Arthur Satz Department of Music

In an op-ed for Newsweek, Professor John Covach marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic album, noting that only the Beatles could have released such a musically adventurous and experimental work.

"Ironically, an album that might not strictly speaking have been a concept album ended up being the most influential concept album in the history of rock music," says John Covach, professor of music and director of the University's Institute for Popular Music.

How do you learn to play an instrument comprised of 50 bells that lives at the top of a library tower? Practice, practice, practice. A student team has finished building a new digital carillon that will allow students to learn to play tough pieces while hearing real carillon sounds.

Students on River Campus celebrate the last day of classes with a performance by the chamber orchestra, conducted by David Harman, of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on the steps of Rush Rhees Library. The performance marked the final conducting appearance by Harman, who is retiring this semester. Richard Feldman, who is also retiring this year as dean of the college, performed the cannon solo.

The longtime faculty member in the College’s music department—and champion for its programs—will retire as director of orchestral activities at the close of the spring semester.

According to the 2017 QS World University Rankings released on March 8, eleven U.S. universities ranked in the top 25, with the University of Rochester No. 8 among them.

Rochester professor and rock historian John Covach

John Covach talks with Nick Bruno in the studio about the Monkees, their influence on pop culture, and how their music ended up taking on a life of its own, in the premiere episode of UR Quad-Cast.

In music professor Matthew BaileyShea’s class, students share lyrics from favorite songs, then work to uncover complexities in the text. An upcoming Humanities Center symposium organized by BaileyShea will further explore new ideas about text-music interaction.

In 1967, the Monkees outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined, and remain the only band with four No. 1 albums in a 12-month period. "Their music stands up," says John Covach, director of the University's Institute for Popular Music.