Music Performance - BM

You will have the opportunity to perform in master classes, solo recitals and in a wide range of ensembles including band, orchestra, jazz and chamber music.

• 4-year plan for Bachelor of Music in Performance, Brass and Percussion, at University of the Pacific

The University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music Brass and Percussion Department offers numerous opportunities for student ensembles and clubs, including: 

• Pacific Brass Society (PBS) - Founded in 2022 by Professor Sadie Glass and student Reese Romero, the Pacific Brass Society is an official club at Pacific for any student interested in brass music and performance. PBS performs throughout campus, at the DUC, Morris Chapel and Concert Hour, and was accepted to perform at the 2022 International Women's Brass Conference. If you are interested in joining PBS, contact Sadie Glass at sglass@pacific.edu.
   
• Percussion Ensemble
   
• Horn Choir
   
• Trumpet Ensemble
   
• Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba

Our recent guest artists include:

• Bernhard Scully (Horn) - 2022 - Former member of Canadian Brass, Horn Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Music Director of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp
   
• Theon Cross (Tuba) - 2021 - Award-winning Tuba player and composer. A key component of London's thriving jazz scene and his unique sound has been described as "innovative" and hailed for "reinventing the tuba."
   
• Dr. Natalie Douglass-Grana (Horn) - 2020 - Fulbright Scholar, professor at DePaul University, and brass/aural skill expert.

Recent student performances include:

• Pacific Brass Society: "Song For Ursa," by Katahj Copley | Watch | This performance was selected to be presented at the 2022 International Women's Brass Conference
   
• Pacific Brass Society: "Deep River" (African American Spiritual) | Watch
   
• Diego Bustamante with 209 Brass Quintet: Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 1, mvt 1" | Watch

Our piano faculty are committed to helping you grow as musicians and pianists, and to prepare for a wide range of careers. You will perform with faculty who perform as soloists, chamber musicians and with orchestras, both nationally and internationally. You will have access to our two Steinway D Concert grand pianos, over 13 Steinway 6 and 7 foot grands, and 15 grands by Yamaha, Mason and Hamlin, Bösendorfer, Baldwin, and Kawai.

• 4-year plan for Bachelor of Music in Performance, Piano, at University of the Pacific

Lessons

Weekly lessons form the core of your pianistic study, with your teacher adapting their methods to your needs; from exploring repertoire, to addressing musculo-skeletal health, to helping you find your artistic voice. You will learn how to practice efficiently, solve technical problems and communicate musically.

Collaborative Piano

In the first 2 years, you will work with and be coached in one-to-one collaborations, both instrumental and vocal. In your junior and senior years, you will tackle larger chamber music works, working with coaches from all of the instrumental areas.

Performance Opportunities

Weekly studio classes serve as a gathering place for all piano students, providing an opportunity to perform, and to give and receive feedback. Discussions about memorization and anxiety often take place here. The Conservatory Concert Hour performances will give you exposure to a wider audience, as will chamber music, composers’ and degree recitals.

Double Major

Many accomplished pianists have interests in other areas, and many choose to do a double major. Previous students have double-majored in music and speech/language pathology, pre-dentistry, as well as other areas.

Keyboard Literature and Pedagogy

Two semesters of keyboard literature provide a broad perspective on the repertoire for piano, while a course in piano pedagogy trains students for the piano teaching profession.

Our Graduates

Our alumni have won the Music Teachers Association of California (Northern California) Concerto Competitions, as well as the state competition. They have gone on to pursue graduate degrees at the Eastman School, Peabody Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University, University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California. Other alumni work with musical theatre in New York, as rehearsal pianists, coaches and music directors.

Recent and future guest artist include:

• Gabriela Martinez, pianist
• Noa Kageyama, performance psychologist (Juilliard)
• Gabriela Lena Frank, composer
• Omri Shimron, pianist
• Scott Holden, pianist
• Terrence Wilson, pianist
• Jon Nakamatsu, pianist

Featuring a first-rate faculty, strong ensemble programs, and frequent performance opportunities, the string program at Pacific is committed to preparing students for a successful career in music.

4-year plan for Bachelor of Music in Performance, Strings, at University of the Pacific

Private lessons

Student-centered learning is a vital characteristic of the string program. By recognizing that every student is unique and requires an individualized approach, each applied faculty member adapts their teaching methods to meet your unique needs. In addition, the applied faculty members have a holistic approach to teaching, helping you develop both technically and musically. Through weekly private lessons, you will develop invaluable problem-solving skills.

Ensembles

Pacific fosters opportunities for students to participate in a variety of ensembles.

As members of the University Symphony Orchestra, violin, viola, cello, and double bass students perform orchestral repertoire ranging in style from Classical and Romantic master works to exciting world premieres. Recent performances have included works by composers such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ravel, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.

String performance majors and other interested string players cultivate their collaborative skills through participation in the chamber music program. You will play in a wide variety of ensembles, learning the intricacies of working with other strong musicians.

Other ensemble opportunities include participating in the 28/78 New Music Ensemble and the Mariachi de Pacific program.

Performance program

Students in the performance program are held to the highest level of achievement on their instruments. With a focus on developing the technical, musical, and entrepreneurial skills to be successful performers in today’s world, teachers shape their teaching to the individual student’s goals and aspirations.

