Performing Arts
The Performing Arts are an integral part of the culture of the university community. Music, theatre, and dance have the power to stimulate and engage the creative capacities of both performers and audience.
Performing Arts Center (PAC)
A bustling hub of artistic activity, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center, located on the main campus, boasts five unique performance theatres while Page Hall, located on the downtown campus, is another site for performance activity.
Every year, the Performing Arts Center offers the Prime Performance Series which welcomes an array of national and international touring artists in music, dance and theatre. The facility is also the site of approximately 50-60 concerts and three-four productions by the Department of Music and Theatre.
Ensembles in residence:
Capital Trio consists of pianist Duncan Cumming, violinist Hilary Cumming and cellist Şőlen Dikener who have been performing together for over 20 years. They have toured in New England, New York, the Midwest, the South and in Europe and have multiple recordings. The trio has been in residence at the University since 2008.
Albany Pro Musica is highly regarded as a world-class chorus with national and international performance credits and honors. It is the Chorus-in-Residence at the historic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and enjoys a long-standing collaboration with UAlbany where rehearsals and master classes take place. APM artistic director José Daniel Flores-Caraballo is Conductor-in-Residence with the Department of Music and Theatre.
Performing Arts Center Programs:
Each season, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center and The Egg collaborate to present a joint dance series featuring contemporary, classical and international dance companies with performances at both venues.
Each year, the Performing Arts Center staff selects professional artists and performances to augment and complement the offerings of the Departments of Music and Theatre. Often, these guest companies are on campus for several days sharing their artistic work and vision while also enhancing the quality of life & learning on campus and in the Capital Region.
Offering concerts by guest artists, faculty, community members and students, the Music Program annually presents 40-50 performances ranging from solo piano concerts to large ensemble programs to an annual Youth Movements festival.
Each season, the Theatre Program mounts three to four full productions, including comedies, classics and musicals, offering four to six performances of each show. In addition, there is also a new play festival with staged readings by emerging playwrights.
Each academic year, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center is the site of a weekday matinee performance series geared for high school students. These performances are a mix of theatre, music and dance and are selected for their connections to high school curriculum. Some performances are presented by guest artists while others are produced by the Department of Music and Theatre.
Department of Music & Theatre
The Music Program offers students a foundational General Major and Minor as well as Concentrations in Music Theory, History, Performance, and Composition. The Department supports an array of student–community performing groups, including Concert, Marching and Pep Bands, Orchestra, Chorale, the University Chamber Singers, and Percussion, Jazz, and Chamber ensembles.
Theatre Program majors can focus on acting, design/tech, musical theatre, playwriting, theatre history, and dramaturgy with world class faculty who are active theatre artists passionately writing, designing, performing, and directing in professional capacities on a regular basis. Departmental presentations encourage experimentation and creative risk, and develop audiences attuned to the diversity and power of the arts. The Program’s connections to theatre companies and proximity to multiple theatre meccas create internship and job opportunities for students.
Living Learning Community
The World of Theatre is for students from all intended majors who are interested in acting, production, musical theatre, plays, directing and all aspects of making theatre happen. As a member of this L-LC you’ll take classes with other students who are also interested in the collaborative process of bringing literature, science, technology and art to the stage.
Student Association Performing Arts Groups
Angelic Voices of Praise, Black Theatre Productions, Dance Council, Knemeis Dance Crew, Masquerade, Musical Theatre Association, NASHA, Phenomenal Voices, Pitch Please, Precizun Step Team, Salsa Dance Club, Serendipity, Tango Club, The Earth Tones, The Harmonic Cadences A Capella Group, The Situational and Sketch Comedy Club, Theatre Council, Umoja! Dance Team, Under Construction Dance Team