We are thrilled to introduce the School of Music’s Peer Advisors, Matt Healy (BM, tuba performance) and Katira Lutterman (BM, music therapy). This summer, they will be working in professional duties around the School of Music and in the fall they will assist advisor Erica Evilla in helping guide their fellow students on their journey through the School of Music’s curriculum. Healy is involved in the University Wind Ensemble, Jazz I, Jazz Combos, and Brass Quintet. Lutterman currently participates in the University Singers and has also been a member of the Women’s Chorus and Gospel Choir in the past. 

Alumna Melanie Ditter (BM, horn performance, 2012) created Rogue Repair, a new instrument repair business serving the Twin Cities area. In recent months, she has grown the business from a small side job to a full-time job. Ditter recently discussed her experience leading this new venture with us. 

The School of Music is pleased to announce the 2021 Summer Graduate Fellows.

Graduate teaching assistant Vinay Thomas will be conducting the upcoming University Singers Broadcast Performance (https://z.umn.edu/6von) airing Saturday, May 8 at 7:30 pm. The performance will feature music from Orthodox liturgical tradition in a reflective program. We spoke with Thomas about the program repertoire, including the two pieces he arranged, as well as his experience conducting during COVID-19. 

The upcoming University Wind Ensemble and University Symphony Orchestra virtual performance will feature two unique contemporary works featuring percussion instruments; Ryouran: Rhapsody by the noh play 'Sakuragawa' for Woodwind and Percussion (2017) by Tomohito Matsushita and Serenade for Winds and Percussion: Songs of the Night (1990) by David Gillingham.

After thirty-one years of inspiring teaching and mentorship at the UMN School of Music (SOM), husband-and-wife professors David Grayson (Emeritus Professor of Musicology) and Lydia Artymiw (Emerita Distinguished McKnight Professor of Piano) retired in May 2020. Their influence is too great to quantify, and they will be dearly missed.

Dear Members of the School of Music community, I am yet again left horrified and speechless, this time at the senseless shooting and murder of eight victims in Atlanta, six of them Asian females. The unspeakable tragedy that occurred in Atlanta is simply unfathomable, and I condemn this despicable act as well as the rising tide of violence and harassment against Asians and Asian Americans preceding it in the strongest possible terms.

A Message to the SoM Community From Director Michael Kim Regarding the Trial of Derek Chauvin 

The University Wind Ensemble and University Symphony Orchestra will present their first performance of 2021 on Wednesday, March 3 at 7:30 pm. The performance will feature a diverse selection of composers ranging from classical to contemporary, including works from J.S. Bach, Ruth Gipps, Paul Hindemith, Rob Smith, Igor Stravinsky, Akira Toda, Edgard Varese, and George Walker. Three graduate orchestral teaching assistants will lead the University Symphony Orchestra in conducting Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks. Hisham Groover will conduct Mvmt 1, Andrew J. Kim will conduct Mvmt 2, and David Carillo will conduct Mvmt 3. We asked them to share their insights about the piece they will be conducting.