbilt Symphonic Choir and Vanderbilt Oratorio Orchestra Tucker Biddlecombe, conductor Tuesday, April 14 8:00 p.m., Ingram Hall Creation, by Franz Joseph Haydn With Amy Jarman, soprano, Thomas Mulder (Blair ’12), tenor, and Jonathan Retzlaff, lyric baritone In the final student ensemble performance of… Read More

David GortonGuest and Faculty Composers Recital David Gorton, Michael Zev Gordon, Stan Link and Michael Slayton   Wednesday, April 15 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Blair composition professors Stan Link and Michael Slayton team up with colleagues from the… Read More

Blair Student Chamber Ensembles Thursday, April 16 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall A musical potpourri for a mixture of chamber ensembles, including string, woodwind, and brass instruments. Blair collegiate students perform familiar masterworks as well as rare and new chamber music gems. Read More

SIGNATURE SERIES Craig Nies, piano, and Carolyn Huebl, violin Friday, April 17 8 p.m., Ingram Hall The Mozart Sonatas for Piano and Violin Pianist Nies and violinist Huebl, over the course of four evenings throughout the 2014-15 concert season, have performed W.A. Mozart’s entire… Read More

CONCERT UPDATE: This concert was originally scheduled for February 20, but was postponed due to weather. SIGNATURE SERIES Photo credit: Jim McGuire Blair String Quartet Stephen Miahky and Cornelia Heard, violins, John Kochanowski, viola, Felix Wang, cello Monday, April 20 8 p.m., Steve & Judy… Read More

The Blair School's viola studio Juilliard viola professor Heidi Castleman, one of the leading viola pedagogues in the U.S., will conduct a master class with Blair viola students via videoconference from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. February 26, in Blair’s Choral Hall. Blair’s viola studio won the class through… Read More

This month, the Blair Brass Quintet joins forces with the faculty brass quintets from Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University. The resulting triple quintet ensemble, the Tri Star Brass, will perform at 7:30 p.m. November 17 at Nashville’s Christ Church Cathedral, 900 Broadway. Under… Read More

7:30 p.m. Friday, November 14 2 p.m. Sunday, November 16 Ingram Hall Vanderbilt Opera Theatre and Vanderbilt University Orchestra present Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss’ delightful sacher torte dropped in the decadent chocolate box of 1920s Berlin. Nightclubs, dancing girls, mistaken identities, and jilted lovers,… Read More

Wednesday, November 12 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Toru Takemitsu, and then I knew twas wind for harp, viola and flute Johann Schmeltzer, Sonata for violin and continuo Ernest Bloch, Nocturnes for piano trio Kevin Volans, Hunting, Gathering for… Read More

Photo by Jimmy Katz The Blair School is pleased to partner with contemporary art space OZ Nashville to host a master class with acclaimed jazz pianist Vijay Iyer. Iyer performs at OZ Nov. 8-9, and while he’s in town he comes to Blair to conduct… Read More

Friday, November 7 Noon, Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Blair alumnus Evan Mack, B.Mus. ’03, an acclaimed composer, returns to Vanderbilt to accept the inaugural Young Alumni Award. At this special afternoon recital, current Blair students, alumni and faculty will perform a selection of his… Read More

VORTEX percussion Michael Holland, artistic director Sunday, November 9 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Bells, Whistles and a Musical Yard Sale Experience some of the most playful and engaging music for percussion written in the last 25 years. VORTEX opens… Read More

Congratulations to 2014-15 Curb Youth Symphony Concerto Competition winners David Bender, cello, and John Hartley, violin, and honorable mention winners Jenna Mangum, violin, and Clara Warford, harp. Read More

Oboist ToniMarie Marchioni, assistant professor of oboe at the University of Kentucky, conducts a master class with Blair’s oboe students from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in Choral Hall. Marchioni has performed in Europe, South America, Asia, and throughout the United States. Appointed to the University of… Read More

Guest Artist: Reid Alexander, piano Thursday, October 30 4 p.m., Alumni Hall – Reading Room (Vanderbilt’s main campus) The Multimedia Side of Claude Debussy: Visual and Extra-Musical Inspirations Blair hosts its first-ever lecture and concert in the recently renovated Alumni Hall on Vanderbilt’s main… Read More

Saturday, November 1 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Cornelia Heard, Blair School of Music faculty member since 1982, was one of the first students to enroll at the Blair Academy of Music in the fall of 1964. To celebrate her milestone affiliation with… Read More

Sunday, November 2 7 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Six outstanding Blair piano students perform J.S. Bach’s six partitas, BWV 825-830. Originally composed for harpsichord and commonly referred to as the “German Suites,” they were the last set of harpsichord suites that Bach composed,… Read More

Rock legend Sheryl Crow will speak at the Blair School of Music this fall as part of the popular Conversations Series. On Tuesday, November 4, Assistant Professor Jen Gunderman will conduct an informal on-stage conversation with the singer, followed by… Read More

