Student play cello with eyes closed.

School of Music News

The School of Music offers enriching undergraduate and graduate degree programs for students pursuing careers in composition, conducting, jazz studies, music education, and performance. We have more than 400 music majors studying under the guidance of experienced artist and performers, master teachers, and respected international scholars.

Current Music News

jazz vocalists performing on stage
Arts and Culture |

The premier jazz vocal ensemble will sing holiday hits from Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Celine Dion, and other Vegas legends.

violinist playing in silhouette
Arts and Culture |

The institute will create a nurturing and immersive environment for faculty and guest artists to work intimately with the selected duos and string ensembles. 

group photo of orchestra members in formal attire
Arts and Culture |

The jazz studies program has won more than 40 DownBeat Student Music Awards, considered the highest honor in jazz education, since 2011.

Taras Krysa, on a podium with his hands and baton raised, conducts the full 51ԹϺ Symphony Orchestra (performers and instruements are displayed in the image).
Arts and Culture |

Highlighting the program is the Nevada premiere of Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue, a new work by acclaimed composer Peter Boyer. 

wind orchestra on the stage
Arts and Culture |

Lineup of world-class talent includes Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Mitchel Forman on piano, Kevin Axt on bass, and Bernie Dresel on drums.

artistic rendering of three individuals
Arts and Culture |

This double bill of sister-themed one-act operas is conducted by Darryl Cooper.

Music In The News

KSNV-TV: News 3

The 51ԹϺ Chorus is bringing in a very famous LA Women's Choir called Vox Femina. They're doing a performance at 51ԹϺ on October 27th, centered around voting and the women's suffrage movement.

Las Vegas Review Journal

Some were displaced during the war. One was tossed from a cattle train en route from Paris to Auschwitz. Another survived Dachau. These violins, long associated with the Holocaust, have been restored by father-and-son instrument makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein as part of their Violins of Hope project. The instruments will be celebrated, and played, this weekend in two concerts.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

The Las Vegas Sinfonietta, a professional chamber orchestra, will kick off its fifth concert season this weekend with a historically significant performance. The season’s opening concert, “Violins of Hope,” is a powerful tribute to the resilience and spirit of Holocaust survivors.

KNPR News

Las Vegas has its fair share of native celebrities like Ne-Yo, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and future celebrities are being made right now. In October, the culture issue in our city-regional magazine, Desert Companion, will feature in Ones To Watch. These are profiles of interesting up-and-coming local artists or performers.

Yahoo!

For the first time the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is debuting a mariachi program exploring the traditional Mexican folk music that originated in the late 1800s. “The culture is just so rich. The music is one of the most beautiful kinds of music I’ve heard in my life,” Stephen Blanco, director of mariachi for 51ԹϺ’s School of Music, said.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

For the first time the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is debuting a mariachi program exploring the traditional Mexican folk music that originated in the late 1800s. “The culture is just so rich. The music is one of the most beautiful kinds of music I’ve heard in my life,” Stephen Blanco, director of mariachi for 51ԹϺ’s School of Music, said.

Recent Music Accomplishments

Ligia Verduga (Music) is a DMA student in the 51ԹϺ flute studio of John McMurtery. She has been invited to Sofia, Bulgaria, for the Moyse International Flute Competition on June 29, 2025, to present a lecture on her research topic "Ecuadorian Influences on the Flute Repertoire." Furthermore, the organizers of the competition have invited her to be…
The University of West Georgia presented excerpts from Linda Lister's (Music) opera "State of Grace October 24-25, 2004." The scenes were part of the UWG Opera Workshop performance, "The Doors of Life," presented on the main stage of the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts. Composer/librettist Lister directed the opera's premiere at 51ԹϺ in…
Gregory Koenig (Music) presented Transformative guitar education: Funds of knowledge, border crossing, and the guitar at the 2024 University of Buffalo International Guitar Research Conference. 
Gregory Koenig (Music) presented Guitar class: An opportunity for transformative music education at the National Association for Music education 2024 biannual music research and teacher education conference. 
Linda Lister (Music) had her song "Ariel Ambitions," from the song cycle Pleas to Famous Fairies, performed at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Soprano Hannah Winston sang the song on the concert Peabody Songbook Series: A Woman's Point of View.
Amy Brown (Music) was a featured presenter for the Professional Learning Network Series, Back to School: Classroom Management Tips and Tricks, hosted by the American Orff Schulwerk Association. The presentation, "Proactive Management: Preparing Instead of Reacting," covered planning, rapport, and engagement for elementary music specialists as they…