University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music

05/19/2026

Summer University Band is open to UW–Madison students and members of the community with no audition required! The last day to register is Friday, May 22.

Registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScr4oJmo2LnlkhcJs2yUHc4tcwETcecXxRTv917BwD7BA6awg/viewform

Join conductor Scott Teeple and musicians from UW-Madison and the surrounding area in an experience making music at the Hamel Music Center!

Rehearsals are Mondays and Thursdays from 7 pm-9 pm at the Hamel Music Center, June 1 through June 24. The final concert is Wednesday, June 24 at 7 pm at the Hamel Music Center.

05/06/2026

The final concert of the academic year in our "Live from the Mead Witter School of Music" series features pianists Deirdre Brenner and Sibila Konstantinova presenting a multimedia performance exploring our collective relationship to the galaxy.

The concert combines the original 2-piano version of the celebrated seven movement work, The Planets, by composer Gustav Holst (composed prior to the better known orchestral version), with a world-premiere 2-piano arrangement by Dobrinka Tabakova of “Tectonic” from her Earth Suite, composed originally in 2018 for the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Each movement of the program will be presented alongside an original video exploring the ideas which inspired these compositions. Tabakova writes that “the overwhelming force of Nature” is at the heart of the concept of her Earth Suite, while Holst was inspired by a deep interest in astrology. This collective video project will include original works by Blake Barit, Charlie Borowicz, Philip Denvir, TJ Hill, Claudia Krogmeier, Tina Rose Rea Meister and Blue Rachapradit.

May 10 @ 12:30 pm
Free | No ticket required
Collins Recital Hall | Hamel Music Center

In the wake of NASA’s recent journey around the far side of the moon, pianists Deirdre Brenner and Sibila Konstantinova present a multimedia performance exploring our collective relationship to the galaxy. The concert combines the original 2-piano version of the celebrated seven movement work, The...

04/15/2026

THANK YOU! You've helped us raise over $19K so far during Day of the Badger with the matching gift from Diane Ballweg! There's just a few hours left, and we have $5K available in our match. We're so close! Day of the Badger ends at 5 pm.

The Marvin Rabin String Quartet is the graduate string quartet at the Mead Witter School of Music. Its members are working towards master’s and doctoral degrees and serve as teaching assistants, leading orchestral sectionals, teaching string fundamentals to music education students, and performing...

04/14/2026

Day of the Badger is going on now! To underscore the critical value of supporting our graduate musicians, Diane Ballweg is offering a matching gift of $15,000 to fund the Rabin String Quartet.

The Marvin Rabin String Quartet is the graduate string quartet at the Mead Witter School of Music. Its members are working towards master’s and doctoral degrees and serve as teaching assistants, leading orchestral sectionals, teaching string fundamentals to music education students, and performing...

04/08/2026

Baoli Liu, Head Piano Technician for the School of Music, is a recipient of a 2026 Academic Staff Excellence Award.

Though Liu's work often occurs behind the scenes, its impact is heard in every rehearsal and concert performed at the Mead Witter School of Music.

That’s because Liu’s craftsmanship quietly sustains the school’s 159 pianos spread across practice rooms, studios, classrooms and performance venues. Liu ensures each instrument sounds its best for every practice session, rehearsal, and performance.

"This year’s recipients represent the full breadth of academic staff excellence" and embody the Wisconsin Idea, says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin.

04/07/2026

Day of the Badger returns April 14–15, and this year Diane Ballweg is offering a matching gift of $15,000 to fund the Rabin String Quartet!

Day of the Badger is a day, and then some (1848 minutes to be exact), for all alumni, students, and friends throughout Badger nation to make a far-reaching impact in a short amount of time. This is a party to pay it forward by celebrating and supporting the UW.

The Marvin Rabin String Quartet is the graduate string quartet at the Mead Witter School of Music. Its members are working towards master’s and doctoral degrees and serve as teaching assistants, leading orchestral sectionals, teaching string fundamentals to music education students, and performing...

03/26/2026

Professors Jean Laurenz and Dan Cavanagh are winners of a 2026 Creative Arts Award. Laurenz was awarded an Emily Mead Baldwin Award in the Creative Arts and Cavanagh was awarded a Creative Arts Award.

Laurenz’s project DESCENDED is a multidisciplinary performance work inspired by the writings and legacy of 19th-century author Lafcadio Hearn. Blending chamber music, theater, film, and media art, the project reexamines folklore, marginalized histories, and enduring social questions through a contemporary lens. Created by Laurenz (Hearn’s great-great-grandniece) with multimedia artists Maria Finkelmeier and Greg Jukes, DESCENDED transforms Hearn’s ghost stories into an immersive, 55-minute live performance supported by sound, light, projection, and movement.

Cavanagh’s project, “Redefining the Concerto Tradition,” will produce a CD-length recording of two major works that fuse composed and improvised music within the orchestral tradition. The first, Divining Reverence on the Far Eighty (2012), is a 40-minute piano concerto that integrates fully notated passages with improvisatory sections, redefining the relationship between composer, performer, and ensemble. The second, Provocateur, is a newly composed concerto grosso for chamber orchestra and three soloists—piano, bass, and drumset—that expands this dialogue by requiring all soloists to navigate both structured and spontaneous musical environments.

We couldn't be more excited to introduce you to this year's Creative Arts Award winners!

Earlier this year, a cross-departmental panel of judges selected a group of outstanding faculty, staff, and students in recognition of their contributions to the campus arts community. This year's honorees represent fourteen different areas of study including music, theatre & drama, arts education, fashion, painting, and photography.

Take a look at the winning faculty and staff members, and stay tuned to the Division of the Arts' social media as we highlight more honorees in the coming weeks!

🏆 2026 Creative Arts Award Winners • Faculty and Staff 🏆

Dan Cavanagh - University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music
Jean Laurenz - University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music
Christina West - UW-Madison Art Department
Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli - University Health Services at UW-Madison
Mitch Frank - Design Studies, UW-Madison School of Human Ecology

03/26/2026

Congratulations to Professor Mimmi Fulmer on winning a Hilldale Award! The award recognizes her contributions to teaching, research, and service.

Each year, the faculty divisions honor four UW–Madison faculty with the Hilldale Award to recognize their contributions to teaching, research and service. Congratulations to our 2026 winners: Ellen Wald, Miron Livny, Jon Pevehouse and Mimmi Fulmer!

Meet each awardee: https://news.wisc.edu/meet-the-winners-of-the-2026-hilldale-awards/

02/26/2026

Congratulations to Polaris Buttles, euphonium, Sofia Stutesman, trombone, Morgan Musil, bassoon, and Isla Coronado, flute, who have been selected to participate in the 2026 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) North Central Division Intercollegiate Band (ICB)! These students will join top musicians from colleges and universities across the Midwest.

“Selection for the CBDNA Intercollegiate Band is a significant honor, recognizing these students’ musical achievement and dedication to their craft,” organizers noted. “We are thrilled to welcome these outstanding musicians to Ann Arbor and look forward to hosting them for what promises to be an inspiring and meaningful music-making experience.”

The CBDNA North Central Division Conference will take place April 9–11 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The ensemble will present the final performance of the conference on April 11 in the historic Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus.

11/20/2025

Since becoming director of the School of Music in 2023, Dan Cavanagh has kept one eye on the past — maintaining the school’s excellence in classical music and jazz — and one eye on the future. He wants to equip students with the tools they’ll need to thrive in the modern world, including a grasp of rapidly changing technology.

In the age of artificial intelligence, Mead Witter School of Music director Dan Cavanagh passionately defends individual creativity.