Professor Michael Marissen of Swarthmore College will give a public lecture based on his latest controversial book, Tainted Glory in Handel’s Messiah, an in-depth account of the anti-Judaic aspects of the world’s most popular oratorio. The event takes place 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20,… Read More

Vanderbilt University Orchestra and Vanderbilt Wind Symphony Photo courtesy of Noah Sheldon Friday, October 24 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Robin Fountain, director of Vanderbilt String Orchestra Thomas Verrier, director of Vanderbilt… Read More

Signature Series: Craig Nies, piano, and Carolyn Huebl, violin Friday, September 5 Sunday, October 26 Sunday, March 29 Friday, April 17 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Free and Open to the Public The Mozart Sonatas for Piano and Violin Pianist Nies and violinist… Read More

Saturday, November 15 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Messich has been a faculty member at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music since 2010, where he has been an active member of the Georgia Woodwind Quintet and Georgia Woodwind Trio. In… Read More

Thursday, November 13 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Christopher and Bogaczova, faculty members at Northwestern State University of Louisiana, perform a program of works by Arnold Bax, Gabriel Fauré, Jacques Offenbach and Iannis Xenakis. Read More

Wednesday, November 5 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall New works by Blair’s composition majors, performed by their peers. Always an engaging and highly eclectic evening of music. Come hear the next generation of classical composition!… Read More

Blair alumna Shannon Thomas, currently visiting assistant professor of violin at Florida State University, returns to campus to present an exciting recital with Frank Huang, assistant professor of piano at Miami University. The program includes Mozart’s Sonata in G major, K. 301; Debussy’s final work, his Sonata… Read More

Vanderbilt Wind Symphony Thomas Verrier, conductor Wednesday, November 19 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Roads to Home The Wind Symphony finishes its fall season with a varied program that includes special guests and a world premiere. Charles Ives’ Old Home Days is guest-conducted by… Read More

Vanderbilt University Orchestra Thursday, October 2 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Robin Fountain, director An orchestral evening with a Russian accent. The Vanderbilt Orchestra takes on three major Russian works: the overture from Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov’s 19th-century opera May Night; Rimski-Korsakov’s Cappricio Espagnole, which was based… Read More

Guest Artist: Timothy Ehlen, piano Friday, September 26 8 p.m., Choral Hall Ehlen, professor of piano at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, is a highly sought-after soloist and chamber musician. He won the World Piano Competition in 1987 and made his debut at Lincoln Center… Read More

Photo by B. Ealovega Grammy-winner Susan Graham — dubbed “America’s favorite mezzo” by Gramophone magazine —and pianist Bradley Moore will perform at Blair’s Ingram Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday, September 27. Graham achieved international stardom within a few years of her professional debut. Her operatic roles span… Read More

Friday, September 26 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Thomas Verrier, director Bach and Other Flavors The Vanderbilt Wind Symphony performs a varied program titled “Bach and Other Flavors” that includes Gustav Holst’s arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Fugue a la Gigue, Michael Daughtery’s Bells for Stowkowski, Percy… Read More

The Clare College Choir, of Cambridge, England, will perform at the Blair School at 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 24, in Ingram Hall. Director Graham Ross will lead the choir in a program titled “Great British Pairings.” Since the founding of… Read More

Vanderbilt University Concert Choir Sunday, October 26 2 p.m., Ingram Hall David Binns Williams, director The oldest performing group on campus performs choral works from a wide range of genres and eras. Read More

Faculty Recital: Carl Smith, harpsichord and continuo organ With Elizabeth Bartlett, soprano, Matthew Lammers, violin, and Ann Yeh, cello Sunday, October 12 4 p.m., Choral Hall Musica Settecentesca Seventeenth-century vocal and instrumental music from Italy and Germany, including Claudio Monteverdi, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Heinrich Schütz and Matthias… Read More

Nashville Jazz Orchestra Saturday, October 11 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Jim Williamson, director Nashville Jazz Orchestra’s traditional October salute to Latin History Month will be a hot and spicy program of music and dance in tribute to our Latin heritage. Sabor y sabroso! *TICKETED EVENT* Tickets: $20 adults; $15… Read More

Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra and Vanderbilt Chorale and Symphonic Choir Friday, September 12 6 p.m., Ingram Hall Free and Open to the Public Robin Fountain conductor of Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra Tucker Biddlecombe conductor of Vanderbilt Chorale and Symphonic Choir German Masters Psalms of David: I… Read More

Signature Series: John Johns, guitar with Carolyn Huebl, violin, Kathryn Plummer, viola, and Felix Wang, cello Thursday, September 11 8 p.m., Ingram Hall Guitarist Johns presents a colorful program of music by composers from Italy, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Austria. Huebl, Plummer and Wang join… Read More

Photo by Kevin Schlatt Sunday, September 14 3 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Nashville Jazz Workshop presents this year’s final installment of Jazz on the Move, its popular jazz performance and education series, with lectures and performances that highlight major figures and periods in… Read More

