PLU’s Weathermon Jazz Festival to Feature Acclaimed Musician Aubrey Logan

The Pacific Lutheran University Department of Music and the Dick and Helen Weathermon Joyful Noise Endowment for Jazz Studies will host the PLU Weathermon Jazz Festival on Tuesday, March 21. The public is invited to the festival’s evening concert showcase featuring Aubrey Logan, the PLU…

Horn & Fixed Media Premiere at Octave 9 in Seattle

Professor of Music  Dr. Gina Gillie  recently premiered her first electroacoustic music composition at Seattle Symphony’s Octave 9. Titled “Pale Blue Dot for solo horn and fixed media,” the piece is inspired by the  1991 photograph  taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft as well as…

Two Anniversaries, One World Premiere

Music Professor Emeritus Jerry Kracht (conductor, University Symphony Orchestra, 1967-2001) was ready and waiting to celebrate two significant anniversaries in the Department of Music at PLU: ready since 2013 when he composed Fanfare, Fantasia and Finale (On a locally familiar tune) , and waiting until…

Dr. Gina Gillie Recognized for Composition

The International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC) announced that Dr. Gina Gillie, Pacific Lutheran University Professor of French Horn, is the winner of the 2022 Composition Competition. Submissions for the competition were received from around the globe and selections were made by a committee of IWBC…

Holiday Music Events

The end of the semester is always a busy period for our students. This year we’re grateful that we’re able to share our students’ hard work with the public with several live, in-person concert experiences in December. Keep reading for more information about what’s going…

Springing Forward with Guest Artists

Spring is almost here. We just set our clocks forward an hour and throughout this semester students will have plenty of master classes to anticipate with an incredible variety of guest artists from disciplines. Keep reading to hear about the talented musicians, educators, and composers!…

Outdoor Opera Rehearsal

Opera students spent a sunny but chilly March afternoon rehearsing under a tent in Red Square for an upcoming production of Die Fledermaus on May 21-22. Because of the ever-changing nature of the global pandemic, we won’t know for several weeks if it will be…

Vocal Master Classes in Spring 2021

Dr. James L. Brown , Professor of Music and Chair of Vocal Studies has announced the list of vocal and musical talents who will be working with voice students during Spring Semester. The presenters will be: Audrey Luna , star soprano who set a world…

Harpsichord Donated to PLU Music Program

We are grateful to the family of Jeanette Pilgrim, who donated her personal harpsichord to the Music Department. This unique instrument constructed by Kenneth Bakeman in 1980 has two keyboards and a pedal division with painted motifs on the lid and soundboard. Instruments built by…

It’s Music to My Ears: Tips for Scholarship Applicants

We’re in a brave new world of all-online scholarship application and adjudication process. Students entering PLU in fall 2021 as a first-year or transfer student with an interest in Music can still apply for an Artistic Achievement Award. Read more in this blog post for…

Rhapsody in Zoom: Recap of Fall Master Classes

Online learning during the pandemic has presented multiple challenges to professors and students alike. But one of the shining diamonds to grow out of this pressured environment has been the creation of new opportunities for virtual master classes. Guest artists from around the state and…

Music Lessons in the Time of Corona

As we begin an unprecedented school year, our students and faculty have adapted to continue their study of music while practicing safety measures such as wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and rehearsing outside in the fresh air. Scroll through these photos to see how PLU…

Introducing New Music Faculty Kate Olson

Saxophonist Kate Olson is the newest member of the Music faculty in PLU’s Jazz program . A talented improviser and dedicated educator, Kate has lived in Washington since 2010. She has collaborated with many jazz groups and also performs with her own projects, KO SOLO…

Fall 2020 Masterclass Announcement

The Department of Music is excited to announce some of our special lecturers and master class leaders who will work with music students in all areas including voice, instruments, and composition. This incredible group of professionals has been recruited by our dedicated faculty for the…