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. Our recent guest artists include:

• tubist Gene Pokorny and trumpeter John Hagstrom (Chicago Orchestra)
• trombonist Jennifer Baker (New York City)
• euphoniumist Benjamin Pierce (University of Arkansas)
• trumpeter Michael Kirgan (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)
• the Axiom Brass (Chicago)
• Anthony Plog (Freiburg, Germany)
• Mark Davidson (Utah Symphony)

Our alumni perform with military bands, jazz groups, in musicals, on cruise ship and with orchestras worldwide.

Our piano faculty are committed to helping you grow as musicians and pianists, and to prepare for a wide range of careers. You will study with faculty who perform as soloists, chamber musicians and orchestras, both nationally and internationally.

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.

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

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

As members of the University Symphony Orchestra, all string students perform orchestral repertoire ranging in style from Classical and Romantic master works to exciting world premieres.

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 string musicians.

Performance program

Students in the performance program are held to the highest level of achievement on their instruments. The program offers juniors and seniors the unique opportunity to receive two hours of private instruction per week, as opposed to only one hour per week, which is the custom at most institutions. This extra hour is vital to preparing you for your degree recitals and graduate school auditions. During your freshman and sophomore years, you will receive one hour of private lessons per week.

Other majors

Many students are studying music education, music therapy, music management, or composition with a string instrument as their primary instrument. Based on your goals and abilities, the applied teachers tailor the private instruction to provide you with the skills that will be most helpful as you continue beyond Pacific.

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.

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 careers, including orchestral, performing, teaching or broader entrepreneurial pursuits. We are committed to your post-graduate success.

The one-on-one nurturing attention is given to each student in weekly lessons. As a performance major, you will get two lessons a week from the primary professor in junior and senior years. Excellent staff pianists provide ample opportunity to hone your collaborative skills.

Several woodwind studios offer instruction on various auxiliary instruments as well as skills and techniques such as:

• Flute Studio - piccolo and other auxiliary flutes, flute choir
• Clarinet Studio - bass and Eb clarinets
• Saxophone Studio - all saxophones and saxophone quartets
• Oboe Studio - reed making and English horn
• Bassoon Studio - reed making and contra bassoon

You will also benefit from frequent guest artists at Pacific campus and from the proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area with the world class San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet offering experiential learning opportunities off campus.

Performance Opportunities

You will have weekly opportunities to perform with and for your peers in studio and chamber music classes, at the Orchestral Repertoire and Audition Preparation Seminar as well as at Conservatory Concert Hour. You will learn in a group setting 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 Chamber Music Program. Because of the uniqueness of our program, you will play in many unusual mixed groupings and different combos before graduating, including mixing with strings and piano. You will also benefit from a rotation of coaches drawn from the entire performance faculty.

The artist-in residence Pacific Arts Woodwind Quintet performs often, giving students an opportunity to observe their teachers on a regular basis.