Blair

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

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

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

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

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

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

This summer, two students from the Blair Academy for Music at Vanderbilt, Priscilla Park and Tyler Schwartz, turned music into meaningful action through a benefit concert supporting the global nonprofit charity: water.  Held at the Steinway Piano Gallery in Nashville, the student-led event raised more than… Read More

A clarinetist-turned-scholar whose work explores the stories told through opera, Allison Chu brings to Blair a passion for connecting music to the broader cultural and historical moments in which it is created.  Chu’s path to musicology began at the University of Michigan, where she earned dual degrees… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blair 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries have acquired the personal collection of Dom Flemons, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and cultural historian whose music and research have brought greater awareness ... 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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