Department of Music

Music Department

Jazz Ensemble Fall Concert

Fall 24 jazz concert poster

Join us for the Union College Jazz Ensemble Fall Concert

Wednesday, November 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Emerson Auditorium, Taylor Music Center

Free and open to the public.

Featuring the music of Count Basie, Michael Bublé, Sam Cooke, Doris Day, Van Morrison, Charles Mingus, Tim Olsen, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder.

The Early Music Ensemble Fall Concert

early music ensemble fall concert

Music from the Baroque and Viennese Eras:
Telemann, Sammartini, Hoffer, and Vanhal

Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
Emerson Auditorium, Taylor Music Center

Free admission and open to the public.

AMU-140 Final Concert Project

AMU 140 Final project concert

Join us for an evening of digital compositions by students in Music Technology 1

Friday, November 15 at 6:40 p.m.
Emerson Auditorium, Taylor Music Center

Free and open to the public.

Winter 2025 Music Courses

winter music courses

AMU 101 Music Theory 1 Prof Chandler | MWF 11:45am-12:50pm

AMU 110 Class Piano 1 Section 01 Prof McMullen | TTH 10:55am-12:40pm

AMU 110 Class Piano 1 Section 02 Prof McMullen | TTH 1:55pm-3:40pm

AMU 160 From Chant to Mozart Prof McMullen | MW 3:05pm-4:45pm

AMU 202 Musical Thinking Prof Olsen | MWF 10:30am-11:35am

AMU 240 Music Tech 2 Prof Chandler | MWF 1:50pm-2:55pm

AMU 320 East Asian Music Cultures Prof Matsue | MW 3:05pm-4:45pm

Ensembles

AMU 012 Japanese Drumming Ensemble Prof Matsue | TH 6:30pm-9:00pm

AMU 014 Concert Choir Prof Byun | TTH 5:00pm-6:15pm

AMU 015 Jazz Ensemble Prof Olsen | W 7:00pm-9:00pm

AMU 016 Schola Cantorum Prof Byun | TH 5:00pm-7:00pm

AMU 017 Orchestra Prof Byun | T 7:00pm-9:15pm

AMU 018 Early Music Ensemble Prof McMullen |

M 7:00pm-9:00pm, TBD

Hollander Prize

Ryder Mollo ‘26, Ben Pistiner ‘27 and Leo Weisberger ‘26 were presented with the Hollander Convocation Music Prize by Jennifer Matsue, professor of music and chair of the department.

Ryder Mollo ‘26, Leo Weisberger ‘26 and Ben Pistiner ‘27 perform legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane’s rendition of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things.” The students were presented with the Hollander Convocation Music Prize by Jennifer Matsue, professor of music and chair of the department.

Ryder Mollo ‘26, Ben Pistiner ‘27 and Leo Weisberger ‘26 were presented with the Hollander Convocation Music Prize by Jennifer Matsue, professor of music and chair of the department. The prize was established by the late Lawrence J. Hollander, dean of engineering emeritus. The students performed legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane’s rendition of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things.”

Aaron Rueter ’25 performs with Philadelphia Orchestra

Philadelphia Philharmonic

Rueter, a tenor, joined an international roster of vocalists alongside Albany Pro Musica, the Capital Region’s preeminent choral ensemble, in a performance of Carl Orff’s iconic Carmina Burana cantata. Read more here.

Department of Music 24/25 Course Offerings

Music courses for 2024/2025 school year

Fall 2024 Courses

AMU 100 Elements of Music Theory
AMU 134 Music and Culture of Africa
AMU 140 Music Tech 1: Transforming Sound, Making Music (two sections)
AMU 160 From Chant to Mozart
AMU 212 Bach, Handel and their predecessors
AMU 300 Music Theory 3

Winter 2025 Courses

AMU 101 Music Theory: Materials and Design 1
AMU 110 Class Piano 1
AMU 161 From Beethoven to Bernstein
AMU 320 Encounters with East Asian Music Cultures
AMU 202 Musical Thinking: World and Pop
AMU 240 Music Tech 2: Recording, Mixing and Synthesizing Sound

Spring 2025 Courses

AMU 132 History of Jazz
AMU 201 Music Theory: Materials and Design 2
AMU 232 Jazz Workshop
AMU 2XX Data Sonification
AMU 2XX Music and Trauma: Comfort Women, Holocaust, Hiroshima, Music, and Cultural Understanding during WWII

Ensembles

AMU 012 Japanese Drumming
AMU 014 Concert Choir
AMU 015 Jazz
AMU 016 Schola Cantorum
AMU 017 Union College and Community Orchestra
AMU 018 Early Music

Overview

Union College offers a wide variety of courses in music theory, music technology, composition, music history, world music, and jazz studies. The music faculty are incredibly Interdisciplinary, and offer courses that intersect with other departments and programs across campus. Students enjoy many opportunities to perform in our numerous ensembles and develop musicianship through private lessons. We offer a Major, ID, Minor and a Global and Popular Musics Minor.