Signature Series: Blair Voices Saturday, September 6 7:30 p.m., Ingram Hall Gayle Shay, mezzo soprano, Ben Harris, piano, Jennifer McGuire, piano, Amy Jarman, soprano, Jonathan Retzlaff, lyric baritone Requesting the Pleasure of Your Company….Music from the Manor An evening of popular music from the first half… Read More

Photo by Alyson Levy Saturday, September 13 6 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall Molly Barth, flute, and Dieter Hennings, guitar Grammy-winning flutist Barth, a professor at the University of Oregon, is a devoted champion of modern music, and specifically contemporary chamber music. She and… Read More

To help him celebrate more than 50 years of teaching at the Blair School of Music, current and former piano students of Roland Schneller will perform in concert in his honor. All of these artists were once precollege students at Blair Academy/Blair School of Music. The concert… Read More

Joy H. Calico, Associate Professor of Musicology at the Blair School and Director of the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies at Vanderbilt University, was interviewed last spring by BBC Radio 3 about her most recent book, Arnold Schoenberg’s ‘A Survivor from Warsaw in Postwar… Read More

Mandolinist/composer Chris Thile and bassist/composer Edgar Meyer will perform at the Blair School of Music’s Ingram Hall at 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 30. Thile, of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and Meyer have teamed up again for a new album, Bass & Mandolin, to be… Read More

Nashville Sinfonietta Dean Whiteside, director Saturday, August 30 7 p.m., Ingram Hall The Nashville Sinfonietta brings together Blair School musicians and their Nashville Symphony colleagues, under the baton of Blair alumnus and acclaimed conductor Dean Whiteside. This program consists of famous concertos through the… Read More

American Viola Society president Nokuthula Ngwenyama presents Blair student Olivia Palazzolo with the Tone Award at the Primrose International Viola Competition.   Blair School precollege student Olivia Palazzolo won the Tone Award at the Primrose International Viola Comptition, held in June at the Colburn School in… Read More

Sunday, September 28 8 p.m., Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall For this concert, trombonist Jeremy Wilson had to dig deep. As he explains it, much of the recital repertoire for trombone is actually transcriptions of orchestra parts or material originally written for other instruments. The… Read More

Greg Barz, associate professor of musicology (ethnomusicology), was named Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor at Vanderbilt for 2013–14. He also published three articles in 2013 in the South Africa Journal of Humanities, the Cambridge Guide to World Music, and a special issue of Acta Academica. He serves on… Read More

  Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet member Andreas Wittman works with oboe students during a master class in the instrumental rehearsal hall. master class (‘ma:str klas) A class taught by an accomplished musician who individually instructs advanced students in performance and technique, often before… Read More

In June, the Blair School welcomed Roger Vignoles, a world-class collaborative pianist and vocal coach, to mentor four young professional vocal coaches as they worked with four Blair students. The goal of this workshop was to help coaches in the middle stage of their careers, when they… Read More

  A combination of precollege, collegiate, and alumni singers and musicians performed John Rutter’s “Mass of the Children” on March 16 at the Blair School of Music 50th Anniversary Gala Concert. For more information on future 50th anniversary concerts, visit “Blair Events” on… Read More

Madeline Myers, BMus'11 (Photo by Elena Olivo) Madeline Myers, BMus’11, won the first annual Davenport Songwriting Contest sponsored by Tony Award-winning producer Ken Davenport (The Bridges of Madison County, Kinky Boots, Macbeth starring Alan Cumming, Godspell) with her song “I Could Be a Hero.” The… Read More

Photo courtesy of Tucker Biddlecombe The Vanderbilt Chorale, under the direction of Tucker Biddlecombe, associate professor of choral activities and choral director, embarked on a tour of Florida in March. This newly formed ensemble serves as the core of the Vanderbilt Symphonic Choir and is made up… Read More

Thomas Verrier, associate professor and director of wind studies The Blair School will host the biennial conference of the College Band Directors National Association in March 2015. Seven of the finest wind orchestras from throughout the United States are expected to perform. In addition, leading scholars, conductors,… Read More

Chris Teal, Joseph Joachim Professor of Violin and member of the Blair String Quartet (photo by John Russell) As the Blair School of Music celebrates its 50th anniversary, one who has been a steady presence since Blair’s days on 18th Avenue South will be saying goodbye. Christian… Read More

Vanderbilt Orchestra Director Robin Fountain with BMI Composer-in-Residence Kevin Puts and Associate Professor of Clarinet Bil Jackson rehearsing for a January concert that featured Puts' Clarinet Concerto written for Jackson (Photo by Anne Rayner) The relationship between the Blair School of Music and music licensing organization BMI… Read More

Olivia Palazzolo, age 17, and Blair alumna Dana Kelley, B.Mus. ’12, depart for the Primrose International Viola Competition on Saturday June 7. They are two of just 30 violists ages 15-29 selected to compete in the live rounds of the competition. Their fellow quarter-finalists are from Australia, Canada, China, France,… Read More

