UCF Music

The Official UCF Music Department page 🎶 Check back often for upcoming events, highlights, and information on how you can be invoved in UCF Music

08/31/2026

Welcome back, UCF Music!

Last week, we kicked off the 2026-27 school year with the first week of classes and welcomed one of music’s biggest student cohorts in recent years.

Go Knights! It’s going to be a great year 🎶

08/18/2026

Join the UCF Wind Ensemble and UCF Symphonic Band for "Stories We Share," an evening of music at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts that celebrates the experiences, traditions, and connections that unite us. Featuring a special guest appearance by the Seminole High School Wind Ensemble, this concert brings together musicians from across generations to celebrate the power of music to inspire, connect, and tell the stories that define us all.

Purchase tickets here: www.drphillipscenter.org/show/stories-we-share-jr4y

08/07/2026

Jeff Rupert, director of UCF's jazz program, released a new album, "Sea Spell," in June with his band, Jeff Rupert Quartet. This week, "Sea Spell" hit #19 on JAZZ WEEK and #13 on the NACC charts!

The album also features UCF Jazz instructor Richard Drexler on piano, alongside Marty Morrel on drums and Ben Kramer on bass.

07/16/2026

Thank you to all who made our 2026 summer music camps and clinics successful! Stay tuned for 2027 dates and details.

06/15/2026

That's a wrap on our summer Flute and Clarinet Boot Camps! Many thanks to Rié Suzuki, UCF clarinet professor, Nora Lee García, UCF flute professor, and all participants, for another successful year. Stay tuned for 2027 registration. Up next (this week): Summer Flute and Piccolo Institute!

05/20/2026

Summer music camps kicked off last weekend with UCF Cello Day!

Led by David Bjella, cellist and professor of cello at UCF, Cello Day gave 7th through 12th grade students a full-day intensive focused on building technique, establishing strong foundational skills, and training for the All-State prep. These students worked hard, performed well and had fun!

Up next: Clarinet, Flute, Flute and Piccolo, Percussion, and High School and Middle School Brass.

Learn more about UCF Music camps here: https://cah.ucf.edu/performingarts/camps/

05/07/2026

Dave Schreier, UCF’s assistant director of bands, has been nominated 14 times for a UCF College of Arts & Humanities staff recognition award, and today he took one home🏆

Well deserved, Dave 👏 We appreciate everything you do for UCF School of Performing Arts, UCF Bands, and UCF Music!

05/04/2026

UCF Choirs are finishing the 25/26 school year strong in concert with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at Steinmetz Hall, May 9 & 10. Joined by Richard Crawley, UCF musical theatre professor, and other acclaimed soloists, this concert features Beethoven’s final symphony, Symphony No. 9.

04/30/2026

In honor of International Jazz Day, we're taking you back to the premier of "An Artist's Frame for Orlando," composed by Jeff Rupert, director of UCF's jazz program, and performed by the Flying Horse Big Band, UCF's top jazz band.

On April 4, 2026, at UCF Celebrates the Arts, Orlando audiences were awed by Rupert's five movement suite, each a perspective on Orlando's cultural scene.

Rupert moved from metro New York to Orlando in 1995, not knowing what to expect. He quickly discovered Orlando's deep roots in music, which have had a profound effect on him as an artist, educator, and person, ever since.

If you were lucky enough to experience the concert, you heard "Wells Built This," "Sea Spell," "Ditty for the City," "El Alma De Orlando," and "The Hot Spot" live at Steinmetz Hall.

If you missed it, you'll love the new album 🎷Coming soon ✨

📸 Drew Lofredo

04/27/2026

Help us congratulate the students who received awards at UCF Music’s Annual Honors Forum 🎶

We’re so proud of our students’ commitment to excellence in music, performance, education, and service. Go Knights, Charge On ⚔️

The Performance Excellence Award
First place - Andres Diaz
Second place - Michael Weatherly

Phi Mu Alpha Man of Music Scholarship
Nishanth Shodavaram

Jack Williams Memorial Scholarship
Grace Singh

John R. Quello Music Scholarship
Andres Diaz

Dr. Gale Sperry Music Scholarship
Elaina Phelps

The Jose and Mimi Fernandez Scholarship
Valerie Albu

The Marshall Family Opera Scholarship
Frederick Brown

Sandy Jones Opera Award
Casey Wynn

Dr. Mary Palmer Book Award
Logan Grzybowski

James and Robert Meckley Outstanding Sophomore Award
Taylor Ribaric

The Marilyn Whisler Award
Joshua Manning-Martinez

Presser Foundation Music Scholarship
Cameron Cummins

Address

12488 Centaurus Boulevard, Music Rm M203
Orlando, FL
32816

Telephone

+14078232869

Website

http://www.music.ucf.edu/

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