Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music

09/03/2026

WORLD PREMIERE: An overlooked chapter of American history comes to the concert stage in The Ghosts of Chinatown, a powerful new work by composer Daixuan Ai and librettist Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li.

Commissioned by Blair faculty member David Samuel, the semi-dramatic song cycle commemorates the victims of the 1871 Chinese massacre in Los Angeles, one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in American history.

Samuel will be joined by Blair colleagues Dashon Burton and Sun-A Park for the world premiere Friday, Sept. 11 in Turner Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

✨ Read more: http://vu.edu/090326

09/03/2026

🎹 Four hands. One piano. Poetry in motion.

Blair’s fall performance season got off to a rousing start with last night’s Master Series recital by faculty pianist Sun-A Park and Ammon Perry Bratt. Their remarkable precision, coordination and artistry made for a memorable evening of American classics.

09/01/2026

The Blair Big Band celebrates the life and legacy of jazz pianist, composer and arranger Mike Longo with "Archive Grooves: The Music of Mike Longo," Sept. 28 in Ingram Hall.

Presented in conjunction with the new Vanderbilt University Libraries exhibition "Mike Longo and a Legacy in Jazz," the concert will bring selections preserved in Longo’s archive from manuscript to stage.

✨ Discover the story behind the music and learn more about this special celebration of Longo’s enduring jazz legacy: http://vu.edu/090126

08/31/2026

The fall semester is officially underway! Blair kicked off the new school year with its Friday Recital Class and a rousing student ensemble performance of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man."

Here’s to a great semester of music, learning and making music together! 🎶

08/24/2026

08/21/2026

🎻 Exclusive preview! Go inside the rehearsal room with cellist Felix Wang and pianist Alexa Stier as they prepare for their Sept. 4 Blair Master Series recital.

Hear a preview of Rachmaninoff’s sweeping Cello Sonata and discover the unexpected Russian musical thread Wang traces through works by Stravinsky, Britten and Rachmaninoff.

🎥 Watch the exclusive rehearsal clip and read the concert preview below.

08/20/2026

🎶 From the concert hall to The Ingram Commons, Blair’s Tucker Biddlecombe is bringing a musician’s perspective to his newest leadership role at Vanderbilt.

Biddlecombe, professor of choral studies and former Blair associate dean, is now serving as senior associate provost for residential colleges and dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, where he sees a natural connection between conducting and helping students thrive.

Read more about Tucker and how he’s working to create harmony, community and opportunity for Vanderbilt’s newest students. 👇

08/17/2026

🎭 Blair alumnus Jack D. Coen, BMus'16, is making his mark on the national stage with his new work, I Became We, opening in New York in October. The show is his highest-profile theatrical production to date, building on a growing body of work that has already earned significant recognition.

Learn more about Coen’s creative journey, his work at Blair and the ambitious new production that marks the next chapter in his development as a composer.

✨ Read more: http://vu.edu/081726

08/17/2026

September sounds good at Blair. 🎶 Part II
There’s even more to hear at Blair this September! Swipe through to explore what’s coming up and make plans to join us!

08/12/2026

🎹 Four hands. 88 keys. One piano.

Blair piano professor Sun-A Park and her husband, pianist Ammon Perry Bratt, open Blair’s fall performance season Sept. 1 with a special piano four-hands recital, a musical partnership that requires more than great playing. It takes coordination, communication and even a little choreography.

Part of the Blair Master Series, the all-American program celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary with music by Judith Lang Zaimont, Amy Beach, Samuel Barber and George Gershwin.

Read the story (link in comments) and discover how two accomplished solo pianists learned to share the same 88 keys.

🎶 Blair Master Series: Sun-A Park & Ammon Perry Bratt
📅 Tuesday, Sept. 1 | 7:30 p.m.
📍 Turner Recital Hall
🎟️ Tickets: $18.50
⭐ Read more + tickets: http://vu.edu/081226