Department of Music and Theatre

The Department of Music and Theatre houses distinct Programs in Music and Theatre. Each Program offers a General major and related minors. Each Program has its own Director.

Music Faculty

Professors Emeriti
Robert J. Gluck, M.F.A., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
James R. Morris, D.M.A., University of Southern California
Albin J. Zak III, Ph.D., City University of New York

Professors
Duncan Cumming, D.M.A., Boston University (Chair) 
Max Lifchitz, M.M., Harvard University

Associate Professors Emeriti/Emerita
R. Findlay Cockrell, M.S., Juilliard School of Music (Collins Fellow)       
K. Drew Hartzell Jr., Ph.D., University of Rochester
Reed J. Hoyt, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Victoria von Arx, Ph.D., City University of New York

Associate Professor
Nancy Newman, Ph.D., Brown University

Assistant Professors
Kyra Gaunt, Ph.D., University of Michigan
André de Oliveira Redwood, Ph.D., Yale University

Lecturer
Michael Lister, D.A., Ball State University

Instructional Support Associate
Ellen Burns, Ph.D., Florida State University

Adjuncts (estimated): 9

Theatre Faculty

Professor
Eszter Szalczer, Ph.D., City University of New York

Associate Professor
Kathryn Walat, M.F.A, Yale School of Drama (Program Director)

Visiting Assistant Professors
Anne Croteau, M.F.A, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Ryan Garbayo, M.F.A., New York University
Nora Marlow Smith, M.F.A., Northwestern University
Shaun Patrick Tubbs, M.F.A. University of Texas, Austin

Scene Shop Supervisor and Adjunct Instructor
John Knapp, B.A., University at Albany

Adjuncts (estimated): 12

Music

The Music Program offers undergraduates the opportunity to study music in a liberal arts context and advance their skills and understanding from any starting point. Auditions are not required for the major. Courses include introductory and advanced lecture and studio classes in theory, composition, history, ethnomusicology, and a variety of popular musical practices. Independent study and internships are also available for majors. Participation in the Program’s many performance ensembles is open to all students and university community members with permission of the respective director.

Curriculum for the 39-credit major focuses on four areas: theory and composition, history and musicology/ethnomusicology, applied skills/performance, and upper-level electives. For their electives, students may opt for breadth by choosing among different types of courses or create an individualized focus. For example, a 3-course focus on popular music might include jazz, rock, and hip-hop. The Music Program also offers minors in Music, Instrumental Performance, Music Performance, and Vocal Performance. For details, consult the Minors section of the Undergraduate Bulletin.

The Music Program sponsors concerts, lectures, workshops, and master classes by its faculty, ensembles, students, and guest artists each semester. Facilities include practice rooms, rehearsal spaces, a department library, and two concert halls.

Careers

The Music major provides students with the fundamental knowledge and technical skills essential to the pursuit of graduate study or professional activity. Career paths include performance, teaching, arts administration, and the music industry. Our graduates work in non-profit and commercial settings that include choral organizations, churches, opera houses, orchestra management, recording studios, and educational institutions of all levels.

Double majors combining Music with another degree program are encouraged. Students from across the university’s several colleges have successfully combined the major with majors in STEM, humanities, and business, among others. Recent graduates have gone on to medical school, counseling and social work, financial services, law school, and other vocations while keeping music in their lives.

Degree Requirements for the Majors in Music

General Program B.A.:

A minimum of 36 credits to include:

1. Theory I - IV (9 credits):

  • A MUS 245, Theory I (3)
  • A MUS 343 Theory II (3)
  • A MUS 345 Theory III (3)

2. History/Musicology/Ethnomusicology (9 credits):

  • A MUS 100 Introduction to Music (3)
  • A MUS 495 Research Seminar (3)
  • Select one of the following options:
    • A MUS 300 Early Music (3)
    • A MUS 301 Music History: Common Practice Era (3)
    • A MUS 335 Music Since 199: Art and the Popular (3)

3. Performance (6 credits):

Choose one of the following options:

