Music students in the performance track have incredible opportunities at Notre Dame, and the 2021-2022 school year is a good case in point.
In addition to studying with our accomplished faculty members, students have interacted with an enviable list of guests. Last November, pianists Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl, two of the most revered pedagogues around, coached students Andrew Ganahl and James Bennett in works by Rachmaninov and Beethoven. In February, star violinist Jennifer Koh offered insights to violinists Abbey Fontana and Hope Yuan in works of Bach and Brahms, and most recently, Grammy-nominated soprano Laura Strickling coached several voice majors in addition to presenting a recital in LaBar Recital Hall.
The Department has a long tradition of providing undergraduate students an unusual amount of access to guest artists. “Our program is really special in the amount of attention our undergraduate majors receive,” says Prof Daniel Schlosberg, Director of Undergraduate Studies. “I should also note that, due to the intimate nature of the department, our majors are able to take their core music history and music theory classes from our most distinguished academic faculty members.”
A more recent initiative is the Boehnen Scholarship for Summer Study, in which the Department provides funding for summer study, thanks to the generosity of David and Shari Boehnen. Last year, the program supported study for pianist Parker Olson at the Atlantic Music Festival, clarinetist Emily Kane at the ARIA Academy, and violinist Abbey Fontana at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival.
These summer experiences enrich an already robust program on campus. Whether remaining in our state-of-the art building, O’Neill Hall, or traveling to far-flung locales, musical opportunities abound for our students.