Northern Illinois University College of Visual and Performing Arts

06/18/2026

Congratulations to Ethan!

Alum Ethan Cowburn '25 received the Special Prize and International Award for the 6th anniversary of the ทำนองหลักเพลงไทย (an online Thai music competition) created by Pokpong Khampraser, a Thai music professor at Phetchaburi Rajabhat University in Thailand. Ethan’s participation in this competition was significant because it marks a historic milestone in the preliminary assessment of Thai music instruction abroad, establishing standards that closely align with those of the tradition's origin and enabling international participants to showcase their work alongside Thai counterparts.

“I am honored to be recognized, and I am most excited that I am part of this continuing relationship in the field of traditional music between Thailand and the U.S. as well as the rest of the world," said Ethan.

Congratulations, Ethan!

06/01/2026

NIU celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month and our ongoing, year-round commitment to allyship and belonging. Thank you to our campus community for your support!
🖤🤎🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🐾❤️

04/16/2026

On Friday night, the NIU Wind Ensemble will perform a rather unique, challenging and fun piece of music.

On Friday night, April 17 at 7 p.m. the combined NIU Wind Ensemble and NIU Wind Symphony will perform in concert in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the NIU Music Building. One of the pieces they will be performing is famous for being a little unconventional. NIU Professor of Music and Director of N...

04/01/2026

Our annual day of giving is today! (And part of tomorrow!)

Every year the NIU Foundation hosts a Huskies United Day of Giving which provides key funding to the university, its programs and our talented, hard-working students.

You can give to the university, to the College of Visual and Performing Arts or to individual schools (Art and Design, Music, and Theatre and Dance)

This year's is Wednesday, April 1 – Thursday, April 2, noon-noon. For 24 hours, Huskie Nation will rise to the challenge to unite around the mission, vision and values of NIU, creating impact and forging opportunities for current and future students.

Give today! Any amount helps! https://dog.niu.edu

03/26/2026

You'll never know that you an opera fan until you try it. You have two chances this weekend to see the School of Music's production of "Iphigénia at Aulis", Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m. and Sunday March 30 at 3 p.m. in the Music Building concert hall.

If you are excited about Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" coming out this summer, several of the same characters are in this, too.

As always, NIU students are admitted free of charge with a reserved ticket.

The Northern Illinois University School of Music presents its annual spring opera, Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Iphigénia en Aulide with performances at 7 p.m., Friday, March 27 and 3 p.m., Sunday, March 29 in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the NIU Music Building. Tickets are available online. N...

03/26/2026

Don't miss the School of Theatre and Dance's production of Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" beginning Friday night, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. Performances run through April 3.

One of Shakespeare’s earliest and most loved works, The Comedy of Errors, opens Friday, March 27 in the Black Box Theatre in NIU’s Stevens Building at 7:30 p.m. The final play, and second to last production, of the School of Theatre and Dance’s 2025-2026 production season, The Comedy of Errors...