The Blair School is gearing up for its inaugural Mentoring Program for Young Professional Vocal Coaches, which will run June 9-12. Outstanding collaborative pianist Roger Vignoles will mentor four teams of young professional coaches and Blair voice majors. Events open to the public include a master… Read More

Jonathan Chu, who graduated from Blair in 2003 with a double-major in violin performance and economics, was one of three new violist appointments announced May 22 by the St. Louis Symphony. Chu is married to the symphony’s principal violist, Beth Guterman Chu, making them the seventh married couple in the… Read More

Roo George-Warren (Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt University) The Office of Honor Scholarships is pleased to announce that DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren, a Class of 2014 voice and music composition major at Blair School of Music, is one of 40 students in the nation to… Read More

2014 Lotte Lenya Competition judges and winners (L to R): Rob Berman, Judy Kaye, James Robinson, Arlo Hill, Natalie Ballenger, Ben Edquist. Photo courtesy of the Kurt Weill Foundation. Ben Edquist, B.Mus. ’13, won the $15,000 first prize in the finals of the 2014 Lotte Lenya Competition,… Read More

Stephen Miahky The Blair School of Music has appointed Stephen Miahky as associate professor of violin and the new first violin of the Blair String Quartet, Blair School Dean Mark Wait announced today. “Steve Miahky is a consummate artist,” said Wait. “When he came to Vanderbilt to… Read More

From Curb Youth Symphony Director Carol Nies: Dear CYS members, The CYS will rehearse this evening. However, if it is dangerous in the area that you are coming from, please do not come until the danger has passed. Please check the weather radar map (moving interactive radar that shows green… Read More

The Blair School is pleased to once again host Parnassus Books as they bring bestselling author Michael Pollan to Nashville for a discussion and signing of his latest book, Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. This author event will take place at the Blair School’s Ingram… Read More

The final concert in Blair’s Living Sounds series has a twist this year. Living Sounds is an annual three-concert series showcasing the work of Blair’s student composers, performed by their fellow students. It’s always an engaging and wide-ranging exploration of contemporary composition. Acclaimed contemporary composer Richard Danielpour… Read More

The Blair School partners with the Nashville Symphony for the second year to host a free screening of a music-related movie in conjunction with a Symphony performance. This year, the Blair School is pleased to bring you Amadeus, Miloš Forman’s 1984 masterpiece about… Read More

On February 18, the Blair School lost our beloved Big Band director and jazz instructor Billy Adair. Adair’s impact and influence on our students, faculty and community can not be overstated. He was mentor and musician, faculty and friend. In celebration of Adair’s life, a special tribute… Read More

The Aetas Trio, which consists of Blair School undergraduate students Matthew Lammers, violin, Ann Yeh, cello, and Marissa Uchimura, piano, won third place in the Music Teachers National Association nattional competition, held March 22 in Chicago. Read More

The Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University seeks a full-time senior lecturer in jazz, to begin in Fall 2014. Duties include coordinating the jazz studies area, directing the Big Band, teaching courses in improvisation, jazz chord theory, jazz styles for teacher-education students, and possibly other teaching responsibilities as appropriate. Read More

The Appalachian Celebration, the Blair School’s annual appreciation of folk music and mountain sounds, this year is headlined by father-daughter old-time duo Rafe and Clelia Stefanini. Rafe Stefanini is an Italian old-time banjo player, fiddler, guitarist, singer and teacher, as well as a respected violin maker and restorer. Daughter Clelia… Read More

  In 2014, the Blair School of Music celebrates 50 years of educating musicians in Nashville. Initially the Blair Academy of Music, which was devoted to teaching music to precollege and adult students, the Blair School has thrived, growing and… Read More

The finals of the Nashville Symphony’s annual Curb Concerto Competition were held Sunday, March 2, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and all three top finalists are Myra Jackson Blair Scholars in the Blair School’s precollege program. Violist Olivia Palazzolo won the grand prize, and will perform as… Read More

Some Blair School classes and lessons will be cancelled on Monday, March 3, due to icy weather conditions. This post will be updated frequently. If you have specific questions, contact your instructor directly. Blair Children’s Chorus program: All rehearsals today were already cancelled due to spring break. Curb Youth Symphony:… Read More

The second of three Living Sounds concerts for the 2013-14 season takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday, February 27, in Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall. Living Sounds is a showcase for the Blair School’s student composers, with their works performed by Blair student musicians. Here’s the program, with comments… Read More

A 10-member delegation from the Lingnan Student Opera League at Sun Yat-Sen University will visit Vanderbilt as a part of the “Opera Exchange” sponsored by Vanderbilt’s U.S.-China Center for Education and Culture. Since 2007, and especially since the establishment of the U.S.-China Center, Vanderbilt and SYSU… Read More

  February 18, 2014 Media contacts: Kristin Whittlesey (615) 322-7656 kristin.whittlesey@vanderbilt.edu Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu William “Billy” Adair, a teacher, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and backbone of the jazz program at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, has died. He was 66. Adair,… Read More

