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The Department
of Music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
is a liberal arts department. Majors earn the Bachelor of Arts in music
with coursework in theory and composition, music history, applied instrumental
and/or vocal instruction, as well as participation in any of the various
ensembles. Students may also become certified 
in
New York state to teach music K-12. This degree represents substantial
undergraduate study of music in the balanced context of a complete and
interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Like all other students here,
music students take courses from the Colleges' core curriculum in such
subjects as art history, political science, women's studies, Asian and
European history, philosophy, and the natural sciences, just to name
a few. Why? We believe, in order to be a good musician, that it is important
for you to have knowledge and skills in areas other than music. You
will learn at HWS, for instance, about political and historical movements
that have influenced music and the larger society in which music thrives
or is repressed, but moreover we believe that you will simply be a better,
well rounded individual if you expose yourself to a broad diversity
of intellectual topics.
Along with promoting a broad academic perspective, the Department of Music provides a surprisingly wide range of music courses and performing experiences for a small college. First, there are several instrumental and vocal ensembles, each distinguished by the enthusiastic talents of majors and non-majors alike. Instrumental ensembles include the Colleges-Community Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the wind quintet Sonoria, and the Jazz Guitar Ensemble. Smaller groups of string and brass players also form from time to time. Vocal ensembles include three mixed choral groups: the Colleges Chorale and the chamber group Cantori tour annually; the Colleges Community Chorus annually performs large works with orchestra. All of these groups are very popular and are an integral part of campus life at the Colleges. Many students also study voice or an instrument: private lessons are available in voice, strings, woodwinds, brass, guitar, and keyboard. Some of these students give solo recitals in their senior year.
The faculty in the Department of Music have achieved national and international reputations for their contributions to music, a fact which speaks volumes about the quality of experience for serious students of music at Hobart and William Smith. Patricia Ann Myers, musicologist/ethnomusicologist and chair of the department, is internationally known for her research on the Italian madrigal and acclaimed twenty-volume edition of Luca Marenzio: The Secular Works. In 1985, Nicholas V. D'Angelo, composer, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music composition for Songs My Mother Never Sang to Me . . . and Other Stuff. Joseph Berta, clarinetist, has appeared with the Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse Symphony Orchestras. Robert Cowles, choral conductor, exposes our students to a remarkably extensive and demanding choral repertoire. In addition to his work at the Colleges he is artistic director of the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble, a semi-professional chamber choir in the area. Our dedicated and talented studio instructors include pianist John Spradling, soprano vocalist Wendra Trowbridge, violinist Victoria Paterson, and guitarist Mark Manetta. These individuals, together with our other music studio instructors, are immensely accomplished and in demand among music students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Music Department Links
Information about Music Scholarships
For
Prospective Students
Admissions Offices
For more information about Hobart and William Smith Colleges, or
to begin an application process, visit this section of our website.
If you would like to meet one of the Music Department's faculty members, sit in on a class, perhaps take in a rehearsal or a performance, or talk with some of the current students, we would be happy to see you. The Admissions staff will gladly make the arrangements.