  • A MUS 263 Aural Skills or A MUS 264 Aural Skills for Vocalists (3)
  • A MUS 265 Keyboard Harmony and Performance (3) or A MUS 270 Secondary Performance (3) (Keyboard)

2 semesters of ensembles, choose from the following options:

  • A MUS 180 Chamber Ensembles (1)
  • A MUS 181 Marching Band (1)
  • A MUS 182 University Percussion Ensemble (3)
  • A MUS 183 Pep Band (1)
  • A MUS 184 University-Community Jazz Ensemble (1)
  • A MUS 185 Univerity-Community Symphony Orchestra (1)
  • A MUS 186 University-Community Symphonic Band (1)
  • A MUS 187 University-Community Chorale
  • A MUS 287 University Chamber Singers (2) (as appropriate)

4. Upper-level electives (12 credits at the 300 level or above in courses with an A MUS prefix, not to include more than 1 semester of lessons (i.e., Major Performance study)

Theatre

The Theatre Program is committed to fostering an equitable and accessible community for all our students. Our curriculum and production work challenges students to work collaboratively, creatively, and inclusively to solve problems, communicate effectively across mediums, and to acquire the skills necessary to become engaged citizens of a changing world. Students will also acquire proficiency in core theatre knowledge and practice, and embody the self-discipline and work ethic necessary to pursue new and evolving opportunities of a life in the arts.

Careers

A major in theatre prepares students for specialized graduate study in dramatic art or conservatory training in performance or production. Majors acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills transferable to a variety of career paths. In addition, theatre majors are prepared to pursue any career path requiring a broad education in the liberal arts.

Past graduates are currently acting, writing, and directing in television, film, on stage in New York, and in regional theatres. Graduates in design and technical areas are employed in New York theatres and major scenic studios, as well as with regional theatres, Cirque du Soleil, Disney, Las Vegas, and touring with national and international productions. Other graduates work with equipment developers and manufacturers, in film and television production, in concert and event production and management, and with assorted digital and web-based companies. Still other graduates have gone into architecture, interior design, teaching, journalism, communications, computer technology, medicine, law, and business.

Degree Requirements for the Major in Theatre

General Program B.A.:

43 credits from the following:

Section 1 (25 credits core):

  • A THR 121 Play Analysis (3)
  • A THR 135 Introduction to Technical Theatre (4)
  • A THR 330 Contemporary Theatre (3)
  • A THR 221 Theatre History I (3)
  • A THR 331 Theatre History II (3)
  • A THR 235 Fundamentals of Theatrical Design (3)
  • A THR 240 Acting I (3)
  • A THR 300 Plays in Process (3)

Section 2 (3 credits of practicum):

Select three credits from the following options:

  • A THR 101 Production Practicum I (1)
  • A THR  201Production Practicum II (2)
  • A THR 301 Production practicum III (3)

Section 3 (9 credits):

1 course from each of the following sub-sections:

Sub-section A:

  • A THR 303Z Playwriting I (3)
  • A THR 339 Movement I (3)
  • A THR 340 Acting II (3)
  • ATHR 343 Voice of the Actor (3)

Sub-section B:

  • A THR 314 Stage Movement (3)
  • A THR 335 Theatrical Drafting (3)
  • A THR 360 Scenic Technology (3)
  • A THR 370 Lighting Technology (3)
  • A THR 381 Costume Technology (3)

Sub-section C:

  • A THR 319 Studies in Theatre History (3)
  • A THR 380 History of Clothing Styles (3)
  • A THR 421 Dramaturgy (3)
  • A THR 456 Seminar in Dramatic Literature (3)

Section 4 (3 credits):

Select 1 course from the following options:

  • A THR 403Z Playwriting II (3)
  • A THR 450 Directing (3)
  • A THR 460 Set Design I (3)
  • A THR 465 Technical Design I (3)
  • A THR 475 Lighting Design I (3)
  • A THR 481 Seminar in Dramatic Literature (3)

Section 5 (3 credits): 1 elective course on the 300/400 level or above with the A THR prefix (3 credits). Select from courses offered within Sections 3 or 4 of the major requirements, or offered outside the major as Theatre electives. No single course can be double counted to fulfill two requirements within the major.