NIU Today

The NIU Community School of the Arts has announced the schedule for winter and holiday recitals. Soloists and ensemble performances are featured in December on the stages of the Recital Hall and Concert Hall of the NIU Music Building. Most performances end with a reception. All are free and open to the public. Saturday, Dec....

The sound of choirs, carols, brass and percussion will once again echo through the halls of the Music Building when the NIU Choral Department hosts their 17th annual holiday concert. Featuring the world premiere of “The Lands the See the Sun Arise” by DeKalb composer Tim Blickhan, the concert will be held in the Boutell Memorial...

The NIU Jazz Ensemble, under the tutelage of new director Reggie Thomas, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center. The concert is free and open to the public. Alongside the Jazz Ensemble will be international jazz trombonists Michael Dease and Tom Garling. Dease has...

The NIU Philharmonic, under the direction of Lucia Matos, will perform its final concert of the fall semester at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the Music Building. The concert is free and open to the public, and the auditorium is accessible to all. Performing “Polonaise” from “Eugene Onegin” by...

NIU’s Avalon String Quartet will continue its fall season at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall. The program includes Brahms’ String Quartet No. 3 Op. 67 in Bb Major, the Debussy String Quartet Op. 10 in G Minor and the Garrop String Quartet No. 4, “Illuminations.” The concert is free...

NIU and DeKalb-area high school students join instructors from the School of Music every year for a trip to the annual Illinois Music Education Conference in Peoria. The all-state event promotes life-long learning and leadership among music enthusiasts. In attendance are those widely considered the who’s who of high school and collegiate music programs across...

The NIU Percussion Ensemble will take the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall stage at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, performing a wide variety of exciting modern works for percussion. Under the direction of NIU School of Music professors Greg Beyer and Michael Mixtacki, the concert will feature Western percussion compositions influenced from musical traditions around the...

UPDATE: Marquis Hill is the winner! Congratulations! Marquis Hill, a 2009 alumnus of the NIU School of Music, is a semifinalist in the Thelonius Monk International Jazz Competition. Widely regarded as the most prestigious jazz competition in the world, this year’s competition is strictly for trumpeters. Hill will join 12 other trumpeters Saturday, Nov. 8,...

Come relive the musical highlights of football halftime shows Thursday, Nov. 6, when the NIU Huskie Marching Band performs its annual year-end concert at the Convocation Center. The marching band, the drumline, the color guard and the Silverettes will present favorite pieces from this autumn’s Brigham Field extravaganzas as well as some of the familiar...

The Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra will present its free Halloween concert, appropriate for children and adults, Tuesday, Oct. 28. Performances are planned at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall of the NIU Music Building. The earlier show is geared toward a younger audience. Indoor trick-or-treating will be provided from 5 to 5:30...

The fifth NIU New Music Festival offers something for everyone. This year features guest artist ensemble the nief-norf Project, founded by NIU alumni Andy Bliss (2004) and Kerry O’Brien (2006). They are joined by incredibly talented colleague ensemble members Erin Walker Bliss, percussion; Ashley Walters, cello; and Christopher Adler, piano and composition. Adler’s music will...

Cor Cantiamo, an NIU School of Music ensemble in residence, will present “Inspirited: A Choral Concert Exploring the Divine” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. Artistic Director Eric Johnson and his singers will explore how composers attempt to understand the divine and create beauty in the world.The concert will feature contemporary voices of American composers...