Washington and Lee University Department of Music

Washington and Lee University Department of Music Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Washington and Lee University Department of Music, College & University, 204 W. Washington Street, Lexington, VA.

The Washington and Lee University Department of Music provides exceptional experiences in music training in the context of an education in the liberal arts tradition by developing students' abilities to perform, create, contextualize and analyze music.

The Department of Music will present a final performance for the academic year with a commencement concert featuring the...
05/25/2026

The Department of Music will present a final performance for the academic year with a commencement concert featuring the University Singers on May 26 at 8 p.m. in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The concert is free and open to the public, and no tickets are required.

“The Commencement Concert is such an important event on our calendar every year,” said Lynch, professor of music and director of choral activities. “For many singers, they have been in multiple performances where their family has never been able to hear them live due to the distance and logistical challenges involved. As good as our livestream technology is, it is just not the same as being in the same room and sharing the same energy with one another. This concert gives so many people the only chance to experience something special together.”

The concert will feature favorite works from throughout the 2025-2026 season selected by the group’s graduating seniors. Musical styles presented will represent a wide variety of choral genres and, as always, the group will close the concert with “Shenandoah,” arranged by James Erb.

⚡️Reminiscing on the memories of Dr. Akiko Konishi’s Winter 2026 course, MUS 122: Game Changers in Rock: Glam Rock and G...
05/20/2026

⚡️Reminiscing on the memories of Dr. Akiko Konishi’s Winter 2026 course, MUS 122: Game Changers in Rock: Glam Rock and Glam Metal, 1970–1990. 🤘🏻👩🏻‍🎤

Students embodied the personas of the artists they had spent the term learning about, for their final project. It was a star-studded event, featuring performances ranging from Elton John to Mötley Crüe. 🎸

Complete with elaborate costumes, stage makeup, and electrifying performances, the class brought the term to a close by bringing the era of glam rock and glam metal back to life in unforgettable fashion. 🤩

📸: Dr. Konishi

FDR: Fine Arts (HA) - (3) credits
Offered during Winter term. Be on the lookout! 🕶️

Concert Guild: Magdalena Adamek, piano"Echoes of Poland" Friday, May 15, 2026 at 7 p.m.Wilson Concert HallNo tickets are...
05/12/2026

Concert Guild: Magdalena Adamek, piano
"Echoes of Poland"

Friday, May 15, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Wilson Concert Hall
No tickets are required.

Polish pianist Magdalena Adamek presents an evocative program of works by composers from her homeland. Featured composers include Chopin, Szymanowka, Bacewicz, and Paderewski.

Dr. Adamek holds degrees from the Chopin Academy of Music (Poland) and the University of Alberta (Canada), and her discography includes five CDs on the Polish label Acte Prealable. Her projects have been supported by prestigious institutions such as the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies and the Kosciuszko Foundation of America.

Dr. Adamek is currently Coordinator of Keyboard Studies and full-time piano faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches applied piano, piano ensembles, accompanying while also collaborating with faculty and guest artists on stylistically and culturally diverse projects.

Join the Department of Music for “Faculty Fusion: Celebrating Musical Collaboration,” on May 12 at 8 p.m. in the Wilson ...
05/11/2026

Join the Department of Music for “Faculty Fusion: Celebrating Musical Collaboration,” on May 12 at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The performance is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

The performance will feature the talents of many faculty members in the Department of Music, uniting their skills to showcase the versatility of their performance styles.

The recital will highlight a variety of collaborations and bring together different artists and instruments to create a captivating blend of musical styles and expressions.

For a full list of events, visit the Department of Music’s website.

05/08/2026

Join the Department of Music for their faculty recital, “Faculty Fusion: Celebrating Musical Collaboration,” on May 12 at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts. The p…

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents a performance by Anima e Grazia to celebrate Mother’s ...
05/06/2026

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents a performance by Anima e Grazia to celebrate Mother’s Day at 3:00 p.m. on May 10, 2026, in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center of the Arts.

The local duo Anima e Grazia, featuring cellist Julia Goudimova and pianist Anna Billias, will host a special Mother’s Day recital highlighting a range of cherished musical selections. Designed as a meaningful tribute, the performance will offer a memorable and intimate experience, celebrating mothers through rich, expressive arrangements. Accompanying the music, Niloofar Gholamrezaei, visiting assistant professor of art, will present evocative digital visuals, creating a dynamic and immersive dialogue between image and sound.

Billias, a lecturer in music at W&L, studied as a concert pianist at the Prokofiev State Academy of Music in Donetsk, Ukraine, where she obtained advanced degrees in both piano performance and teaching. She has appeared in venues worldwide and is a member of the Marlbrook Chamber Players, a prominent ensemble in the broader Rockbridge County area.

