UNC Department of Music

03/03/2025

Five more days until Spring Break, Tar Heels! Swipe through to see what concerts and events are in store before you head out on Friday ➡️

🌸 Wednesday, March 5 at 3:35 PM | Departmental Student Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🌸 Friday, March 7 at 3:00 PM | UNC Jazz Combos 4 & 5 | Kenan Rehearsal Hall | free
🌸 Friday, March 7 at 4:30 PM | "A Spurious Kind of Primitivism: Pasolini, Ancient Greece, and the Poetics of Synchronization" by Dr. Giorgio Biancorosso| UNC Music Research Forum | Person Recital Hall | free

Get more details at https://music.unc.edu/calendar/

02/28/2025

The Voice Area had an extra sweet Valentine’s Day at the Classical NATS auditions two weeks ago at UNC Greensboro! Congratulations to all the students who participated and an extra congratulations to those who placed and/or qualified for Regionals in their categories! Swipe to see the full list. ➡️

02/24/2025

We’ve got a FULL week of exciting concerts and events this week! Swipe through for the details and mark your calendar now!

🎼 Mon, Feb. 24 at 7:30 PM | UNC Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase Concert | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | Moeser Auditorium | $10 general, $5 students/faculty
🎼 Wed, Feb. 26 at 6:00 PM | Tatiana Hargreaves and the American Fiddle | Carolina Public Humanities | Flyleaf Books | free for all OneCard holders
🎼 Wed, Feb. 26 at 7:30 PM | UNC Wind Ensemble & UNC Symphony Band | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | Memorial Hall | $10 general, $5 students/faculty
🎼 Thurs, Feb. 27 at 3:30 PM | “The Idea of ​​Freedom in Santo Domingo in the Era of Silly Spain” by Dr. Carlos D. Altagracia Espada | 2025 Carolina Jazz Festival | Mandela Auditorium, FedEx Global Center | free
🎼 Thurs, Feb. 27 at 7:00 PM | UNC Jazz Faculty with Keith Brown | 2025 Carolina Jazz Festival | Sharp 9 Gallery | Tickets through the Gallery
🎼 Fri, Feb. 28 at 4:00 PM | UNC Jazz Combos with Keith Brown | 2025 Carolina Jazz Festival | Kenan Rehearsal Hall | free
🎼 Fri, Feb. 28 at 5:30 PM | Gut Instinct III: Schubertiade | William S. Newman Artists Series | Person Hall | $15 general, $10 students/faculty, free for music majors/minors/students in private lessons/ensembles
🎼 Fri, Feb. 28 at 7:30 PM | Dominican Jazz Project | 2025 Carolina Jazz Festival | Moeser Auditorium | free
🎼 Sat, Mar. 1 at 9 AM to 6 PM | Essentially Ellington HS Jazz Fest | 2025 Carolina Jazz Festival | Kenan Rehearsal Hall, Moeser Auditorium | free
🎼 Sat, Mar. 1 at 7:30 PM | Gut Instinct III: Schubertiade | William S. Newman Artists Series | Person Hall | $15 general, $10 students/faculty, free for music majors/minors/students in private lessons/ensembles and NCHIPster pass holders
🎼 Sun, Mar. 2 at 10 AM | Guest Artist Masterclass with Inna Faliks, pianist | Moeser Auditorium | free
🎼 Sun, Mar. 2 at 12:30 PM | Inna Faliks, pianist | William S. Newman Artists Series | Moeser Auditorium | $15 general, $10 students/faculty

Reminder that music majors, minors, and students in department lessons or ensembles get in for free! Get more details and purchase your tickets today at https://music.unc.edu/calendar.

02/19/2025

UPDATE: Due to the snow, tomorrow night's UNC Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase Concert has been rescheduled for Monday, February 24 at 7:30 PM. Please DM us with any questions!

Enjoy the snow, Tar Heels!
update

02/19/2025

“Go with your passion. Have confidence in your potential.”

Ann Cameron Pearce graduated in 1967 after studying piano with William Newman and flute with Earl Slocum. Though her degree was in Religion, much of her time was spent in the music building. After graduation, Ann went on to have a robust teaching and performing career in music, co-founded two local flute organizations, and co-founded the online music publisher ScoreVivo.

Alumna Ann Pearce graduated in 1967 and went on to enjoy a full and varied lifelong musical career in the Triangle.

02/17/2025

UPDATE: Due to snow, the UNC Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase Concert has been postponed to Monday, February 24 at 7:30 PM.

