NIU Today

This summer has seen several changes to the piano inventory at the NIU School of Music. Piano faculty have added Grotrian and Hamburg Steinway semi-concert grand pianos to the Recital Hall. They also retired a well-worn Yamaha upright and replaced it with a new Schimmel upright. The Schimmel and Grotrian both hail from Braunsweig, Germany....

Printmakers in the NIU School of Art are celebrating a new U.S. News & World Report ranking that places their program in the nation’s top 20. NIU, tied with Syracuse University at No. 19, is one of only two schools on that prestigious honor roll that is neither a private art school nor a flagship...

Nearly 24 years had passed since NIU trumpet professor Mark Ponzo played alongside the New World Symphony’s Bill Williams. That changed Monday, March 5, when the duo took to the stage for a unique performance. The quirk – Ponzo was located at the NIU School of Music, while Williams performed from Miami Beach, Fla. The...

Before he retires this year, NIU music professor Robert Chappell will put together one more recital that promises to be funny, sentimental and, as usual, unforgettably entertaining. All of his past recitals have been special, but this one will be over the top without being over the top. He wants it to reflect his work,...

His Excellency Dr. Neil Parsan, ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States, will attend this weekend’s concert of the NIU Steel Band. Parsan, who is a veterinarian, contacted countryman Liam Teague a few months ago to learn more about the NIU School of Music and its international reputation for pushing...

Guitar players, young and old, expert or novice, are invited to NIU’s first 12-hour All Styles Guitar Day. The strumming and picking starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, in the Music Building. The day, or celebration as NIU guitar professor Fareed Haque calls it, will start with instruction, introduction and sharing of techniques and...

Rock legends Kansas will join the NIU Philharmonic for one spectacular Homecoming 2011 concert. This unforgettable Homecoming concert begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the NIU Convocation Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $37.50 to $22.50 and can be purchased at the NIU Convocation Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets,...