CNU Music - A Celebration of Excellence

Immersed in a rigorous liberal arts curriculum with the performance standards of a conservatory, Christopher Newport University music students set the standard for excellence. Music is one of our very successful and highly celebrated programs, attracting the finest talent from Virginia and beyond. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the department is housed in the world-renowned Ferguson Center for the Arts.

Mentored by a highly driven faculty trained at leading graduate institutions (such as The Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, Harvard, Yale and the University of Michigan ), our students and ensembles enjoy top recognition and world-class opportunities:

• CNU ensembles have been featured numerous times at the state music education conference and have performed on prestigious world stages: The Kennedy Center, the German National Conservatory of Music in Stuttgart , and some of Europe 's finest cathedrals, to name a few.
• In 2008 alone, half of the first-place awards in the state competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing went to CNU voice majors.
• Last year, the CNU Indoor Guard and Indoor Drumline were College Champions in the regional American Indoor Guard Association Competition, and CNU Marching Captains have been selected to perform in the televised 2008 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• This past fall CNU produced the first-place guitarist in the state's Bluegrass Festival Competition, and the CNU Saxophone Quartet was selected to perform at the International Saxophone Symposium.

Our students and faculty are leaders in the field of music:

• For the past three years the CNU music education program has produced the president of the Collegiate Chapter of the Virginia Music Educators Association, and the department chair serves as president of the Virginia Music Educators Association's college section. Our director of music education oversees all of the state's collegiate music education chapters.
• We have hosted the Virginia All-State Band and Orchestra Concert, the Virginia All-State Elementary Chorus Concert, the Virginia Music Educators Association College Conference, and the state competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
• We offer the annual CNU High School Summer Marching Band Camp, the CNU Honors Wind Ensemble Invitational, and workshops in Orff and Kodaly certification.
• CNU's Sigma Alpha Iota women's music fraternity was recently named a top 10 chapter. Additional student organizations include Pi Kappa Lambda national music honor society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia men's music fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi national band fraternity, and the American Choral Directors Association.

CNU ranks among the finest centers of music culture, education and entertainment:

• Our Jazz Ensemble opens the Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival, an annual, internationally recognized event featuring such jazz legends as Kenny Garrett, Dave Brubeck, Cassandra Wilson, Arturo Sandoval, the Count Basie Band and many others.
• Students are often invited to perform with guest artists, while masterclasses with professional musicians performing in the Ferguson Center are offered year-round.

The Music department enjoys broad support from the University, the community and beyond:

• Financial assistance comes from CNU Friends of Music, an active support organization that has raised more than $1 million for endowed music scholarships. Many CNU staff and faculty members are also musicians who actively engage in and support our program.
• CNU's commitment to experiential learning has led to relationships with institutions in Europe and China and we often host conductors, composers, performers and scholars from around the globe.

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