Webster University Department of Music

Webster University Department of Music Welcome to the official Webster University Department of Music page! Our comprehensive musi

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT! Cam Burns recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition with an Emphasis in Songwriting a...
05/29/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
Cam Burns recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition with an Emphasis in Songwriting and a Bachelor of Science in Sound Recording & Engineering, and is a vocalist in Eldraco + FreeNation.

How did your time at Webster prepare you for where you are today?
Webster connected me with a reliable, talented network of musicians, allowing me to collaborate and create music that aligns with my beliefs and passions.

Favorite ensemble/organization you participated in at Webster?
I participated in the Jazz Singers ensemble for most of my time at Webster. My favorite part of this ensemble was working with so many well-rounded musicians. This ensemble pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me the confidence to take musical risks.

Future plans?
I plan on pursuing a career as a vocalist, songwriter, engineer, and producer in Saint Louis.

Advice for current music students?
If I had one piece of advice for future Webster music students, I would emphasize the importance of collaborating with your peers. The students at Webster are incredibly supportive and have taught me so much about being a strong team member. Having a network of peers who are excited to work together is invaluable when pursuing a career in the arts. If I had one other piece of advice, I would tell you that it's imperative that you see Eldraco + FreeNation perform at the ATOMIC PAVILION ON SATURDAY, MAY 30TH, 7:00 PM!!!

Eldraco + FreeNation performs live on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion!

For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!Ben Stitzel graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Music Education (Instrumental) and plays the keys in E...
05/28/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
Ben Stitzel graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Music Education (Instrumental) and plays the keys in Eldraco + FreeNation.

How did your time at Webster prepare you for where you are today?
Webster provided me with a well-rounded musical experience. I gained experience performing, teaching, arranging, recording, and engraving at Webster, and those skills have been very useful in my career.

Favorite ensemble/organization you participated in at Webster?
My final jazz combo, which was taught by the great Willie Akins. Learning from him was an incredibly rewarding experience.

Future plans?
Continue my career as a Producer at Alfred Music and eventually break into writing.

Advice for current music students?
Try everything out, even if you don't think a skill is useful now, it might be essential in the future.

Eldraco +FreeNation performs live on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion!

For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT! Kelly Beekman graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and is a vocalist in Eldraco + FreeNa...
05/27/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
Kelly Beekman graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and is a vocalist in Eldraco + FreeNation.

Favorite ensemble/organization you participated in at Webster?
Opera Studio

Future plans?
Continue to audition and perform locally and nationally as a versatile vocalist in a multitude of genres, including opera, jazz, and contemporary pop/rock.

Advice for current music students?
Make the most of your time at Webster and GO TO VIENNA!!

Eldraco + FreeNation performs live on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion!
For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT! Benjamin Shafer graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance and is the lead woodwin...
05/27/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
Benjamin Shafer graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance and is the lead woodwind specialist (saxophone & flute) in Eldraco + FreeNation.

How did your time at Webster prepare you for where you are today?
Webster gave me lots of knowledge about how to lead a band, how to create and arrange my own music, and lots of connections with peers and professionals working in the city.

Favorite ensemble/organization you participated in at Webster?
I loved participating in the Jazz Combos each year! Performing sax quartet pieces for my composition friends during my last two years was another highlight.

Future plans?
I am producing my first ever album at the moment with backing from the Regional Arts Commission. I am beyond excited to share it with the world!

Advice for current music students?
My advice to anyone starting at Webster is to take any and every class that you are interested in. I picked up four instruments at Webster and they have all kept serving my art! It’s also important to not take for granted the opportunity that you have to develop lifelong friendships and connections. Getting out of the practice room with your peers every once in a while is not a bad thing!

And going to Vienna is an absolute must. Save if you have to! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the classes there were the best!

Eldraco + FreeNation performs live on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion!

For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT! Dannie Fuller graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and is a vocalist in Eldraco + FreeNa...
05/26/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
Dannie Fuller graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and is a vocalist in Eldraco + FreeNation.

How did your time at Webster prepare you for where you are today?
My time at Webster in undergrad was truly a time where I was forming the foundation of my craft. Every class, performance, recital attendance and rehearsal were helping mold me into the musician I am still growing into now. The consistent exposure to new projects and challenging work created a fast, expansive time in my musicianship.

Favorite ensemble/organization you participated in at Webster?
Jazz Singers

Future plans?
Pursuing grad school in Fall 2026

Advice for current music students?
Study abroad! Take every performance opportunity and enjoy your time in a bubble of the arts with other creatives. Listen.

Eldraco + FreeNation performs live on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion!

For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT! Dominique Eldraco Price graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and leads Eldraco +...
05/22/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!
Dominique Eldraco Price graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and leads Eldraco + FreeNation.

