Including a Pulitzer Prize–winning composer, a Grammy winner, and a MacArthur Fellow, the Music faculty (ranked 2nd of 65 reviewed by the National Research Council) have interests that range from medieval music and liturgy to atonal pitch theory.
Areas of study include music history, music theory, ethnomusicology, and composition. Courses cover the history of Western music, music analysis and criticism, world music, and the basics of composition; and explore the theory and analysis of music, harmony and voice leading, topics in music history and popular music, composition and computer music, and music from various regions of the world. Many students attain departmental honors status by writing a large-scale BA paper or composition. Students may also pursue a minor in music, an increasingly popular option within the College. Students have access to a computer music studio and practice rooms.
Over 550 talented musicians from throughout the University and community join together in the Department of Music’s Performance Program, presenting over 100 concerts per year. Ensembles and programs include the University Symphony Orchestra, University Wind Ensemble, University Chamber Orchestra, University Chorus, Motet Choir, Rockefeller Chapel Choir, Jazz X-tet, New Music Ensemble, Middle East Music Ensemble, Central Javanese Gamelan, Chamber Music Program, and Piano Program. Enhanced by the vibrant cultural life of the city, Chicago’s extra-curricular Performance Program offers rich and varied opportunities for musicians of all interests and levels.
An undergraduate degree from UChicago is excellent preparation for further study. Music majors from Chicago have been accepted to the finest graduate music programs, including Harvard, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and Indiana. Many have later secured faculty positions at leading colleges and universities or achieved careers as singers, instrumentalists, and conductors.
Students in other fields of study may complete a minor in Music.