Blair School precollege student Nolan Harvel, a guitar student and member of the Nashville Boychoir, will be one of the featured soloists with the Nashville Symphony May 29-31. The program is part of the Nashville Symphony Chorus’ 50th anniversary celebrations, and features the chorus on Leonard… Read More

Curb Youth Symphony families, please note: Even though Metro Nashville Pubic Schools were closed today (Feb. 3), CYS will rehearse tonight. Student musicians should plan to arrive at the regular time. Read More

We are excited to announce our first Blair Alumni Match Challenge. For every dollar you contribute to the Blair general fund through June 30, 2014, a fellow Blair School alumnus will match your gift dollar for dollar — up to a total maximum of $10,000. The opportunity to have… Read More

The deadline to submit Blair School of Music applications through DecisionDesk has been extended. The new deadline for submission is Monday, February 3, at 5 p.m. EST. DecisionDesk applications are required for all Blair applicants. Special note for woodwind applicants: Woodwind applicants do not need to upload a pre-screening… Read More

Author Talk, Book Signing & Sale Author talk at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Ingram Hall Book signing to follow. Books will be available for purchase at the event via Parnassus Books. Ticket Information This is a ticketed event. A limited number of… Read More

The Aetas Trio, which consists of Blair School undergraduate students Matthew Lammers, violin, Ann Yeh, cello, and Marissa Uchimura, piano, won the regional Music Teachers National Association division competition, which was held at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky., on January 18. The trio will go on to compete… Read More

Our undergraduate students are taking the music to main campus! On February 14, The ArtSee debuts at Rand Lounge in the Sarratt Student Center, in the center of Vanderbilt’s main campus. From 6-7 p.m., stop by for chamber music performed by Blair students! Get your Valentine’s Day… Read More

Roger Vignoles (photo by Ben Ealovega) Come be a part of the Blair School of Music’s inaugural mentoring program for young coaches! This is an intensive four-day program that allows coaches at or near the beginning of their professional careers (less than 10 years of experience) to… Read More

The Blair Student Showcase, one of our most popular annual events, takes place at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24. Here’s the lineup: Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp minor, Op. 39, by Frederic Chopin Thomas Ridgway, piano Recitativo and Scherzo, Op. 6, by Fritz Kreisler Adrian Evarkiou-Kaku, violin Concertino,… Read More

The results of the concerto competitions have been posted. Forty-eight students competed — the most ever — and the finals were held Jan. 19. The judges were very impressed by the performances, and the finals were a nice showcase for the school and students. The competition was judged by Jennifer… Read More

Applications are available now for scholarships for the Blair School’s precollege program for the 2014-15 academic year. Applications may be picked up in the Blair office or downloaded from the website. Applications are due March 14, 2014. Read More

Cal Turner Jr. at the piano. (Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt University) Cal Turner Jr. loves organ music. And sure, lots of people enjoy listening to the organ. But how many of them have pipe organs in their own houses? “I have to be the only husband in America who,… Read More

Photo courtesy of Evan Mack Evan Mack, B.Mus. ’03, is the recipient of one of the newest awards presented by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board of Directors — the Young Alumni Professional Achievement Award. The Young Alumni Professional Achievement Award honors an alumnus/a age 40 or younger,… Read More

Midstate Auditions NYOP students participating in midstate auditions on Saturday, Dec. 7, should check the MTSBOA website for weather-related information and announcements. CYS Section Rehearsals Please check 322-5815 or the Blair website at noon on Sunday, Dec. 8, to see if there will be weather-related cancellations. Read More

For Blair Children’s Chorus families, from Dr. Biddlecombe: Due to the approach of unpredictable inclement weather, we have elected to cancel today’s dress rehearsal from 4:30-7 p.m. Please arrive for Sunday’s concert as scheduled (call time 1:02 p.m.) in the Instrumental Rehearsal Hall at Blair. Prep choir students should arrive… Read More

This weekend, the Vanderbilt Community Chorus celebrates the 100th birthday of composer Benjamin Britten and the 200th birthday of composer Giuseppe Verdi with a program of their best-loved works. The VCC, under direction of David Binns Williams, will perform Britten’s Festival Te Deum and Verdi’s Four Sacred… Read More

If you or your child is involved in our precollege and adult education program, we want to hear from you! We are very interested in hearing about your experiences as a student at the Blair School. Your feedback and suggestions are very important to us, as we strive to maintain… Read More

The 10th annual Blair Witch party was a huge success, raising almost $1,500 from ticket sales, a faculty and student auction, and faculty donations. All proceeds from the Halloween-themed event are donated to the W.O. Smith Community Music School, which provides music instruction to low-income Nashville children. Read More

Vanderbilt Opera Theatre puts an offbeat spin on Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s beloved, fairy-tale-inspired musical production, Into the Woods. Your favorite figures from childhood — Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk — undertake various quests to win their hearts’ desire, then face the… Read More

Acclaimed novelist and essayist Ann Patchett will speak at the Blair School at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, as part of Nashville Public Library‘s Salon@615 series. Patchett will discuss her new memoir, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Read The Tennessean‘s… Read More

