John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University

John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University A music education that elevates your future.

The Cali School nurtures creative exploration and the development of nearly 450 students. It presents over 250 performances and masterclasses each year by students, faculty, guest artists, and the eminent Shanghai Quartet, whose members have been artists-in-residence since 2002. The Cali School makes its home in a 1928 building near the entrance of campus that was renovated and expanded in 2009. I

t provides Steinway pianos throughout its classroom and rehearsal spaces and in the 235-seat Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall, where solo and small ensembles perform. Large ensembles and opera productions take place in the Alexander Kasser Theater nearby. Please explore the website, montclair.edu/music, for details about our programs and the admissions process.

✨WELCOME BACK! John J Cali School Of Music! 🎶We hope you have all had great and restful summer, and are ready to begin t...
08/28/2026

✨WELCOME BACK! John J Cali School Of Music! 🎶

We hope you have all had great and restful summer, and are ready to begin the semester starting today!

REMINDERS⚠️
~ Classes today August 28th are on a normal Friday Schedule
~ If you would like to register for a large/tall locker, please scan the QR code outside of the main office starting at 8:30AM (Room 144) First come first

The start of a great semester begins now! More news to come within the next few weeks 👀

Welcome back Cali Family, happy first day of school!

08/27/2026

New to Cali? 🎶 Our students have some advice for you.

From getting involved and going to performances to making connections and saying yes to new experiences, here are a few things they wish every first-year music student knew.

Welcome to Cali. ❤️🎵

It’s a big residency year at the Cali School, and we are all about it!MEET OUR GUESTS.Join us for the sixth annual Cali ...
08/26/2026

It’s a big residency year at the Cali School, and we are all about it!

MEET OUR GUESTS.

Join us for the sixth annual Cali Immersive Residency Program, bringing an incredible lineup of world-class artists and ensembles right into the Cali community. Throughout the year, our guests will perform, teach, collaborate, create, and connect with students through master classes, workshops, conversations, performances, and special events.

This is what a Cali residency is all about: getting up close to extraordinary artists, trying something new, making connections, and seeing where a life in music can take you.

Come hear them. Learn from them. Work with them. Be part of it.

Meet the artists, explore the full season, and see what’s coming next at montclair.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/immersive-residency. [link in bio]

Gabriel Kahane PUBLIQuartet Dance Heginbotham Chloe Flower Jake Runestad Larry Brownlee Terence Blanchard Seraph Brass

Meet Gabriel Kahane, Cali’s 2026–27 Artist-in-Residence. Gabriel Kahane Gabriel is a musician and storyteller whose work...
08/20/2026

Meet Gabriel Kahane, Cali’s 2026–27 Artist-in-Residence. Gabriel Kahane

Gabriel is a musician and storyteller whose work has taken him from Broadway and BAM to concert halls across the U.S. and Europe.

He has released five albums as a singer-songwriter, along with orchestral and chamber music recordings, and this year released Elevator Songs with Roomful of Teeth. His collaborators include Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, Caroline Shaw and Attacca Quartet.

He’s also a writer, with work published in The Atlantic, The New Yorker and The New York Times, as well as his newsletter, Words and Music.

Throughout the year, Gabriel will spend time at Cali working with students, sharing his creative process and developing an Artist Vision Project with the Cali community.

Come meet Gabriel at the first Cali Midweek of the year!
Wednesday, September 2 at 2 p.m.
Leshowitz Recital Hall, Cali School of Music

We’re VERY excited to see what takes shape this year.

Welcome to Cali, Gabriel!

Learn more at the link in bio:
https://bit.ly/Cali-AIR-Gabriel-Kahane

College of the Arts at Montclair State University calipathwaysproject The brass studio at the Cali School of Music Montclair State University Opera Montclair State University Choral Activities Montclair State University Strings Montclair State Symphony Orchestra Montclair Bands Montclair State University Composition Department Montclair State University Woodwind Department Montclair State Jazz Studies

We are happy to announce some great news!The Cali Opera (2024-25) productions of “Hansel & Gretel” (Humperdinck) (Karen ...
07/07/2026

We are happy to announce some great news!

