State University of New York-Buffalo

Here is how you deepen your passion for music. As a member of our tight-knit community, you will have the opportunity to study music from a variety of practical, historical and theoretical perspectives while exploring a myriad of career opportunities. Our dynamic collection of courses, ensembles, lectures and festivals will push you to develop your interests and share your talents, guided by our world-renowned faculty.

We're Always Listening, Always Learning

The University at Buffalo Department of Music offers performers, composers, and scholars a stimulating interdisciplinary environment in which to develop their talents. The department is a showcase for world-renowned musicians—a diverse, energetic faculty with international reputations in composition, academic research, and musical performance. The Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st-Century Music has been singled out as a Strategic Strength in the University's impressive 2020 plan, and reflects the Department's role as a forum for presenting and discussing contemporary music and scholarship.

Opportunities to Shine

Laura Aikin's Vocal Master Class.

We offer more than 150 public performances each year, as well as master classes and lectures by visiting scholars and artists. A wide range of performance opportunities are available to students, including participation in University Chorus, University Choir, UB Concert Band, UB Jazz Ensembles, UB Symphony Orchestra, UB Contemporary Ensemble and numerous smaller ensembles and chamber groups. A low faculty-to-student ratio and extensive individual instruction allows students to achieve their highest potential.

Students are also encouraged to form their own ensembles in which they can work on experimental genres under the guidance of the department’s diverse faculty. Other opportunities to study in the classroom include courses such as Music in the Movies, Music and Society, Rock Music and Electronic Music.

Global Impact

A musical performance in Slee Hall.

The faculty in the Department of Music is comprised of internationally known soloists, ensemble musicians, orchestral players, composers, music theorists and historical musicologists committed to preparing students for careers in music. The department’s low student-teacher ratio insures that students receive a high degree of individual instruction and supervision.

Graduates of the Department of Music, representing six continents, boast an extensive list of awards, accomplishments and appointments to academic faculties. To be a music student at UB is to be part of a uniquely collegial musical community marked by a dynamic exchange of ideas and a shared commitment to artistic and academic excellence.