The Blair Composers concert on Monday, October 28, is a wide-ranging affair, spotlighting some of the Blair School’s best faculty and student musicians performing works written by the composition faculty. Included on the program are two world-premiere performances of pieces by Michael Kurek, both featuring guest artists Ovidiu Marinescu, cello,… Read More

If you are coming from off-campus for Wilson Southerland’s master class in collaborative piano on Saturday, Oct. 19 from noon-3 p.m., there is a Vanderbilt football game going on at the same time, but parking for the master class is still FREE in West Garage. Just tell the parking attendant… Read More

On Wednesday, October 9, the Nashville Scene released the winners of its 2013 Best of Nashville awards, and Blair School-affiliated artists took home a record-setting nine awards: eight Writers Choice awards, plus a Readers Choice award. Senior Lecturer Peter Cooper won the Readers Choice award, voted Best Music… Read More

Monday, Oct. 7 Sheherazade Trio concert, 8 p.m. in Turner Hall Tuesday, Oct. 8 Violin master class with Susan Waterbury, 2:30-4:30 p.m. in Turner Hall Cello master Class with Elizabeth Simkin, 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Room 2192 Chamber music master class with pianist Jennifer Hayghe, 5:30-7… Read More

Haunted happenings are afoot at the Blair School. The Blair Witch is coming, and she’s got her wand aimed your way! The 10th annual Blair Witch party will take place Saturday, Oct. 26, in the Schulman Center, at the cornner of 25th Avenue and Vanderbilt Place, across… Read More

Popular artist interview series returns to Ingram Hall Dec. 9 The Blair School of Music is pleased to announce the return of the Conversations Series. On Monday, December 9, Senior Lecturer Jen Gunderman will conduct an informal on-stage conversation with rock legend Peter Frampton, followed… Read More

The Nashville Symphony hosts its popular Free Day of Music program 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday Sept. 28, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and several Blair School performers and ensembles will be performing. At 1:30 p.m. in the West Courtyard, catch an engaging set from Blair piano instructor Elizabeth… Read More

Allison Pao, John Hartley and Jocelyn Hartley, all students at MLK High School and members of the Curb Youth Symphony at the Blair School, have organized a concert to benefit The Contributor. The Contributor is a local newspaper that offers homeless Nashvillians the opportunity to make a living by selling… Read More

Gregory Stewart, Pam Schneller and Walter Bitner at the Blair School of Music, Sept. 16, 2013. The Blair School of Music is pleased to announce Friends & Partners in Music, a new partnership with Nashville School of the Arts, Nashville’s arts magnet public high school. With… Read More

Blair School composition professor Michael Alec Rose will be featured on a panel discussion titled “Living Before Dying,” as part of the Kefi Project, an organization dedicated to the creation of public art on Vanderbilt University’s campus. The “Living Before Dying” panel dicsussion will take place at 6 p.m. Read More

Looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend? The Blair School is hosting a Musical Instrument Petting Zoo at Musicians Corner in Centennial Park, 13:30-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, in the Kidsville Tent at Musiciand Corner, in Centennial Park. Blair’s talented Precollege Honor Scholars will give a… Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music invites applications for a tenure-track position in musicology at the rank of Assistant Professor starting in August 2014. The position involves teaching a broad range of undergraduate courses in Western music history, developing topical courses for music majors, maintaining a vibrant and active scholarly… Read More

What can you do with a Blair degree? Ask Brian Biederman. The 2010 Blair School graduate, now a middle school music teacher in Nashville, is featured on the Huffington Post for his Littlestone Music Academy, a summer music program he launched this summer at Montgomery Bell Academy. Read… Read More

Explore the history of the Civil Rights Era through the music of the day. “Rhythm & Blues Tore Down the Walls of Segregation” is a weekly class in the Blair School’s adult education program. The class is taught by acclaimed music industry executive Steve Buckingham, who experienced the events first-hand. Read More

Acclaimed Nashville guitarist Dave MacKenzie joins the Blair School’s faculty this fall with a new course for our adult students. “Pre-World War II Blues Recordings: An Aural and Visual Survey” will explore early examples of the genre. Students will listen to 200-300 recordings made between 1920-1942, encompassing every major African-American… Read More

Photo by John Russell, courtesy of Country Music Association The Blair School of Music joins with the entire music community to mourn the passing of legendary music industry executive and producer Jim Foglesong, who died Tuesday morning (July 9) at the age of 90. “Jim was a… Read More

From June 12th to the 18th, the Blair Children’s Chorus will be touring to San José, Costa Rica on a musical performance tour. The Girls’ Concert Choir will combine with several other youth choirs form the United States, including the Charlotte Children’s Chorus and the Cary Academy Choir, all while… Read More

On April 7, 2013, the Blair School of Music’s acclaimed student percussion ensemble, VORTEX, presented the southeastern U.S. premiere of George Antheil’s Ballet mécanique. It’s a wildly raucous piece of music that includes airplane propellers, electric bells, 10 pianos, and much more. At the heart of that piece are… Read More

