UNC Department of Music

01/02/2025

“As a pianist, I press keys, and I make sound. It’s a machine I use to translate my thoughts and emotions and how I envision a piece into a clear sound narrative.” -Dr. Clara Yang

Ex Machina, the 2024 Festival on the Hill, was a triumph on many counts. Associate Professor Dr. Clara Yang’s interdisciplinary project exploring the intersection of technology and humanity became even larger than she dreamed. What began as a series of questions about machines and music has evolved into a groundbreaking multimedia performance. This spring, Dr. Yang will bring Ex Machina to the UNC Process Series, March 21-25. She also spent part of December recording this work in Moeser Auditorium!
Piano Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill UNC Institute for the Arts and Humanities

When Clara Yang first submitted her project for the UNC music department’s biennial Festival on the Hill, she didn’t anticipate Ex Machina to become as large as it is has become. What began as a series of questions about machines … Read more

01/01/2025

We’re wishing each of you a sparkly New Year! We can’t wait to see all the brightness you’ll bring to 2025, Tar Heels.✨

📸: Jon Gardiner / UNC-Chapel Hill

12/26/2024

“Designers tend to get fixated on solutions that work for say 80% of people but leave out the remaining 20%. Usually, people with disabilities fall into this minority. The argument behind Inclusive Design methodologies is that if we focus instead on the excluded groups, we’ll find a better solution for everyone.” -Associate Professor Willie Payne

UNC School of Information and Library Sciences Associate Professor Willie Payne works with blind and low-vision musicians to make music more accessible. Payne has always loved music and spent his youth singing in children's choirs, playing drums in concert and marching bands, and playing guitar in jazz band and pit orchestra.

When he was an undergrad, he learned software to create custom guitar effects and began composing music for computers and other musicians. He also joined several electronic music ensembles and a laptop orchestra, which uses computers, tablets, and other devices as instruments to create new sounds and forms of musical expression.

But it wasn’t just the intersection of music and technology that inspired Payne. His mother’s work as a psychologist at Craig Hospital, which serves patients with spinal cord injuries — many of whom are in wheelchairs — opened his eyes to the importance of accessibility.

Now at Carolina, Payne uses inclusive design processes to make music more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. He is developing tactile graphics — physical representations of visual content that aid in teaching music-related concepts — for musicians and is interviewing them about music access.
UNC Office for Undergraduate Research UNC School of Information and Library Science

Willie Payne works with blind and low-vision musicians to make music more accessible.

12/23/2024

“I think the first thing is that we just really wanted to share the instruments and bring the sound of the instruments to life and to the ears of others in the community and at UNC.” -Dr. Nicholas DiEugenio

“It's all about human relationships too because music is so essentially human. It's about communicating. It's about being together and sharing things. So I think that's one of the things that really sustains me as I continue playing and working and teaching.” -Prof. Mimi Solomon

“Readers: don’t miss Gut Instinct’s concluding concert of the season, which will be performed twice: on Friday 28 February at 5:30pm (note the time) and the next day, 1 March at 7:30pm. Both will be in the same locale: Person Recital Hall on the UNC campus. For this recent performance, the small hall was full. The next one will feature music of F***y Mendelssohn and the great string quintet by Schubert. Arriving early to get a seat is definitely recommended!” -Barry Salwen, CVNC

Curated and performed by UNC Music faculty husband and wife duo Nicholas DiEugenio, violin, and Mimi Solomon, piano, the Gut Instinct Chamber Music Project is a three-part concert series in Person Recital Hall bringing UNC's historical instrument collection together with artists committed to presenting inspired, visceral, historically informed performances of the 19th-century chamber music repertoire. This season's programming features music of female composers and their artistic circles. The name "Gut Instinct" is a play on words. In 19th-century Europe, the violin, viola, and cello were strung with (sheep) gut. All of the artists collaborating with the Pleyel and Graf pianos at UNC (built in 19th-century Paris and Vienna, respectively) use these gut string materials.

The first two installments of the series took place in August and November with the third installment in March (with two viewing opportunities)! Read more about this series and the November 15 performance in review by the Daily Tar Heel (https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2024/11/lifestyle-gut-instinct-chamber-music) and CVNC (https://cvnc.org/gut-instinct-chamber-series-continues-evocatively).