Double Majors

Many Pacific students choose to double major in music and another area of study. If you choose this path, you may require at least an extra year of study.

Performance Opportunities

You will gain fundamental performance experience through solo classes, orchestra concerts, chamber music and degree recitals (performance and education majors). Faculty members and the artist-in-residence Trio 180 also inspire the students by performing regularly.

You will be trained by faculty members who have earned national reputations in the areas of performance and pedagogy. Because our voice department focuses exclusively on undergraduate training, you will receive a lot of personal attention and abundant performing opportunities in a positive, supportive and nurturing environment.

• 4-year plan for Bachelor of Music in Performance, Voice, at University of the Pacific

Performance Opportunities

You will also perform regularly in studio classes, recitals and various competitions.

Pacific Opera Theatre (click here to read more) presents fully-staged productions yearly, ranging from opera and operetta to musical theater. Repertoire is chosen with the undergraduate singer in mind. Our productions have won national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival as well as the National Opera Association.

Pacific Choral Ensembles (click here to read more) include Pacific Singers and University Chorus. In addition to performing standard choral literature, the ensembles routinely join forces with the University Symphony Orchestra or the Stockton Symphony.

The Conservatory sponsors vocal master classes giving students the opportunity to work with internationally recognized artists and teachers. Recent guests have included Linda Watson, Susanne Mentzer, Marni Nixon, Will Crutchfield, Jerold Siena, Malcolm McKenzie and Suzanna Guzman.

Our Graduates

Our students have regularly been accepted into the nation's top graduate programs in voice and received generous and/or full scholarships to attend. Some of these programs include: Academy of Vocal Arts, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Northwestern University, University of Southern California and others.

Pacific graduates have also been invited to participate in the following programs:

• Music Academy of the West
• San Francisco Opera Merola Program
• Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program
• Opera San Jose Apprentice Program
• Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Studio
• Palm Beach Opera Young Artist Studio
• Central City Opera Apprentice Program
• Boston University Opera Institute
• San Jose Opera Apprentice Program

Pacific voice alumni have gone on to perform with the following opera companies/music festivals:

• Metropolitan Opera
• San Francisco Opera
• Deutsche Oper Berlin
• Bayreuth Festival
• Opera Theatre of St. Louis
• Santa Fe Opera
• Florida Grand Opera
• Palm Beach Opera
• Central City Opera
• Boston Lyric Opera
• Fort Worth Opera
• Opera Aperta (Boston)
• Western Opera Theater
• Utah Festival Opera
• San Francisco Opera Center
• Seoul Contemporary Opera Company (Seoul, Korea)
• Brevard Music Festival

Our woodwind faculty will prepare you to succeed in a wide range of career options, including orchestral membership, chamber music, studio recording, free-lance performance, teaching or broader entrepreneurial pursuits. We are committed to your success after graduation.

One-on-one nurturing attention is given to each student in weekly lessons. Excellent staff pianists and inspiring classmates provide ample opportunity to hone your collaborative skills.

• 4-year plan for Bachelor of Music in Performance, Woodwinds, at University of the Pacific

All of our woodwind studios offer like-instrument ensemble playing, as well as instruction on various auxiliary instruments. Here are some of the school-owned and maintained, professional-grade instruments you will have access to:

• Flute Studio - Burkart elite piccolo, Yamaha gold brass alto flute and Armstrong bass flute
• Clarinet Studio - Eb (Buffet and Yamaha), Buffet Bb, Buffet A (4 instruments), Buffet alto, bass (2 Buffet Low C’s), Selmer contra-bass clarinet, Buffet basset horns (2)
• Saxophones - sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass
• Oboe - Loree English horn, Loree AK and Fox Renard oboes
• Bassoon - contrabassoon 

Oboists and bassoonists also share a dedicated reed room, well stocked with state-of-the-art tools and crucial supplies including: 

• Wicked Edge knife sharpening system
• Innoledy oboe cane gouger, a selection of shaper tips, tube cane 
• Bassoon gouging, profiling, shaping tools, tube cane

You will also benefit from frequent guest artists visiting the Pacific campus and from our proximity to the Stockton Symphony and other excellent regional orchestras and arts presenters–as well as to the world-class San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet–all offering tremendous experiential learning opportunities nearby. 

Performance Opportunities

You will have weekly opportunities to perform with and for your peers in studio and chamber music classes, in the Orchestral Repertoire and Audition Preparation Seminar, and during Conservatory Concert Hour. You will learn in individual and group settings about the fundamentals of your instrument and the varied aspects of performing.

Ensemble participation is an integral part of the woodwind experience at Pacific. All wind students audition for placement each year in the University Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble and University Concert Band.

A hallmark of the Conservatory is the rigorous and intensive Varied Small Ensembles Program. You will play in a diverse variety of small groupings before graduating, collaborating creatively with your peers in other studios and programs. You will also benefit from the opportunity to work with coaches drawn from the entire Conservatory faculty.

The faculty performs often, in solo and collaborative recitals as well as in the resident Pacific Arts Woodwind Quintet, giving students opportunities to observe their teachers on a regular basis.