VCUarts Music

08/26/2026

🎻✨ The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, praised as “furiously committed” by The New Yorker and recognized for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

🎶 The Mary Anne Rennolds Chamber Concert series presents Miró Quartet on Sunday, September 13 at 3:00pm in the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts - 922 Park Avenue, Richmond.

🎟 Tickets available here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/85580061/miro-quartet-with-david-shifrin-richmond-sonia-vlahcevic-concert-hallsingleton-center-for-the-performing-arts?gclid=

The GRAMMY®-nominated quartet has performed on the world’s most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. 🏆

Winner of both the Avery Fisher Career Grant (1987) and the Avery Fisher Prize (2000), David Shifrin is in constant demand as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber music collaborator.

Event page: Miró Quartet with David Shifrin

08/25/2026

✨🎹 Dr. Magdalena Adamek, Coordinator of Keyboard Area

🎼 What's one thing you wish more people knew?

"Many people assume classical piano is about “mathematical” accuracy and reproducing the written text: learn the notes, play them correctly, and the job is done. But the score is just a starting point.

The way a pianist varies tone by constantly adjusting the weight of the fingers on the keys, the way they shape a melody, apply breathing between phrases, manipulate the rhythmic flow, or conceive the piece’s architecture as the sound unfolds — none of this can be written down.

Two pianists can sit at the same piano, play the same Chopin nocturne, and create experiences so different you’d barely recognize it as the same piece. The same piano, and yet the possibilities are truly endless."

🎼 What drew you to music?

"My love for music began on my grandparents’ upright piano, long before I understood what classical music really was—I would often go to it to explore different sounds and play simple tunes by year.

Growing up in Poland, I would listen to legendary pianists on the radio and dream of playing like them one day. That passion deepened when I was accepted to one of Poland’s most prestigious institutions, the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw — now the Chopin University of Music, where I completed a five-year program earning a Master of Arts in Piano Performance. I then pursued further studies at the University of Alberta in Canada on a full scholarship, receiving additional scholarly awards along the way."

🎼 Read more about Dr. Magdalena Adamek
https://arts.vcu.edu/directory/magdalena-adamek/

08/20/2026

Happy first week of classes! 🎶
A new semester is here and we’ve got a lot of a full season of sound ahead 🫶 We’re excited to perform and create with you!

08/10/2026

🎻 The String Conducting Techniques and Score Study Workshop offers a one-day immersive experience for instrumental music educators seeking to enhance their conducting skills and deepen their musical knowledge through resourceful score study.

Interest form available here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019e515689ff71ef87cf07c2d472abef

Through interactive sessions, participants will conduct an ad hoc string orchestra, and receive individualized feedback from the clinician. Other sessions are designed to strengthen score study approaches. This professional development opportunity is ideal for current music educators.

Canadian-American conductor Daniel Myssyk has been Virginia Commonwealth University’s Director of Orchestral Activities since 2007. He was Assistant Conductor of the Richmond Symphony between 2018 and 2024, and Music Director of the Montreal-based Orchestre de chambre Appassionata from 2000 to 2016. He was recently named Principal Conductor of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival

08/10/2026

Freshman orientation is almost here! 🎶 New Rams, join us Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Singleton Center.

Here's how the day unfolds:
9:00 — Welcome to VCUarts Music!
9:05 — Department of Music Orientation
9:35 — Degree Success
10:15 — Break and transition
10:20 — Area Q&A
10:40 — Tours and Tips with your Area
11:15 — Music Theory or Keyboarding Placement Options / Interactive Activity
12:00 — Picnic & Ice Cream Social with Ensembles (bring your lunch!)

Come meet your area, explore the building, and connect with your ensembles. See you there!🍦

07/29/2026

Meet Tabatha Easley, Professor of Flute at VCUarts Music 🎵

⭐ On the composer she keeps coming back to: "I love promoting pieces by female composers, especially the music of Valerie Coleman, composer and flutist extraordinaire!"

💫 One thing she wants you to know about the flute: "Making a sound on the flute is not the same as blowing on a soda bottle lol"

🌟 This summer she's taking her music on the road with performances on Cape Cod and at the National Flute Association Convention in Portland, OR. Traveling and music: two of her favorite things. 💫

07/25/2026

Meet Duane Coston, Associate Director of Bands at VCUarts Music 🎷

🌟 What he wishes more people knew about VCU Bands: "I'd like for people to know we are programming exciting music that appeals to all audiences. Help us fulfill this dream and attend a band concert in 2026 to 2027!"

💫 On his teaching philosophy: "Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy music. I am here to serve and mentor tomorrow's performers, educators, creators and consumers of music."

⭐ This summer he's leading VCU's 4th annual Middle School Summer Band Camp with over 90 musicians registered, the program's biggest class yet.
arts.vcu.edu/music/pre-college-programs/

He's also heading back to the classroom himself as a newly accepted doctoral student in VCU's EdD program. Keep up with @ VCU Bands 🌟

07/22/2026

Meet Dr. Chris Hansen, Director of Choral Activities at VCUarts Music 🎶

✨ On what drew him to music: "I've always been drawn to the human side of music. Choir taught me that people from different backgrounds can come together to create something beautiful that none of us could achieve alone."

✨ One thing he wishes more people knew about choral music: "Choir is for everyone. You do not need to be an exceptional solo singer, and you do not need to be an expert music reader to belong in a choir. Choral singing is rooted in community, collaboration, and shared human expression—not individual perfection. Research continues to show that singing in a choir supports physical, emotional, and social well-being. At its core, choir helps fulfill some of our most fundamental human needs: to belong, to be loved, to learn, and to find purpose. The beauty of a choir is that every voice matters."

✨ This summer he's making his international conducting debut in Austria leading two choral performances — one in Vienna and another in Salzburg. He's also soaking up time with his son before he heads off to college with motorcycle camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Kings Dominion, and more.

Follow @ VCU Choirs and stay tuned for more faculty spotlights all summer ✨

06/29/2026

Goochland County Public Schools is searching for an Elementary Music teacher for Goochland Elementary school for the 2026 - 2027 school year. Their small community is an outstanding place to work offering educational excellence, competitive pay for our teachers and a friendly professional environment.

Applications can be submitted using the GCPS website.

Frontline Recruiting and Hiring, Applicant Tracking for Educators. Online Job Employment Applications, Web Based Employment Applications for School Districts and Educational Institutions.

05/29/2026

🌟 The VCU Commonwealth Singers have been selected to perform at the 2026 VMEA - Virginia Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference, November 19 to 21, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center

The evening before the conference opens, join us for a FREE public concert featuring the Commonwealth Singers, Vox Concordia, the Choral Arts Society, and the Vocal Chamber Ensemble.

Pre-conference concert: Tuesday, November 17 in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall, 922 Park Ave, Richmond

VMEA Conference: November 19 to 21 | Greater Richmond Convention Center | Free to all registered attendees

arts.vcu.edu/music