12/19/2024

From Broadway classics to the latest hits, MUSC 151 The American Stage Musical explores themes and history of musical theatre. Led by the incredible Dr. LaToya Lain, students explore everything from opera's influence to the rise of rock and concept musicals, while diving deep into issues of race, gender, and politics. 🎭✨

Students in MUSC 151 The American Stage Musical taught by Professor Latoya Lain spent the Fall 2024 semester learning all about musicals.

12/16/2024

Congratulations, Tar Heels, you officially made it to Winter Break! We hope each of you has a restful and restorative time away. We already can’t wait to see you back here in January!

📸: Jon Gardiner / UNC-Chapel Hill

12/12/2024

Congratulations to UNC Voice students and faculty on another wonderful representation at the NC NATS Musical Theater auditions at Meredith College in late November! Voice professors Daniel Collins, Melissa Martin, and Timothy Sparks each had students participate in the auditions, placing in their respective categories and qualifying for regionals. Stella Ferrer and JohnPaul Savino, students of Prof. Sparks, also participated in the masterclass with veteran Tony-nominated Broadway/television/film singer and actor, Alan Campbell!

➡️ Swipe to see the full list of UNC Voice results! Congratulations to all the students and their professors!

12/11/2024

Congratulations to this year’s Annual UNC Symphony Orchestra Concerto and Aria Competition Winners violist Natalie Druffner & clarinetist Jake Juliano, violinist Anant Malpani, and violist Lauren Southwell! The students will perform the following repertoire with the orchestra in Moeser Auditorium on February 20:

• Natalie Druffner, viola, and Jake Juliano, clarinet | Bruch Double Concerto in E minor, Mvmts. 1, 2, 3
• Anant Malpani, violin | Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Mvmt. 1
• Lauren Southwell, viola | Bartók Concerto for Viola, Mvmts. 2, 3

Save the date and get your tickets now at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uncmusic/7367.

12/07/2024

Taylor Swift’s evolution from a teenage country singer to a global pop icon provides a lens for examining the intersections of music, culture, and industry. MUSC 286: Taylor Swift, taught by Ph.D. Candidate Kari Lindquist, isn’t just about analyzing Taylor Swift’s work, it’s about exploring the ways her career has changed the music industry and how the world of music changes over time.

Read more “Are you Ready for It: Taylor Swift as a Lens for Musical Exploration” (https://music.unc.edu/2024/12/04/are-you-ready-for-it/).

12/05/2024

The UNC Chamber Singers performed 30 minutes of their Fall Concert, their liveliest selections about the lion, the lamb, and other animals, at Guy B. Phillips Middle School in late November. “The middle school students were very enthusiastic and responsive, and asked some great questions following the program,” wrote Professor Susan Klebanow.

This performance was initiated by Jonathan Hamiel, K-12 Arts Education Coordinator of the Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools, inviting the ensemble to perform at all four Chapel Hill Middle Schools this year. He hopes these performances will increase interest in and awareness of choral music at the middle school and high school levels. UNC Chamber Singers will perform at McDougle Middle School in February, Culbreth Middle School in March, and Smith Middle School in April. They look forward to these future performances!

12/02/2024

Welcome back, Tar Heels! We’ve got a full lineup of exciting events to close out the semester. Swipe to see what’s up next and schedule your study breaks accordingly! ➡️

🌲Mon, Dec. 2 at 7:30 pm | Songs in a Troubled Key: Musical Settings of Poems of Langston Hughes | William S. Newman Artist Series | Person Recital Hall | $15 general, $10 students/faculty
🌲Tues, Dec. 3, 11:15 am-12:15 pm | MUSC 351 Guided Research Poster Session | Hill Hall Rotunda | free
🌲Tues, Dec. 3 at 7:30 pm | UNC Wind Ensemble & UNC Symphony Band | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | Memorial Hall | $10 general, $5 students/faculty
🌲Wed, Dec. 4, 3-5 pm | The Material Culture of Early Modern Music Graduate Seminar Poster Session | Hill Hall Rotunda | free
🌲Wed, Dec. 4 at 7:30 pm | UNC Symphony Orchestra | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | Memorial Hall | $10 general, $5 students/faculty
🌲Sun, Dec. 8 at 3:00 pm | UNC Baroque Ensemble & Consort of Viols | Person Recital Hall | free
🌲Mon, Dec. 9 at 7:00 pm | Songwriting Showcase | Speakeasy (in Carrboro) | free

Get more information and purchase tickets or livestream access via our website today at https://music.unc.edu/calendar.