Happy Monday, Tar Heels! We’ve got more great music coming up this week, including incredible student performances by this year’s UNCSO Concerto & Aria Competition Winners. Get your tickets for the UNCSO Student Showcase Concert today at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uncmusic/7367.

🎵 Monday, Feb. 17 at 7:00 PM | Andrew Hosler, saxophonist | Guest Artist Recital & Masterclass | Kenan Music Building, Room 2002 | free
🎵 Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 PM | UNC Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase Concert | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | Moeser Auditorium | $10 general, $5 students/faculty, FREE for music majors/minors/students in private lessons/ensembles
UNC Symphony Orchestra UNC College of Arts and Sciences

02/12/2025

Anna Gatdula studies how the atomic bomb influences music, art, and culture.

The music professor's research bridges aesthetic theory, cultural history, and science and technology studies, exploring the connections between media, performance, society, and nuclear technoscience.

Gatdula acknowledges that her research is an incredibly niche topic, one she discovered by "[being] in the right place at the right time."

At the start of her PhD program in 2017, the University of Chicago was celebrating the 75th anniversary of Chicago Pile-1, Enrico Fermi’s experiment that resulted in the first sustained nuclear chain reaction. The university had a semester-long series called “Nuclear Reactions,” which featured researchers and speakers from across disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, applied sciences, and public policy — and it sparked Gatdula's curiosity.

"I left those celebrations wondering: What kind of social, political, and historical implications are at play when a university celebrates such an event? How does the representation of a scientific discovery become aestheticized into cultural objects like music? What are the contesting narratives of the nuclear reactions that remain relevant to us today?"

Anna Gatdula studies how the atomic bomb influences music, art, and culture.

02/10/2025

Happy Wellness Day, Tar Heels! We hope you’re each taking a moment to pause, breathe, and reset today. Swipe through to see the fantastic free concerts coming up this week!

🩵 Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 PM | Nadia Shpachenko, pianist | Guest Artist Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🩵 Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 5:30 PM | Nadia Shpachenko, pianist | Guest Artist Masterclass with UNC Piano students | Moeser Auditorium | free
🩵 Thursday, Feb. 13 at 4:00 PM | Hub New Music Artists Talk | Conversation in Modern Music Series | Hill Hall, Room 103 | free
🩵 Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 PM | Hub New Music Performance | Conversation in Modern Music Series | Moeser Auditorium | free

See program details and more at https://music.unc.edu/calendar.

02/07/2025

Congratulations to Rebecca Kleinmann, director of Charanga Carolina, who won her first Grammy this past weekend! Prof. Kleinmann played flute on Taylor Eigsti’s album Plot Armor, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

“This album was extremely satisfying to help create,” Kleinmann told us. “Taylor flew me up to NYC to record at GSI Studios for the very last recording session of Plot Armor. I recorded three composed flute parts on several tracks. Once those were ‘in the can’ he recorded me improvising freely over most of the album. He ended up using my improvisations in several places! I’m so happy to be playing in the company of great artists like Dayna Stephens, Lisa Fischer, Becca Stevens, and many more. It’s a true honor to be part of this vibrant music. I felt genuinely joyful and encouraged to be creative throughout the entire recording process.”
UNC College of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations to Rebecca Kleinmann, director of Charanga Carolina, who won her first Grammy this past weekend!

02/06/2025

“For every small upward growth that we see above ground, there is a strong downward growth in the complex root system.”

Join us for Dr. Jessica Kunttu’s faculty recital in Moeser Auditorium, where she will showcase a range of bassoon repertoire, blending both classic and innovative new works. With a strong emphasis on community, this recital highlights the power of music to connect and inspire. For a deeper look into Dr. Kunttu's musical journey, creative processes, and inspirations behind the recital, check out our exclusive interview.

Dr. Jessica Kunttu, professor of bassoon at the UNC, her alma mater, will present her first faculty recital this Friday evening.

02/03/2025

UPDATES: Sunday’s schedule has two changes. 1) the Valentine’s Jazz concert is now at 2 PM and 2) the Brass Chamber Music Recital has been canceled.

We’re so excited for the full lineup of concerts this week! Featuring students, faculty, and guest artists, musical experiences are around every corner! Swipe to learn more ➡️

🎶 Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7 PM | Louise Dubin, cellist | Guest Artist Recital & Masterclass | Person Recital Hall | free
🎶 Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 3:35 PM | Departmental Student Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🎶 Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 PM | Jessica Kunttu, bassoonist | Faculty Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🎶 Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2:00 PM | Valentine’s Day Jazz Concert with UNC, Duke, and NCCU Jazz Bands | Moeser Auditorium | free

We hope to see you at one more of these exciting concerts! Get more details at https://music.unc.edu/calendar/.

