Category: Announcements

Announcing the 2023-2024 Concerto Competition Winners

Jan 11, 2024

The Princeton University Orchestra’s Concerto Competition offers all currently-enrolled Princeton University students a chance to perform as a soloist with the ensemble—an internationally-recognized orchestra of over 100 undergraduate and graduate student musicians, conducted by Maestro Michael Pratt.

Faculty Appointments: Anna Yu Wang, Arnie Tanimoto, Brennan Sweet, Yousun Chun & Julius Tolentino

Nov 3, 2023

The Department of Music at Princeton University is thrilled to welcome to the faculty five renowned music practitioners: music theorist and ethnographer Anna Yu Wang, viola da gamba and Baroque cello specialist Arnie Tanimoto, violinist Brennan Sweet, oboist Yousun Chung, and saxophonist Julius Tolentino.

New & Now: Introducing the Music Minor

Aug 17, 2023

The Department of Music is pleased to announce the establishment of two Music Minors: a general Minor in Music and a Minor in Music Performance. Together, these new offerings will contribute to the Music Department’s continued mission of offering a comprehensive array of musical study opportunities to students from all departments at Princeton. 

Announcing the 2022-2023 Concerto Competition Winners

Jan 3, 2023

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Princeton University Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Department Launches New Music Mentoring Program

Oct 26, 2022

The Department of Music at Princeton University is excited to announce the launch of the Music Mentoring Program, a brand new, student-led near-peer mentoring initiative.

Faculty Appointments: Tyondai Braxton & Nathalie Joachim

Jul 8, 2022

The Department of Music at Princeton University is thrilled to announce the addition of Grammy-nominated flutist, composer, and vocalist Nathalie Joachim and American composer and musician Tyondai Braxton to the faculty.

Senior Spotlight: Noah Altshuler ’22

Jun 9, 2022

Noah Altshuler, from Cambridge, England, wrote his thesis in the English Department on etymological wordplay and artificial languages in historical fiction, while also composing a Rockabilly Concerto for String Quintet …

Book Announcement: Prof. Simon Morrison

Nov 20, 2021

Congratulations to Prof. Simon Morrison, whose new book, Roxy Music’s Avalon, is soon to be published by Bloomsbury and is now available for pre-order. About Roxy Music’s Avalon: Having designed Roxy Music as …

Jazz Director Rudresh Mahanthappa DownBeat Critics Poll Winner

Jul 14, 2021

Congratulations to Director of Jazz, Rudresh Mahanthappa, who has again been selected the Alto Saxophone winner in the DownBeat International Critics Poll. The August issue of DownBeat, which arrives on …

Welcoming Jacqueline Appleby, Director of Administration and Operations

Jul 6, 2021

The Department of Music is thrilled to officially welcome Jacqueline Appleby as its first Director of Administration and Operations! Jacqueline has remotely joined the staff this week, coming to us from …

Letter from the Chair: An Invitation

Jun 15, 2021

A Letter from Department of Music Chair Professor Wendy Heller: Dear students, faculty, and staff, Over the past few weeks many of you have taken to the streets and raised your voices …

Responding to Atlanta Shootings

Mar 19, 2021

Dear Members of the Department of Music Community, I write today to express deep sadness and outrage at the recent rise in violence against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders …

Students Participate in Creation of Virtual Opera

Feb 6, 2021

Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto streams in three episodes. WATCH FULL OPERA HERE WATCH TRAILER HERE The students who signed up to participate in the Department of Music’s Fall 2020 course MPP/MTD 219: Opera Performance expected to …

Congratulations, Class of 2020!

Jun 1, 2020

In a virtual Class Day ceremony this afternoon, students, faculty, and staff joined together over Zoom to honor and send off the remarkable students in the Class of 2020. The …

Rudresh Mahanthappa: JazzTimes Cover Feature

May 27, 2020

JazzTimes has published a cover feature profile about Rudresh Mahanthappa, Director of Jazz Studies, in the publication’s June issue. Read the article online here!

Essay by Simon Morrison: The Sounds of Solace

May 8, 2020

Published in the May 13, 2020 issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly. At midnight on March 27, Bob Dylan released a previously unknown 17-minute song about the assassination of JFK. We don’t know …

Student Awards: Maya Stepansky & Pascal Le Boeuf

May 5, 2020

Congratulations to sophomore drummer Maya Stepansky and graduate student composer Pascal Le Boeuf: Maya was selected as the Undergraduate College Winner of DownBeat Magazine’s 43rd Annual Student Awards in the Blues/Pop/Rock Soloist …

Undergraduate Concentration Requirements Revised

Apr 15, 2020

The Department of Music is excited to announce revisions to the curriculum for Music Majors—the first such curricular change since the late 1990s. To see the comprehensive new curriculum, please click …

Professor Emeritus Claudio Spies Dies at 95

Apr 10, 2020

Claudio Spies, Professor of Music Emeritus at Princeton University, died peacefully at his home in Sonoma, California, on April 2. He was 95. Composer, conductor, music theorist and author, Spies was born …

Anna Pidgorna: Juno Award Nomination

Jan 28, 2020

Congratulations to graduate student composer Anna Pidgorna, whose composition is featured on an album just nominated for a 2020 Juno Award — the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Her work, …

Announcing the 2019-2020 Concerto Competition Winners

Jan 23, 2020

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019-2020 Princeton University Orchestra Concerto Competition: Violinists Fumika Mizuno ’21: Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto Op. 14 Hana Mundiya ’20: W.A. Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. …

Ruth Ochs Receives Community Engagement Award

Jan 21, 2020

by Emily Eyestone, Pace Center for Civic EngagementReposted from the John H. Pace Jr ’39 Center for Civic Engagement For Ruth Ochs, music has always been a connective force; a …

PRISM Quartet’s New Album Features Princeton Composers

Dec 13, 2019

The PRISM Quartet‘s latest album, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, takes its name from a new work of the same name by Princeton faculty composer Steve Mackey. The album also includes new works by former graduate …

Iarla Ó Lionáird Receives RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Award

Oct 28, 2019

Congratulations to Iarla Ó Lionáird, Global Scholar and Visiting Lecturer in Music and the Humanities, who was awarded Best Folk Singer by the 2019 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards. The awards offer support and recognition to Irish folk musicians …