Director of Pacific Opera Theatre receives national recognition
Director of Pacific Opera Theatre James Haffner has tied for 2nd place in Stage Directing—The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize 2024 from The American Prize (for Pacific's spring '23 production of "Into the Woods").
Robert Gross starts endowment for Pacific Pep Band
Musician, educator and Pacific alumnus Robert Gross ‘66, ‘82 has made a generous gift to start an endowment for the Pacific Athletic Band aka Pacific Pep Band.
Pacific's concert hall receives modern updates
Recent upgrades at Faye Spanos Concert Hall provide advanced technology and streaming capabilities while enhancing the venue’s acoustics and modernizing the historic building.
Accelerated music therapy program is first in nation
Pacific’s music therapy program is the first in the nation to establish an accredited bachelor’s degree that prepares students to enter the work force after four years rather than the five required at other universities.
International Horn Competition of America awards first prize to Pacific's horn player
Conservatory's alumnus Braydon Ross ’23 (BM, Music Performance, Music Education) tied for the first prize in the University Division of the 2024 International Horn Competition of America—the most significant solo horn competition in the U.S.
Pacific Jazz Ambassadors receive national recognition
The premiere national DownBeat Magazine recognized Pacific Jazz Ambassadors with their 2024 Student Music Award in the Undergraduate College Small Jazz Combo category. The Ambassadors are Pacific's flagship jazz ensemble directed by Professor Patrick Langham.
We prepare tomorrow's performers, teachers, therapists, composers, scholars and music industry leaders.
A strong foundation
The conservatory offers 11 imaginative undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as music minors. Our courses provide a strong foundation in musicianship; supportive one-to-one instruction in instrumental, jazz, piano and vocal areas; and a broad range of performing ensembles. In class and in our communities, we demonstrate how music is central to economies, cultures and stories.
Relevant experience
Our undergraduates gain experiences typically reserved for graduate students elsewhere. Whether as an operatic or musical theater lead, a member of a jazz combo or a partner in the student-run Pac Ave recording label, our students grow individually as leaders and together as collaborators. If you are interested in a music major, minor or double major, either within the conservatory or in another area of study, we will help you create your path.
Involved faculty
Our faculty includes performers, composers and scholars deeply committed to helping students grow as individuals, citizens and musicians. They are actively involved with the American Bach Soloists, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the San Diego Symphony, and NPR’s Marketplace. Our students often choose Pacific precisely to study with a specific professor.
Music Education
"I've enjoyed my time at Pacific. Going into classrooms and teaching has been an extremely helpful experience. I'm happy that I got that opportunity early on in college, so I could make sure it was what I wanted to do."
— Logan Adams ’24
Music Industry Studies
"Pacific offers a variety of tools and resources that helped me follow my path. Professors and colleagues are always around us working side-by-side and creating a community that supports us in each of our ventures."
— Kaelin Anamizu ‘24
Music Performance
"The Conservatory is a fantastic environment for personal and musical growth. The faculty encourage ambitious independent projects that you would not be able to do at other schools. In my very first semester, I was able to create a student and faculty collaborative chamber series with the Assistant Dean of the Conservatory as my advisor."
— Amy Wheeler ’23
Performance opportunities
Music making is central to Pacific's campus life. Whether you are a music major or a student in another area, you are included. The Conservatory has a rich tradition of excellence with nearly 150 performances each year by students, faculty and visiting artists.
The goal of the Conservatory's DEI program is to help guide our faculty, staff and students on diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts and in arts education. That includes modifying curricula to reflect the experiences of historically marginalized groups and recommend changes to governance structures, policies and procedures that may create or sustain forms of systemic oppression. Fei-Lin Hsiao is assistant dean for DEI at the conservatory.
Conservatory Student Profile
2024-25 Academic Year
total students
undergraduates
graduates
Ethnicity
- 1% identify as Native American
- 4% identify as International
- 5% identify as Black
- 8% identify as two or more ethnicities
- 9% identify as unknown
- 17% identify as Asian
- 25% identify as Hispanic or Latino
- 31% identify as White
Where our students come from
United States
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Jersey
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
International
- China
- Hong Kong
- Nepal
- Spain
- Taiwan
The Conservatory Mission and Vision
The mission of the Conservatory of Music is to provide superior educational opportunities in music so students can prepare for successful professional careers and to become artistic leaders of the future, to be a significant musical resource for the University and the community by presenting high quality and diverse forms of the musical arts, and to have a significant impact on the future of music by doing research, creating new music, and being of service to the music profession.
The Conservatory of Music strives to be the finest student-centered music school possible, one that provides students with an increasingly diverse range of cultural perspectives. Through scholarship, education, performance, and in a range of therapeutic and music industry settings, Pacific’s Conservatory creates new music, considers and reconsiders significant histories, and presents works of and about music through live events and emerging media.
University of the Pacific is a charter member of the National Association of Schools of Music and has been accredited by NASM since 1928. For further information, contact NASM:
- Address: 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21
Reston, Virginia 20190–5248 - Phone: 703.437.0700
- Fax: 703.437.6312
- Email: info@arts-accredit.org
- Website: arts-accredit.org
