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In a delayed celebration of the College of Music’s 100th anniversary, the CU Symphony Orchestra will perform a specially commissioned work by renowned composer Christopher Theofanidis. “The one thing you can do is create something that represents you—a musical poem that you leave behind for others to enjoy and perform,” says the Grammy-nominated composer whose “On the Bridge of the Eternal” will debut in Macky Auditorium on April 26.

As the 2021-22 academic year races toward the finish line, there are still many terrific performances to enjoy! Don’t miss the final two Chamber Music Showcase performances featuring student groups from every department … and including new group arrangements and diverse repertoire.

To support our students’ and our community’s musical development, the College of Music offers summer session courses and richly varied summer programming.

The College of Music’s Diverse Musicians’ Alliance presents this year’s Diversity in Performance event—“Roots and Branches”—on March 31.

Recently, The Washington Post listed “22 composers and performers to watch in 2022.” Included were two CU Boulder College of Music students: Kedrick Armstrong, a first-year master’s student in orchestral conducting and composer Anthony Green, who attended our Doctor of Musical Arts program. Be inspired by the impressive trajectory of their careers and learn how both confront issues of diversity in classical conservatory curriculum.

In this edition of our monthly Dean’s Downbeat, John Davis reflects on our students’ successes, introduces new violin faculty—welcome, Alex Gonzalez!—and celebrates Susan Thomas’ BFA Excellence Award. Transcending pandemic burnout, “our faculty offer anchorage through their teaching excellence, and their wonderfully consistent artistic achievements as performers, composers and researchers,” he writes.  

On Feb. 20, flutist Courtney Badura (BM '23) and violinist Reuben Kebede (AD '22) took the "gold." Congratulations!

Brooklyn, New York-based saxophonist, composer and improviser Aakash Mittal is collaborating with current master’s student MarieFaith Lane on a project blending Hindustani and Western classical music.

Isabel Goodwin—a third-year bassoon performance + composition student—shares her College of Music experience, including helpful tips on creating a successful portfolio, how faculty support and inspire her, and how to gain creativity from difficult circumstances.

“Even as we bear witness to loss and unknowable challenges with compassion and care, I see us rebounding with resilience again and again—undeterred in our shared quest for excellence, dogged in our pursuit to inform and influence what it means to be a successful, fulfilled creative artist in an increasingly diverse and interdisciplinary musical landscape.”