The Cali Opera (2024-25) productions of “Hansel & Gretel” (Humperdinck) (Karen Driscoll, director and William Hobbs, conductor) and La Calisto (Cavalli) (REbecca Jo Loeb, director, Kyle Ritenauer, conductor) have just been selected as finalists in the Opera Performance—college/university (smaller program), 2026 division of The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts. Here's the link: https://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/?m=1

The American Prize will be announcing winners in the division soon.

None of this would be possible without the support of the amazing singers, instrumentalists, teachers and coaches who made these productions such a huge success!

Montclair State University Opera

🎹 The 15th Annual Taubman Piano Festival returns to Montclair State University’s Cali School of Music, June 27–28, 2026!...
06/09/2026

🎹 The 15th Annual Taubman Piano Festival returns to Montclair State University’s Cali School of Music, June 27–28, 2026!

This highly successful annual festival brings exceptional piano artists, teachers, and participants to campus for a weekend of lectures, master classes, private lessons, and public recitals.

This year’s public recitals feature two extraordinary artists:

✨ Esteban Castro
Saturday, June 27 at 4:00 p.m.
A Juilliard full-scholarship student, pianist/composer, and the youngest-ever winner of the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition.

✨ Fei-Fei
Sunday, June 28 at 4:00 p.m.
A Concert Artists Guild Competition winner and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition finalist, acclaimed for her poetic artistry and captivating stage presence.

Both recitals are open to the public.
Admission: $20, payable at the door.

For more information, visit taubmanuniversalapproach.org or contact Dr. David Witten at [email protected]

Cali students Thomas Chin, Basil Blasa and Emmett Miller caught Cali faculty member Benjamin Baron performing in Bryant ...
05/12/2026

Cali students Thomas Chin, Basil Blasa and Emmett Miller caught Cali faculty member Benjamin Baron performing in Bryant Park with the American Symphony Orchestra chamber group, led by percussionist and composer Javier Diaz, who also happens to be married to our own oboe faculty member Toyin Spellman-Diaz.

The free program, “Afrocubanismo: African Music and Modernity in Cuba”, is part of Diaz’s Contrapunto Musical series, exploring the deep musical connections between Cuba and the United States through chamber music, Afro-Cuban traditions and contemporary concert music.

There’s one more chance to hear this fantastic program:

Tuesday, May 12
5:30 p.m.
Bryant Park Upper Terrace
Free!

Stop by for an after-work concert in the park.

A new generation of musicians celebrates America’s musical legacy at Trinity Church NYC.On Tuesday, June 2, Cali School ...
05/12/2026

A new generation of musicians celebrates America’s musical legacy at Trinity Church NYC.

On Tuesday, June 2, Cali School of Music brass musicians join forces with NOVUS NY and JAZZ HOUSE KiDS for Music at 250: American Legacy, a special free concert presented as part of Trinity’s commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary.

Featuring works by Mary Lou Williams, Margaret Bonds, Florence Price, and Sawney Freeman, the program honors voices that helped shape American music while spotlighting the artists carrying that story forward.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Trinity Church Wall Street, NYC
Free admission

Learn more at https://bit.ly/trinity-250

Cali at the Met Gala.Professor of Harp Kathryn Andrews performed at the 2026 Met Gala last Monday as part of a six-harp ...
05/11/2026

Cali at the Met Gala.

Professor of Harp Kathryn Andrews performed at the 2026 Met Gala last Monday as part of a six-harp ensemble for the evening’s performance.

Kathryn is pictured second from the left in this Vogue photo by Poupay Jutharat, and yes, casually rubbing elbows with A-list stars including Heidi Klum, Marcello Hernandez, Janelle Monáe, Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny.

A pretty incredible stage for one of our own. Congratulations, Kathryn!

Photo credit: Vogue / Poupay Jutharat

Congratulations to Karen Driscoll, Head of Artistic Operations/Opera and Assistant Teaching Professor of Voice at the Ca...
05/05/2026

Congratulations to Karen Driscoll, Head of Artistic Operations/Opera and Assistant Teaching Professor of Voice at the Cali School of Music, on receiving Montclair State University’s 2026 Teaching Faculty Award.

Karen was recognized at the May Faculty Showcase for her innovative teaching, her commitment to student learning and belonging, and the care she brings to mentoring the next generation of artists. She has strengthened the Opera program at the Cali School in so many ways, and this honor comes hot off the heels of two successful Opera Workshop productions this weekend!

Brava, Karen! A well-deserved honor.

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Montclair, NJ
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