School of Music Media

Scottish Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie was the first person to make a career in solo classical percussion. She has performed at the front of orchestras all over the world. She took a lead role in opening the 2012 London Olympics, and crossed over into pop collaborations with performers such as Björk, Sting, and Bela Fleck. She has commissioned many compositions to expand a once nearly non-existent solo classical percussion repertoire. On her website she writes about the music profession, hearing, and disability.

She visited Tucson in April, 2013, and gave two concerts with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO). A few days later she visited the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts School of Music and gave a master class to five percussion students, co-sponsored by the TSO. She listened to a solo performance from each student and offered encouragement and feedback.

Set in ancient Rome, the University of Arizona Opera Theater’s production of “La Clemenza di Tito” brings together six young singers from the School of Music to perform Mozart’s final opera seria (or serious opera). The two-act opera tells a politically charged tale of sedition and uncommon forgiveness surrounding Rome’s emperor, Tito. The performance also marks professor Charles Roe’s final opera at the UA before he retires after more than 20 years with the music school.

When someone mentions classical music, what do the words mean to you? Do you feel a surge of passion? A connection with history?  For Daniel Asia, professor of music composition in the UA School of Music in the College of Fine Arts, classical music is something purely human and totally timeless.

Kyle Maxwell-Doherty and Josh Armstrong playing a marimba duet

Performed by Crosstalk - The University of Arizona School of Music’s electronic percussion ensemble

The University of Arizona Trombone Ensemble under the direction of Professor Moises Paiewonsky performs the second movement of Eric Ewazen’s Great Lakes Octet

University of Arizona Trombone Studio member Alex van Duuren and pianist Yelizaveta Beriyeva perform the second movement of Jacques Casterede’s Sonatine for Trombone and Piano on his Doctoral Qualifying Recital on Saturday, April 7, 2012.

The UA School of Music celebrated its 5th annual Composers Festival in honor of Igor Stravinsky. Each year, the school chooses one world-renown musical composer to be the focus of festival. This year’s selection was Stravinsky, in honor of the 100-year anniversary of his most famous

This is Jeff Haskell’s composition “Wooloomooloo Overserved” performed at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Sydney, Australia in July, 2010. It features Jason Carder, Glen Gross, Jeff Haskell and the University of Arizona Trumpet Ensemble (Edward Reid, professor and director).

UA President Robert N. Shelton visited recently with Thomas Cockrell, director of orchestral activities, to learn about the School of Music and the Arizona Symphony.

This is the encore for the University of Arizona Studio Jazz Ensemble’s 2010 China tour. The song is a ballad made popular by an Asian movie and was expertly arranged by Jeff Haskell. Katherine Byrnes had already won the crowds over with her performances, but singing this in Mandarin pushes the audience’s appreciation to an even higher level.

This video features two former students, Jacob Valenzuela and Ruben Moreno..

Insights into the guitar studio at The University of Arizona School of Music

CrossTalk, the University of Arizona Electronic Percussion Group plays “The Ripper” by Eric Bikales.