How did your time at Webster prepare you for where you are today?
The technical training and music theory I gained at Webster University have been integral to my work leading my band, Eldraco + FreeNation, which I founded during my senior year at Webster and is composed almost entirely of fellow alumni. From vocal pedagogy and performance practice under Debby Lennon, to the jazz theory and musicianship I developed with Paul DeMarinis, to the arranging, composition, and songwriting skills I refined with Kim Portnoy, Nick Schlueter, and Melissa Bishop—each experience strengthened my artistic foundation.

I move forward in my career with a strong confidence in my ability to create, direct, and perform music across a wide range of styles.

My life as a performer was profoundly invigorated by my time in Webster’s College of Fine Arts. I expanded my artistry by taking and auditing dance classes to develop my movement technique, honed my stagecraft through Opera Studio productions, and founded and served as Artistic Director of the P!NG Performing Arts Collective during its first two years.

Favorite ensemble/organization you participated in at Webster?
P!NG Performing Arts Collective — founding and artistically directing this group was one of the most defining and rewarding experiences of my time at Webster.

Future plans?
I’ve had the honor of receiving recognition as a songwriter while leading my band, Eldraco + FreeNation. We are currently promoting our upcoming stage production, Lost in the Rhythm, on May 30 at the Atomic Pavilion, alongside the release of a new single of the same name on May 29. Looking ahead, we are preparing to expand our reach through touring.

Advice for current music students?
Your education—and your future—is in your hands. Push beyond the minimum. Challenge yourself to pursue excellence in every endeavor. Use your time at Webster to build real experience, define your artistic vision, and pursue it with intention and intensity

Eldraco + FreeNation performs live on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion. For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

Eldraco + FreeNation is a high-energy Pop-Funk/Glam Soul and rock band led by Department of Music alum Dominique Eldraco...
05/21/2026

Eldraco + FreeNation is a high-energy Pop-Funk/Glam Soul and rock band led by Department of Music alum Dominique Eldraco Price (BM Jazz Studies, ’18). Eldraco's band FreeNation is made up of many Webster alumni, including Ben Stitzel (Bachelor of Music Education (Instrumental), ’17), Benjamin Shafer (BM Jazz Performance, ’22), Tim Moore (BM Jazz Studies, ’16), Kelly Beekman (BA Music, ’23), Dannie Fuller (BA Music, ’24), and Cam Burns (BM Composition (Songwriting), ’26), along with musicians Greg Dallas and Josh Last.

We will be spotlighting some of these alums as Eldraco + FreeNation prepares to headline “Lost In The Rhythm,” a high-energy, dance-driven concert experience celebrating the release of their newest single on Saturday, May 30 at 7:00 PM at the Atomic Pavilion. For more info and tickets, visit https://www.ticketweb.com/event/eldracofreenation-atomic-pavilion-tickets/14878683

Photo by Jerry Hill

At the 2026 Honors Convocation, some of our Department of Music grads took the Recital Hall stage to perform one last ti...
05/20/2026

At the 2026 Honors Convocation, some of our Department of Music grads took the Recital Hall stage to perform one last time before graduation!

Cam Burns (BM Composition (Songwriting), and BS Sound Recording & Engineering) performed an original piece "Strong Suit".

Audrey Sondag, soprano (BM Vocal Performance), and Katy Boykin, clarinet (BM Composition (Concert Music)), performed "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" by Franz Schubert, accompanied on piano by Professor Nina Ferrigno.

Congratulations to our 2026 graduates who received Departmental Honors in Music! Pictured L-R: Anna Edwards, Katy Boykin...
05/19/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 graduates who received Departmental Honors in Music!

Pictured L-R: Anna Edwards, Katy Boykin, Audrey Sondag, Cam Burns, Valentina Arévalo, Han Wang

Not pictured: William Blackmore, Elizabeth Button, Henry Kress

This year's Outstanding BA in Music Thesis Award goes to “Reimagining Refugee Support: Analysis of Music in Social Integ...
05/18/2026

This year's Outstanding BA in Music Thesis Award goes to “Reimagining Refugee Support: Analysis of Music in Social Integration."

Congratulations to author Valentina Arévalo!

In her well-researched paper, Valentina argues that music should be reframed as an essential human right. Evidence presented relates to the role of music in refugee communities, specifically that music is a tool for social resilience, fostering belonging and intercultural dialogue. Music preserves culture, and this thesis shows how musical practices allow refugees to maintain identity while adapting to a new environment. By evaluating existing public policy and humanitarian politics, this thesis calls for a future that recognizes music’s power and asks society to consider music as “an essential element through which inclusive, equitable and meaningful ways of belonging can emerge."

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