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
Max Lifchitz, M.M., Harvard University
James R. Morris, D.M.A., University of Southern California
Victoria von Arx, Ph.D., City University of New York
Albin J. Zak III, Ph.D., City University of New York
Professors
Duncan Cumming, D.M.A., Boston University (Chair)
Nancy Newman, PhD., Brown University
Associate Professors Emeriti/Emerita
R. Findlay Cockrell, M.S., Juilliard School of Music (Collins Fellow)
Reed J. Hoyt, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Associate Professor
Kyra Gaunt, Ph.D., University of Michigan
André de Oliveira Redwood, Ph.D., Yale University
Assistant Professors
Thomas Wilson, Ph.D., Louisiana State University
Lecturer
Michael Lister, D.A., Ball State University (Program Director)
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 a Bachelor of Arts in Music:
A minimum of 36 credits to include:
1. Theory I - IV (9 credits):
- AMUS 245 Theory I (3)
- AMUS 343 Theory II (3)
- AMUS 345 Theory III (3)
2. History/Musicology/Ethnomusicology (9 credits):
- AMUS 100 Introduction to Music (3)
- AMUS 495 Research Seminar (3)
- Select one of the following options:
- AMUS 300 Early Music (3)
- AMUS 301 Music History: Common Practice Era (3)
- AMUS 335 Music Since 199: Art and the Popular (3)
3. Performance (6 credits):
Choose one of the following options:
- AMUS 263 Aural Skills or AMUS 264 Aural Skills for Vocalists (3)
- AMUS 265 Keyboard Harmony and Performance (3) or AMUS 270 Secondary Performance (3) (Keyboard)
2 semesters of ensembles, choose from the following options:
- AMUS 180 Chamber Ensembles (1)
- AMUS 181 Marching Band (1)
- AMUS 182 University Percussion Ensemble (3)
- AMUS 183 Pep Band (1)
- AMUS 184 University-Community Jazz Ensemble (1)
- AMUS 185 Univerity-Community Symphony Orchestra (1)
- AMUS 186 University-Community Symphonic Band (1)
- AMUS 187 University-Community Chorale
- AMUS 287 University Chamber Singers (2) (as appropriate)
4. Upper-level electives (12 credits at the 300 level or above in courses with an AMUS 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 a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre
43 credits from the following:
Section 1 (25 credits core):
- ATHR 121 Play Analysis (3)
- ATHR 135 Introduction to Technical Theatre (4)
- ATHR 330 Contemporary Theatre (3)
- ATHR 221 Theatre History I (3)
- ATHR 331 Theatre History II (3)
- ATHR 235 Fundamentals of Theatrical Design (3)
- ATHR 240 Acting I (3)
- ATHR 300 Plays in Process (3)
Section 2 (3 credits of practicum):
Select three credits from the following options:
- ATHR 101 Production Practicum I (1)
- ATHR 201 Production Practicum II (2)
- ATHR 301 Production practicum III (3)
Section 3 (9 credits):
1 course from each of the following sub-sections:
Sub-section A:
- ATHR 303Z Playwriting I (3)
- ATHR 339 Movement I (3)
- ATHR 340 Acting II (3)
- ATHR 343 Voice of the Actor (3)
Sub-section B:
- ATHR 314 Stage Movement (3)
- ATHR 335 Theatrical Drafting (3)
- ATHR 360 Scenic Technology (3)
- ATHR 370 Lighting Technology (3)
- ATHR 381 Costume Technology (3)
Sub-section C:
- ATHR 319 Studies in Theatre History (3)
- ATHR 380 History of Clothing Styles (3)
- ATHR 421 Dramaturgy (3)
- ATHR 456 Seminar in Dramatic Literature (3)
Section 4 (3 credits):
Select 1 course from the following options:
- ATHR 403Z Playwriting II (3)
- ATHR 450 Directing (3)
- ATHR 460 Set Design I (3)
- ATHR 465 Technical Design I (3)
- ATHR 475 Lighting Design I (3)
- ATHR 481 Seminar in Dramatic Literature (3)
Section 5 (3 credits): 1 elective course on the 300/400 level or above with the ATHR 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.