01/28/2025

Join us this Friday for the annual James W. Pruett Lecture! Details below and ➡️

Friday, Jan. 31 at 3:30 pm | “Demographies of Babel: Musical Modernities between Istanbul and Cairo” by Dr. Martin Stokes | James W. Pruett Lecture, UNC Music Research Forum | Person Recital Hall | free

01/24/2025

UNC Musicology 🤝 Taylor Swift

From a pop-up conference in 2014 dissecting Swift’s 1989 album to the new Taylor Swift course taught this past summer and fall by Ph.D. Candidate Kari Lindquist, UNC Musicology has been at the forefront of Taylor Swift research. Most recently, Ph.D. Alumna Christa Bentley is joining fellow scholars Kate Galloway, and Paula Harper in co-editing a new book of essays about Taylor Swift, set to publish in March 2025. Their upcoming book Taylor Swift: The Star, the Songs, the Fans includes essays by numerous scholars, including department chair Dr. Jocelyn Neal, who like Bentley was part of the 2014 pop-up conference.

This past fall, the trio made an appearance on Ph.D. Alumnus Will Robin’s podcast Sound Expertise to discuss how the book came about and what it means to study the cultural phenomenon that is Taylor Swift as a musicologist. Learn more about their upcoming book and why “everybody’s studying Taylor Swift these days.”

Season 4, Episode 4 Everybody’s studying Taylor Swift these days, from Swifties decoding her vault to YouTubers decoding her harmonies to right-wing conspiracists decoding her plot against Am…

01/22/2025

Snow matter what UNC Music is always looking gorgeous!❄️

01/17/2025

“In my most challenging moments as an undergraduate student at Carolina, poetry, hip-hop music, and the community I cultivated through the arts provided me a space of peace and introspection; a reminder that I did, in fact, belong here, when everything else seemed otherwise. It is my hope, that with this appointment and my role at the University, I can expound on that lyrical tradition by creating opportunities and programs for students, Town residents and civic leaders, to engage with one another poetically, to unearth people’s stories, experiences, and material needs. I intend to use music and poetry, within my coursework, research, and community outreach, to amplify our capacity for collective healing, welleing, and resilience.”

Major congratulations to Teaching Assistant Professor Dr. Donovan Livingston on his appointment as Chapel Hill’s Poet Laureate, 2025-2026! We can't wait to see and experience the poetry, performances, and innovations he'll create as Poet Laureate!
Donovan Livingston Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture UNC College of Arts and Sciences The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The department is thrilled to share the news of Teaching Assistant Professor Dr. Donovan Livingston as Chapel Hill's Poet Laureate!

01/16/2025

Don't miss UNC Music faculty member Dr. Donovan Livingston's keynote address at 6 PM this Sunday, January 19 for the 40th annual MLK Jr. Community Celebration at the Friday Center!

Get more details about the week-long celebrations in the link below.

“We Still Dream” is the theme of the 40th annual celebration, featuring several speakers and events Jan. 19-23.

01/15/2025

The Department of Music Belonging and Engagement Committee is excited to announce a new semesterly challenge designed to encourage the exploration and performance of different genres of music for each UNC Music Tar Heel!

Students will get one entry into an end-of-semester drawing for each component of the challenge that they complete, including attending a department event, exploring materials on the department resources pages, and learning new repertoire by underrepresented composers. Each entry will go towards a prize package drawing to be held on the first reading day of each semester. The winner will receive a gift basket containing UNC swag, UNC Music swag, and a gift card to a Franklin Street business (this semester to Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews)!

Learn more and get started today at https://music.unc.edu/expanding-the-repertoire-challenge/.

01/14/2025

As the new semester begins so do our concerts and events! We can't wait to see the auditorium full of live music once again. Up first this Sunday afternoon is a fantastic collaboration between our William S. Newman Artists Series and the Mallarmé Series featuring TENET Vocal Artists and UNC Music professor Dr. Nicholas DiEugenio!

❄️ Sunday, January 19 at 3:00 PM | TENET on Tour: Double Take, Baroque Expressions from Italy and England | Mallarmé & William S. Newman Artists Series | $10-30 general admission

Learn more about this exciting event at https://music.unc.edu/event/monteverdi-wsn-24-25/.