We offer undergraduates the opportunity to major or minor in music, affording students across the university access to first-rate faculty and providing performance opportunities in a wide range of ensembles. Our graduate programs in composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory have produced leading scholars and award-winning artists.
News
In Memoriam Richard Wernick, Penn Music Professor Emeritus
Richard Wernick, Penn Music Professor Emeritus, died on April 25, 2025, at the age of 91. Serving on the Penn faculty from 1968 to 1996, Wernick was a central figure in the university’s composition program, mentoring generations of
Natacha Diels Premieres "Adrift" on BBC Radio 3's "New Music Show"
On Tuesday, Penn Music Professor Natacha Diels premiered her new work, "Adrift," on BBC Radio 3's "New Music Show: Boulez at 100 – Reimagined," hosted by Kate Molleson and Tom Service.
Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Penn Music Composition Competition
Each year, the Music Department invites Penn undergraduate and graduate students to submit original composition for the David Halstead Music Prize, Hilda K. Nitzsche Prize in Music, and Helen L. Weiss Music Prize.
Graduate Students Andrew Burke and Max Johnson Receive 2025 Sachs Program Student Grants
Penn Music Graduate Students in Composition, Andrew Burke and Max Johnson, have been selected as recipients of the 2025 Student Grant Awards from the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania.
Graduate Student Echezonachukwu Nduka Discusses African Pianism in West African Art Music Festival
From February 12–14, the West African Art Music Festival at the New England Conservatory brought together musicians, scholars, and students to explore the intersection of West African and European musical traditions.
Penn Music Alum Gabrielle Gillen Showcases Versatility in New Album
Gabrielle Gillen, a Penn Music alum and former participant in the Marian Anderson Performance Program, has released her new album, "Beginnings of Love." Written, recorded, and produced by Gillen over four years, the 14-track album is a d
Graduate Student Sophia Cocozza Named 2025 Dean’s Scholar
Penn Music is proud to share that Sophia Cocozza, graduate student in Historical Musicology, has been named a Dean’s Scholar for 2025!
Music Minor Grace Gramins Finds Harmony Between Music and Business with Support from Penn Music
Grace Gramins, a Wharton undergraduate minoring in Popular Music and Jazz Studies, was recently featured in Penn Today and Wharton Stories for her unique fusion of music and business.
Wenxin Tu (C’24) Curates Exhibit Showing a Correspondence between Marian Anderson and Florence Price
Penn Music graduate Wenxin Tu, C’24, has curated an exhibit in the Ormandy Music Gallery with guidance from music librarian Liza Vick.
PhD Student Echezonachukwu Nduka Published in Journal of the Musical Arts in Africa
In December 2024, Echezonachukwu Nduka, a PhD student in Music Studies (Ethnomusicology), had his review of Rebeca Omordia's African Pianism published in the 21st volume of the Journal of the Musical Arts in A
Graduate Student Hannah Junco to Join Mali Obomsawin for Pre-Show Talk at Penn Live Arts
As part of Penn Live Arts' ListenHear Series, First-Year Graduate Student in Ethnomusicology Hannah Junco