Mary Grace Johnson, featured soloist at the Side-by-Side concert. The annual Side-by-Side concert, which pairs the Blair School’s Curb Youth Symphony with the Nashville Symphony, will take place at 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 16, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Admission is free and open to the public. Read More

The Blair School’s precollege chamber music program wraps up its Spring 2013 season with a diverse concert program at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28, in Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall. Nine ensembles will perform, followed by a reception. The concert program features: Jenna Mangum, violin; Jonathan Hearn, oboe; and… Read More

As Moore and Warren Colleges take shape at the corner of West End and 21st avenues, Vanderbilt University Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richard McCarty has named two award-winning faculty members to lead the new residential colleges that are part of the College… Read More

In a ceremony on April 18, the Blair School’s annual awards and honors were announced. Shelby Flowers, a Musical Arts/Piano major from Highlands Ranch, Colo., took top honors for the 2013 graduating class, winning the 2013 Founder’s Medal. She will be recognized at Commencement ceremonies on May 10. Ben Tieslau… Read More

Amy Thompson, a harp performance major, has been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal Award for Youth. Thompson, a native of Springfield, Tenn., is one of just two Tennesseans who received the honor for 2012. The Robertson Country Times, in an article published April 9, detailed Thompson’s awards ceremony, which… Read More

Sergei Kvitko, a dynamic pianist in the Russian tradition, brings to Blair a concert program that has been hailed by American Record Guide as “startling and dramatic,” and by Fanfare Magazine as “masterful, intuitive playing, albeit not without some interesting quirks.” Kvitko’s program, “Of Lands and People… Read More

The winners of the 2013 Vanderbilt Concerto Competition are in the spotlight this weekend. Harpist Amy Thompson, flutist Amanda Mitchell and pianist Thomas Ridgeway will be the featured soloists at the Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra’s April 12 concert. The performance starts at 8 p.m. in Ingram Hall, and admission is free… Read More

The chamber music program is one of the centerpieces of an undergraduate education at the Blair School. On April 10, some of the very best student ensembles take the stage to show what that means. Here’s the program for Wednesday’s concert, which starts at 8 p.m. in Steve & Judy… Read More

Odie Blackmon, a Grammy-nominated songwriter who teaches songwriting at the Blair School, will have a song spotlighted on the April 3 episode of ABC TV series Nashville. “Tough All Over,” a song Blackmon co-wrote with Jim Lauderdale, will be performed by new character “Will” portrayed by actor Chris Carmack. Read More

Blair School of Music students Katherine Walden and DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren have been awarded Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program Fellowships for summer 2013. Walden will spend the summer conducting field research for her senior honors thesis, tentatively titled “Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Exploring connections between music, community, and… Read More

The final Living Sounds concert of the 2012-13 season takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall. Living Sounds is a showcase for the Blair School’s student composers, with their works performed by Blair student and faculty musicians. Here’s the program, with comments… Read More

Elizabeth Cook. Photo by Kristin Barlowe   Soulful country singer Elizabeth Cook will headline the Blair School of Music’s 10th Annual Appalachian Celebration 2013, scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Blair School’s Ingram Hall. She’s joined by Tim Carroll… Read More

Nearly 100 of Nashville’s best musicians, including students and faculty from the Blair School, will perform a continuous six hours of the music of J.S. Bach, both in ways Bach would feel at home with and in ways that he never dreamed of. Everything from cantatas to jazz combos! The… Read More

Joy Fan won the Kentucky MTNA Junior Strings Division. Joy is a student of Connie Heard. Chloe Harvel, violin, won honorable mention in Junior Strings at the MTNA Southern Division competition in January 2013. Chloe is a student of Carolyn Huebl. Nolan Harvel, guitar, won the Columbus State Guitar Symposium… Read More

Blair School of Music precollege violin student Mary Grace Johnson won the Nashville Symphony Curb Concerto Competition on March 3, 2013, in the final round of three performers. Johnson will perform the first movement of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, Op. 14, with the Nashville Symphony and Curb Youth Symphony at… Read More

Musicologist Alejandro Enrique Planchart, Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of California – Santa Barbara, will present a talk titled “Venerabilis vir Guillermus Du Fay, Musicus,” exploring the evolution of the concept of the composer during the medieval period.  The presentation will take place at 4… Read More

Violist Daniel Reinker presents an evening of trios that spotlight the viola, with guest performers Christian Teal and Mary Kathryn VanOsdale, violins; Kathryn Plummer and Sarah Cote, violas; Licia Jaskunas, harp; and Erik Gratton, flute. Zoltán Kodály’s Serenade for Two Violins and Viola is a dynamic, virtuosic piece for an… Read More

The Blair School’s popular Music on Film series this month presents François Girard’s musical masterpiece, The Red Violin. The screening, which is co-presented by the Nashville Symphony, will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in Ingram Hall. Canadian director Girard’s 1998 film is a swirling,… Read More

