Why Iowa?

We're a close-knit artistic community within a major research university that's famous for its arts programs. We offer world-class musical instruction, ongoing performance opportunities, state-of-the-art facilities, and solid preparation for your career.

Build a foundation

Expand your horizons

Learn from experts

Guest Artist Experiences

Students in the UI School of Music have the opportunity to work with 100+ guest artists each year, gaining invaluable insights from world-renowned performers and educators. 

Last year alone, guests included members of top-tier ensembles such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as faculty from prestigious institutions like Eastman, Rice, and the Hartt School of Music. The program also welcomed international guests from France, Vienna, Colombia, Chile, and the Philippines, fostering a truly global musical experience for our students.

Jessie Montgomery

2024-25 Hancher Composer-In-Residence
Acclaimed composer Jessie Montgomery spent an incredible year working side-by-side with UI music students. Through workshops, one-on-one coaching, masterclasses, and more, more than 200 students had the unique opportunity to learn, perform, and grow through her music.

The Crossing

Ann Howard Jones Vocal Ensemble Residency Program

In February 2025, after spending a week with our students in the classroom, The Crossing hosted three remarkable events on campus. The first was a Shared Solo Recital featuring UI alumna Anika Kildegaard. This was followed by a Creative Matters Conversation with UI alumni David Lang and Ann Howard Jones, and conductor Donald Nally. The week culminated in a full performance by The Crossing featuring the University of Iowa's Kantorei.

See yourself here

You've worked hard on your music. Now you can use all that creativity and knowledge as your launch pad. If you dream of a musical career—or simply a musical life—Music at Iowa is right for you.

Write Your Story

Earn a well-rounded liberal arts education—with rigorous, personalized musical instruction at its core.

jazz performance in Recital Hall

9:1

Student-to-faculty ratio
student at piano looking into camera smiling

350 +

Annual public performances
Master class in flute classroom with student

450

Undergraduate and graduate students

Events

Sundays at the Old Capitol: Réne Lecuona and Studio promotional image

Sundays at the Old Capitol: Réne Lecuona and Studio

Sunday, October 4, 2026 1:30pm
Old Capitol Museum

This concert is free and open to the public.

Please join us and mark your calendar for other performances in this year's series:

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 at 1:30 p.m: Réne Lecuona and Studio

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 at 1:30 p.m: Alan Huckleberry and Studio

Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 1:30 p.m: Ksenia Nosikova and Studio

Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 1:30 p.m: Ting Ting Yang and Collaborative Studio

Johnson County Landmark – “Should A Big Band be Playing This? Vol. 1: The Music of Jacob Mann” promotional image

Johnson County Landmark – “Should A Big Band be Playing This? Vol. 1: The Music of Jacob Mann”

Sunday, October 4, 2026 7:30pm
Voxman Music Building

Please join Johnson County Landmark (JCL) for their opening concert of the 2026-27 school year – which features the music of modern jazz composer Jacob Mann. Mann represents one of the most potent compositional voices in contemporary jazz, and reflects a musical esthetic a bit “closer to home” for our ensemble student’s own generation. As such, this concert will feature a glimpse of what is happening in big band jazz right now as we speak. Part jazz, part funk, part electronic dance music (EDM)...

 Masterclass with Jane Dutton promotional image

Masterclass with Jane Dutton

Monday, October 5, 2026 3:30pm
Voxman Music Building

Kirsten Staker, soprano and Jonathan Bass, piano

Deh, vieni non tardar from Le Nozze di Figaro by W. A. Mozart

Josiah Goodlett, bass-baritone and Jonathan Bass, piano

Udite, udite o rustici from L'elisire d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti

Lasya Kappagantu, soprano and Colin DeJong, piano

Prendi, per me sei libero from L'elisire d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti

Drew Smith, tenor and Yimu Wang, piano

"L'abbandono" by Vicenzo Bellini

Jane Dutton is associate professor of voice at the Indiana University Jacobs...

UI Jazz Combo Showcase promotional image

UI Jazz Combo Showcase

Monday, October 5, 2026 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Tavern Blue
Join the Black, Gold, and Hawk Combos at Tavern Blue for an evening of live jazz
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