Community engagement news

In a week-long residency coming up—including four free, public events—Canadian composer Alexina Louie will explore what it means to find your own voice and identity.

It was a busy fall for the American Music Research Center (AMRC)! One of the many efforts underway is the Soundscapes of the People project. Two CU Boulder PhD students—Lydia Wagenknecht and Ben Cefkin—are working on this project alongside AMRC Director Susan Thomas, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo and...

“Having a ‘home’ audience of loyal Takács fans is a huge honor … and makes the concert experience more than just about the music itself. It’s about the relationships formed through the shared love of music.”

The work of Assistant Professor of Music Technology Grace Leslie—flutist, electronic musician and scientist—melds art, engineering and neuroscience to probe the millennia-spanning relationship between humans and a good tune ... and whether the right kind of music can help to heal the body and brain.

“The way I see it, developing universal musicians who demonstrate diversity in all forms is both a mission and a process that directly supports and sustains democracy. Our diversity of experiences and abilities, perspectives and opinions, races and ethnicities, and genders and sexual identities enhances our conversation, ignites and expands our awareness, and makes us better when we come together.”

Alumna Annie Booth shares how the College of Music continues to impact her career as an award-winning jazz pianist, band leader, composer/arranger and educator—and offers valuable career advice.

Curiosity drives Lydia Wagenknecht, a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology and recent recipient of a Fulbright Research Award. “I care that my research will help us understand something in a more broad-based way that we didn’t understand before,” she says.

We’re so excited to welcome alumnus Damani Phillips back to campus this week and to present him the College of Music’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award at our commencement ceremony on May 5! “The versatile training provided by CU has been the cornerstone of my success to date, and has enabled me to do and be many things well beyond typical expectations,” he says. Meet Phillips and discover his powerful advice to graduating Music Buffs.

On May 5, we look forward to welcoming back Judith Glyde, formerly professor of cello and chamber music at the College of Music and chair of our string faculty. Since retiring in 2014 to live in New York City, the professor emerita she has been active with the college’s alumni community there, offering tremendous support to Forever Buffs who are now living and working in the city.

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