For the second year in a row, Cheekwood’s annual Cheekwood in Bloom spring celebration will include a special Drawing Room Concert Series featuring Blair School of Music musicians. The last two Sundays in March and every Sunday in April, from 2-3 p.m., a different Blair musician or… Read More

Japanese percussionist Kuniko Kato, a gifted marimba player and multi-instrumentalist, will perform a marimba concert at Blair School of Music’s Turner Hall at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27. Kuniko’s program, “History of Marimba Music in Japan,” will showcase Kuniko’s interpretations of popular marimba pieces by great… Read More

The second installment of the 2012-13 Living Sounds concert series takes place at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20 in Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall. For this series, Blair’s student musicians perform works written by their composer compatriots. The results are wide-ranging in instrumentation and style, but always thought-provoking and… Read More

After a tornado ripped through Hattiesburg, Miss., on Feb. 10, causing tens of millions of dollars of damage to the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, the members of the Vanderbilt Trombone Studio wanted their Southern Miss peers to know they were thinking about them. Blair School of Music… Read More

On Friday, February 15, The Blakemore Trio celebrates the release of its debut CD recording, The Blakemore Trio Plays Beethoven and Ravel, out this month on Blue Griffin Records. The concert and CD release party takes place at 8… Read More

Photo by E. Thiébeault Pianist Florence Millet, a founding member of the acclaimed Lion’s Gate Trio and a prize-winning soloist, conducts a residency at Blair this week, leading master classes in solo piano and chamber music performance. She caps the residency with a concert performance of works… Read More

Music City Trio (from left): Nathan Lowry, Susan Yang and Jennifer Pittman. At the annual MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Southern Division Finals, several Blair students took honors, and one student ensemble will move on to the national competition in March. The Southern Division competition was held… Read More

Every year, the Blair School of Music awards more than $200,000 in merit and need-based scholarship awards to young students for music lessons, classes and ensembles. Scholarships are awarded to students ages 6-18 by audition. Each department holds auditions in early April. Download the scholarship application here. Read More

Violinist Ani Kavafian conducts master classes at Blair January 29-30. Photo by Bernard Mindich Violinist Ani Kavafian, a 34-year veteran of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and violin professor at Yale University, will be in residence at Blair January 29-30 to conduct master… Read More

The results of the concerto competition have been posted. Forty-two students competed over the weekend, and the finals were held Sunday night. The judges were very impressed by the performances, and the finals were a nice showcase for the school and students. Concerto Competition Winners Amanda Mitchell, flute Thomas… Read More

Marion Reinhard, bassoon; Fergus McWilliams, horn; Walter Seyfarth, clarinet; Michael Hasel, flute; Andreas Wittman, oboe. Photo by Peter Adamik For the third year in a row, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, the world’s most celebrated woodwind quintet, returns to the Blair School of Music. This year’s residency… Read More

As of 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 14, Curb Youth Symphony rehearsal is still planned to take place as usual at 6:35 p.m. However, CYS directors are monitoring the weather situation. If the weather where you are is dangerous, do not come to rehearsal! CYS directors will reevaluate the weather… Read More

Eric Owens performs at the Blair School of Music on February 23, 2013 On February 23, Grammy-winning American bass-baritone Eric Owens will take the stage at Blair, accompanied by pianist Warren Jones. Owens is a rising star in the opera world, currently starring as Alberich… Read More

I have always loved airports. Buying books and magazines, the plane train and being able to get a burrito at 6 a.m. if you want — it’s magical. It’s a good thing I love airports, because that is my Christmas present — a day full of airports. That may sound… Read More

We are sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting to get on our first flight. We’ve been up all night (not counting the nap on the bus) and we have many hours of flights ahead. Are we crazy? Perhaps not yet, but after the day we have ahead we might be. Read More

Well we’ve made it to Atlanta! Got a few hours of sleep on the bus, but now I’m trying to stay up until we get to Chicago. That way I’ll theoretically be sleeping “at night.” Sleepy orchestra. I’m wearing a bear hat (as you’ll see below). We’ve camped out in… Read More

Heeeere we go!  Just passed the first test, the weighing of the luggage. Sitting in Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall, waiting for the group to filter in. I’m very impressed with my own luggage, weighing in at just 37 pounds. Lillian probably wins though, at 22… Read More

Halloa, all. My name is Lindsey Reymore, and I’ll be blogging for the next week and a half on Vanderbilt Orchestra’s China Tour 2012. I’m principal oboist of the orchestra, so you might have to put up with a few complaints about reeds! I graduated from Blair… Read More

Hello! My name is Sam Rhoades, and I’m a senior violin performance major at the Blair School of Music. If you’re reading this, you already know that the Vanderbilt Orchestra is going on tour in China this holiday season. The purpose of this blog is to share… Read More

When we first played Strauss waltzes last year in a Vanderbilt Orchestra concert, Maestro (Robin) Fountain told us that often they were played and danced to at festive New Year’s celebrations in Vienna. I thought that would be a perfectly elegant way to spend that holiday —… Read More