A native of Moscow, Goudimova began studying the cello at 7 years old and later graduated from the Belarus Academy of Music. Following the completion of her higher education, Goudimova went on to perform with ensembles across Belarus, Moldova, South Korea, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. She now serves as a lecturer in music at W&L and remains active in symphony orchestras and chamber music throughout southwestern Virginia, including as a member of the Saturn String Quartet and the Marlbrook Chamber Players.

The performance is free and open to the public.

For a full list of events, visit the Department of Music’s website.

05/06/2026

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents a performance by Anima e Grazia to celebrate Mother’s Day at 3 p.m. on May 10 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center of the A…

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents cellist Anita Graef in concert at 7:00 PM on Friday, M...
05/04/2026

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents cellist Anita Graef in concert at 7:00 PM on Friday, May 8, 2026 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The event is sponsored by the department’s Concert Guild series, which brings professional performing artists to campus each year for concerts and masterclasses.

Graef’s solo recital will feature works by female composers, including Sofia Gubaidulina and Kaija Saariaho, highlighting the expansion of the canon of repertoire for the cello in the 21st century, particularly by under-recognized compositional voices. The program will explore themes of cross-cultural convergence, soundscape transformation and musical adventure.

Graef is a Chicago-based cellist who has appeared extensively throughout North America and Europe in concerto, recital and chamber music engagements. She began playing cello at an early age, making her concerto debut at 12. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.

Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center Box Office at (540) 458-8000 for ticket information. Box office hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $12 for W&L faculty and staff; W&L students receive free tickets by showing their student identification.

For a full list of events, visit the Department of Music’s website.

This past February, students from the Instrumental Conducting Mentorship Program traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, t...
04/30/2026

This past February, students from the Instrumental Conducting Mentorship Program traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, to attend the 2026 College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) National Conference at the University of Rhode Island.

The conference included workshops, masterclasses, panel sessions, and concerts, where participants were surrounded by a vibrant community of conductors, educators, and emerging musicians from across the country.

Ayame Merkel ’28 reflected on the passion of presenters and clinicians. “They displayed such deep passion for their craft through presentations, masterclasses, and their eagerness to connect with the next generation of conductors,” she said.

A highlight of the conference was a student conducting masterclass with guest clinician Diane Wittry, who offered thoughtful praise and feedback that helped participants refine their technique and grow in confidence in real time. Students also attended sessions such as CODA’s Women’s Advocacy Initiative, highlighting underrepresented women composers and conductors.

For Cayla Nelson ’28, the sense of community stood out most. “The community there was so supportive, and I felt very much at home despite it being my first CODA.” She also connected with members of the W&L network, including ’22 alum Missy Thomas, and found student-focused sessions especially valuable to her for building community in the W&L Orchestra.

As a CODA member and Director of Instrumental Activities at W&L, Dr. Chris Dobbins has long championed for opportunities like this. He said, “Our trip to Rhode Island was amazing. CODA gives students space to attend workshops, masterclasses, panel sessions, and concerts, while also networking with peers and professionals.”

Student travel was supported in part by the Bradford C. Gooch ’58 Endowment for Music, which funds conference travel and off-campus learning opportunities.

The RCHS Jazz Combo Band, under the direction of Calvin Clark, and the W&L Jazz Ensemble, directed by Terry Vosbein, pro...
04/09/2026

The RCHS Jazz Combo Band, under the direction of Calvin Clark, and the W&L Jazz Ensemble, directed by Terry Vosbein, professor of music, composition and music theory at W&L, will reunite onstage for their annual celebration at 8 p.m. on April 9 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts. The collaboration will bring together seasoned college performers and rising high school talent to showcase the best of their season’s work.

The performance is free and open to the public and tickets are not required. The event will also be streamed online at https://go.wlu.edu/livestream.

The performance will feature big band arrangements, standout soloists and high-energy swing. The concert will culminate with a joint performance featuring both bands on stage together, premiering an original composition by Terry Vosbein written exclusively for this event.

One of the ensemble’s first-year students, Maia Adolphus, who plays alto saxophone, has a remarkable connection to one of the songs that will be featured, “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”

Maia’s great-grandfather, Milton Adolphus, composed the melody in 1930 while still in his teens. During the early 1930s, he was a pianist and arranger in stage shows and dance bands, participating fully in the professional popular-music world of the period. Contemporary documentation and newspaper accounts indicate that in 1930, he sold the song outright for $12.50, relinquishing any future ownership or royalty interest. The piece was later published and credited to other composers, with lyrics supplied by a third author, and it eventually became one of the most frequently recorded standards in American popular music.

A manuscript was later found titled “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” dated January 6, 1930, in Milton Adolphus’s hand, documenting the melody nearly a year before the later copyright claim.

The ensemble will perform Vosbein’s arrangement of the song with Maia feature

Address

204 W. Washington Street
Lexington, VA
24450

Website

http://go.wlu.edu/livestream, https://linktr.ee/WLU_Music

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Washington and Lee University Department of Music posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category