Many of you reading this article may know about the University of South Florida – it seems like a silly statement considering you probably live in Tampa or St. Petersburg and drive past at least one billboard advertising USF in some fashion; but did you know that USF has a music school? Hopefully there are many reading this and nodding but regardless, if you said no, there are many aspects of the School of Music that even the savvy may not know.

First: The School of Music has many different degree programs including music performance, music composition, conducting, music education and jazz studies. Over 400 students are currently majoring in one of the 15 offered degrees, including masters and Ph.D. These students are being taught by some of the best in their industry, such as Chuck Owen who recently received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship (www.gf.org) or Dr. Averill Summer, Founder and Artistic Director of the Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus.

Second: The School of Music offers over 150 performances a year, not including lectures or masterclasses taught by guest artists. These performances range from student recitals (featuring just the student), to studios (USF Voice Studio, Tuba- Euphonium Studio, SYCOM, etc) to ensembles (USF Symphony Band, USF Chamber Singers, Jazz Ensemble I and II, etc). Oftentimes students are able to collaborate with acclaimed musicians, composers and scholars in their industry. This not only benefits the students but also the community. Students benefit greatly from the many professional relationships our faculty form as well, i.e. recently The Florida Orchestra visited campus and performed and assisted student composers, tweaking their compositions with TFO Music Director, Maestro Stefan Sanderling. For information about the many events and visiting artists visit arts.usf.edu.

Third: If you’ve ever been to a performance in the Music Recital Hall here at the College, you’ll really love this next bit of news and if you haven’t you’ll appreciate this regardless – we finally broke ground on a new School of Music building. Designed with the newest acoustic technology, this building will be a musicians dream home. We anticipate holding the first classes in fall 2010. To see the progress visit music.arts.usf.edu.

USF College of Visual and Performing Arts

The USF School of Music has so much more to offer the community than just performances. USF is educating the next generation of musicians, scholars and composers. Come witness history in the making – come be a part of the The Arts at USF.