Department of Music - NMU Events and Announcements

Department of Music

The NMU Percussion Ensemble has been rehearsing all semester! They are excited to welcome Scott Pellegrom, a drum coach and clinician who specializes in creativity and improvisational techniques, to their program!

Join us for this free concert on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 3:00 pm!

Department of Music

The NMU Opera Theatre Workshop will present scenes from Street Scene, an American opera by Kurt Weill, on Thursday, April 2, 2026. This performance features student performers alongside collaborative pianist Father Ryan Ford.

The NMU Opera Theatre Workshop is a one-credit course that meets on Thursdays. 

Department of Music

The Department of Music Faculty is pleased to announce the roster of performers for the 2026 Performance Scholarship Competition!

Ava Brege, mezzo-soprano
Claire Boyle, percussion
Simon Claybaker, piano
Liam Coenen, alto saxophone
Kaitlyn Levine, trumpet
Jessica Schrader, soprano

To be eligible for this competition, students must be pursuing a major in the NMU Department of Music, be enrolled in lessons, and be nominated by their instructor.

Scholarship awards will be given to first, second, and third place competitors in amounts of $1000, $750 and $500.

Join us for this friendly competition on Wednesday, March 25, at 7:30 PM in Reynolds Recital Hall!

Department of Music

The NMU Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will present "Musical Perspectives and Monumental Moments" on Monday, February 23, at 7:30 pm.  Please join us in Reynolds Recital Hall for their first concert of 2026!

Department of Music

The NMU Orchestra is excited for its annual Children's Concert!  

The selections the orchestra will perform include How to Train Your Dragon by John Powell, Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest by Hans Zimmer, and Randy Newman's Ma Belle Evangeline from The Princess and the Frog, arranged by Anna Zepke.

This is a free event for families and friends, in dedication to our younger members in the community!

Department of Music

The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (New York Times) are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet, and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone.

We are very excited to host The Westerlies on the NMU campus as part of a collaboration with the NMU Jazz Festival.  Their Thursday evening Siril Concert will also serve as the opening concert of the 2026 NMU Jazz Festival.  The members of the ensemble will serve as clinicians for visiting high school and middle school bands attending the Festival, and they will also be featured individually as guest soloists with NMU Jazz Ensembles during the Friday evening Jazz Festival Concert!

Please visit The Westerlies' website to learn more about this fantastic ensemble: https://www.westerliesmusic.com/

Department of Music

NMU Piano students will share favorite pieces as you head into Finals Week. Choose a comfy auditorium seat, or bring a blanket to relax on the stage. Catch a piece or two, or stay for the entirety!

Department of Music

Hailing from Brooklyn, Brass Queens is a female-led brass band featuring all-female horns with a sound that is deeply inspired by the New Orleans tradition. They regularly tour across the country and internationally, appearing on festival stages including the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Northlands Music Festival, MusikFest, Duck Jazz Festival, and Exit Zero Jazz Festival.

Department of Music

Beethoven and Banjos, an annual project organized by the Northwoods Music Collaborative, is more than a simple presentation of the respective styles of classical and traditional music. The program integrates music and musicians from around the world to create new music and new interpretations of old music. Their past performances at NMU have been very well-received, and this year Beethoven and Banjos will feature Icelandic musicians Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir and Halldór Smárason. Evan Premo performs with Saeunn through his work with Decoda (an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall). Saeunn and Halldór, along with Evan Premo and Laurel Premo will present classical and folk music from Iceland. 

Learn more about Beethoven and Banjos on their website: northwoodsmusiccollaborative.org/beethoven-and-banjos

Department of Music

NMU ORCHESTRA AUDITIONS: Tuesday, August 26th 3:00-6:00pm at the Reynolds Recital Hall. Sign up for a specific 5-minute slot (sign-up sheet will be posted by August 19th on the music department bulletin board (across from TFA 102), or just show up on the 26th!

• Prepare:
  • 60 second solo or etude which represents your ability
  • three octave scale (strings) 2 octaves (winds).

REGISTRATION: Everyone is asked to register 

• MU116 for .5 credit
• MU116A for 0 credit (if you are at your credit limit-contact Dr. Rhyneer) 

REHEARSALS: 4:00-5:50pm Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Reynolds Recital Hall during the NMU semester.

CONCERTS:

• Wednesday, October 15th 7:00 Big String Festival at Marquette Senior High School
• Thursday, November 18th 7:30pm at the Reynolds Recital Hall featuring the Guitar Concerto in D Major by Vivaldi, Christopher Schoelen soloist

LOCKERS/PRACTICE ROOMS: 

• The Music Department Office (TFA 102) checks out lockers (located on floor 1A)
• Keyed practice rooms are available to majors, while non-majors use open rooms located on floor 1A down the hall from the elevator

Thank you for your interest, and please contact me with any questions!

-BR

Dr. Barbara Rhyneer, Professor of Music
Director of Strings and Orchestra

Northern Michigan University
Marquette, MI 49855

(906) 227-2309
brhyneer@nmu.edu

https://www.upperpeninsulaviolinstudio.com/
https://nmu.edu/music/barbara-rhyneer