Students

The UIUC School of Music undergraduate brass quintet Fortissimo 5 has made the semi-finals for the 2026 Ryan Anthony Memorial Chamber Music Competition through the International Trumpet Guild.

The University of Illinois Marching Illini are putting the final touches on an unforgettable international journey as they prepare to depart for Ireland on March 13.

The University of Illinois School of Music is proud to recognize our faculty, staff, and students who presented at the Illinois Music Educators Conference in Peoria, Illinois this January.

Jackson Govern (MM '26) has recently been selected as a semi-finalist for the North American Saxophone Alliance Solo Competition.

On January 20, 2026, Cody Jensen was awarded a “Bessie” in the category of Outstanding Sound Design or Musical Composition by the New York Dance and Performance Awards.

The University of Illinois School of Music is proud to recognize our faculty, staff, students, and alumni who presented at The 79th Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois this past December.

The University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts has proposed a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Hip Hop Culture and the Arts.

Thanks to a generous gift from the Meredith Foundation, the University of Illinois Chamber Singers—the School of Music’s premier choral ensemble—has been renamed the Meredith Chamber Singers.  

This past October, guest ensemble Atlas Maior visited the School of Music for a workshop with the Improvisers Exchange Ensemble.

Students from music-affiliated Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) performed at The Canopy Club on November 12, 2025 to fundraise for their organizations.

Composer Jeremy Gill visited the University of Illinois in November 2025 to serve as Composer in Residence for the Illinois Modern Ensemble.

Kirsten Barker, Samantha Lampe, and Mel Bialecki Miller recently presented at the annual meetings for the American Musicological Society (AMS) and Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), held in Minneapolis, MN and Atlanta, GA respectively.

The University of Illinois Marching Illini head to Nashville, TN to perform at the Music City Bowl on December 30, 2025.

Throughout the Fall 2025 semester, faculty, students, community members, and guest artists have come to the University of Illinois School of Music for intensive one-day programs honing musicianship at Low Brass Day, Double Reed Day, and Illinois Harp Jam.

The University of Illinois Bands welcomed forty-one bands to historic Gies Memorial Stadium on October 25, 2025 for the 54th annual Illinois Marching Band Championships (IMBC).

To Kathleen “Kathy” Harvey [B.S. microbiology, ‘72, Ed.M., ‘78], band has always been more than just a hobby. It’s been a lifelong way to make an impact and stay connected to something larger than herself. As a proud Illinois alumna, Kathy has been a generous supporter of the band programs through the years, contributing to areas such as the Illinois Bands Loyalty Society and, most notably, the Harry Begian Assistantship Fund in Bands.

Zhen Liang, student of Dr. Chi-Chen Wu, won 1st Place in the ISMTA Competition SOUTH, Collegiate Piano Solo Division.