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving, Tar Heels! 🦃 🍁

Today and every day we're grateful to each of you for helping make our musical community warm, inviting, and vibrant. Let us know what you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving in the comments! ⬇️

11/27/2024

We hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday this week! Check out our latest newsletter to see the exciting final events of the semester coming up after the break!

“UNC has a long tradition of training thoughtful, innovative music educators, and we’re proud to see such a great mix of veteran and young teachers contributing to the profession, as well as the presence our faculty members have in the field.” -Dr. Evan Feldman

11/23/2024

Occasionally this communicator is the one in front and out from behind the phone/computer! Yesterday, Cat Zachary, Communications Coordinator for the music department, presented in Dr. Michael Figueroa's MUSC 351 Critical Approaches to Music: Guided Research class. Her presentation on the basics of graphic design and Adobe Express gave students some tips and tricks to use while preparing for the upcoming digital poster session they'll present in the Hill Hall Rotunda on Tuesday, December 3 (11:00 am - 12:15 pm)!

11/18/2024

Take a break from studying for finals with one of our incredible events coming up this week! Swipe to get the details ➡️

🍁Mon, Nov. 18 at 3:30 PM | Se-Hee Jin, piano, Guest Artist Masterclass | Moeser Auditorium | free
🍁Mon, Nov. 18 at 7:30 PM | Se-Hee Jin, piano, Guest Artist Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🍁Tues, Nov. 19 at 7:30 PM | Charanga Carolina | Moeser Auditorium | free
🍁Wed, Nov. 20 at 6:00 PM | UNC Flute Studio Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🍁Thurs, Nov. 21 at 7:30 PM | UNC Percussion Ensemble | Kenan Music Building, Rehearsal Hall | free
🍁Fri, Nov. 22 at 3:00 PM | UNC Jazz Combos 4, 5, 6 | Kenan Music Building, Rehearsal Hall | free
🍁Fri, Nov. 22 at 3:30 PM | “'Over the lande the watter spreades': The Fenland Mysticism of Medieval East Anglia and Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, ”Dr. Imani Mosley | UNC Music Research Forum | Person Recital Hall | free
🍁Fri, Nov. 22 at 8:00 PM | University Chamber Players | Moeser Auditorium | free
🍁Sat, Nov. 23 at 8:00 PM | Carolina Bluegrass Band | Moeser Auditorium | $10 general, $5 students/faculty/staff
🍁Sun, Nov. 24 at 5:30 PM | UNC Guitar Ensemble | Person Recital Hall | free
🍁Mon, Nov. 25 at 7:30 PM | UNC Saxophone Studio Fall Concert | Moeser Auditorium | free

Get more information and purchase tickets at https://music.unc.edu/calendar/.

11/16/2024

“UNC has a long tradition of training thoughtful, innovative music educators, and we’re proud to see such a great mix of veteran and young teachers contributing to the profession, as well as the presence our faculty members have in the field.” -Dr. Evan Feldman

The North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference takes place each fall in Winston-Salem and includes performances, talks, and time for networking. This year UNC Music faculty and alumni played a big part in the conference, which took place November 9-12. Swipe to see some of those participants including, faculty and staff members Dr. Sean Grier, Jay Harper, John Enloe, and alumni Becca Clemens, Joe Figliolo, Matthew Parunak, and Joshua Potter. ➡️

Read more at https://music.unc.edu/2024/11/15/uncatncmea24.
UNC Bands UNC Voice
📸: Jeff Fuchs and Evan Feldman

11/15/2024

See what music alumni across the globe have been up to in our latest Alumni Quarterly!

Welcome back to another edition of the UNC Music Alumni Quarterly Newsletter where we explore what Tar Heels musicians are up to across the globe! Have a great story to share? Reply to this email and let us know! It could be featured in the next issue.

11/14/2024

"Celebrating one winner in each category, these awards suggest to audiences that they summarize the state of country music today, essentially crowning the “best” of the genre. Even a cursory glance back in time, however, tells a much more interesting and complicated story." -Professor Jocelyn Neal

The Country Music Association Awards Show is coming up on November 20. In a recent article for Southern Cultures, Professor Neal discusses what this awards show is truly about, not always what it appears to be about, and how radio plays a big part.
University of North Carolina Press

Each fall, the Country Music Association presents an awards show that it pioneered in 1967, a once-a-year opportunity to celebrate musicians and industry personnel with titles such as Entertainer of…