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Music
Hollins' music curriculum includes thorough training in performance study, music theory and music history. Music majors concentrate in a performance area leading to an instrumental or vocal senior recital, or may pursue study in an area such as theory, composition or music history with a senior thesis or creative project. A music minor is also available to students whose primary career interests lie in another field, but who wish to study music seriously.
Music majors may also become candidates for endorsement in public school teaching (Choral Music, K-12), following requirements in the teacher education program administered by the education department.
The Hollins University Certificate in Piano Teaching is available to degree candidates and others not seeking the music degree. It offers specialized study and practical work in piano pedagogy. The Hollins University Certificate in Arts Management is also available to music degree candidates.
Students who take part in Hollins' international study programs are encouraged to continue musical pursuits abroad. Students have recently pursued musical work while in London, Paris and Spain.
Each year, there are many opportunities for students to perform in and attend concerts and recitals. In addition to two student recitals each semester, students may participate in the following ensembles at Hollins:
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Hollins University Concert Choir: This choir rehearses three hours per week and sings both on and off the Hollins campus. Major performances include winter and spring concerts and participation in the traditional White Gift Service in December. Members also have the opportunity to travel with the choir as it tours. Recent trips have been to Mexico, Costa Rica and Ireland.
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The Hollins University Chamber Chorale: The newly formed Chamber Chorale is a smaller select group of singers.
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The Valley Chamber Orchestra: This orchestra is a resident ensemble consisting of students and community members. Students may elect to participate in the orchestra for credit or as an extra-curricular activity. The orchestra rehearses once a week in the evening and is a popular ensemble for instrumental studies students.
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The Pan-divas!: A new ensemble on the Hollins campus, this steel pan drum group has proven to be a popular group in which students can learn to play the steel drum and enjoy making "island music."
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The Hollins University Concert Series: Supported by the Sallie Gray Shepherd Fund this series brings a variety of nationally and internationally known performers and ensembles to the campus each term.
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The Galbraith Masterclass: The Galbraith Fund supports an annual masterclass and workshop at Hollins presenting leaders in the field of piano teaching.
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Facilities
 Music instruction takes place in historic Presser Hall, whose classrooms, studios and rehearsal spaces are furnished with fine instruments and electronic equipment. Extensive renovations have transformed Presser Hall into a state-of-the-art music facility as well as an inviting space for study and relaxation. The Department of Music has recently made a commitment to become an All-Steinway Institution and as such has begun the purchase of new Steinway pianos. The Rath Library and Listening Center contains over 15,000 discs, scores, and books for reference and study.
The 45-rank, three-manual Holtkamp organ in duPont
Chapel is featured in the international encyclopedia Musik in
Geschichte und Gegenwart. Also in duPont Chapel are a Dowd harpsichord,
a clavichord, and a 47-bell carillon cast in France by Paccard.
Talmadge Recital Hall, with two Steinway grand
pianos, is widely known for its admirable acoustics and is ideal
for performances of piano, vocal, and chamber music.
Scholarships
The music department offers a number of scholarships based on an audition and recommendations. They include the McCullough Voice Scholarship, Dorminy Music Scholarship, Mary Patton Peacock Scholarship and Walter Taussig Scholarship. Music scholarships are available both to students anticipating a music major and to others committed to substantial study outside the music major. For additional information or to schedule a scholarship audition, please contact the Music Department.
Hollins Graduates: Where are they now?
Hollins music graduates have pursued careers in the performing arts, teaching, scholarship, church music, publishing, retailing, the media, and arts management. The strength and flexibility of the Hollins music program, combined with a rigorous liberal arts education, have enabled graduates to find positions as:
- Vice president for artists and repertoire at Polygram Corporation (parent company for Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft)
- Founders and administrators of private music schools in Tennessee, Ohio, and Texas
- Artist and concert pianist, whose credits include performances with the Boston
Pops and recordings on the Spectrum label
- Professor of voice at the University of Washington and former Metropolitan Opera singer
- Numerous music educators in the classroom as well as the private studio
- Professor of musicology at CUNY
- Graduates accepted into graduate and doctoral programs at institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Temple University, Boston University and Boston Conservatory
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Performances: The Sallie Gray Shepherd Fund brings a variety of nationally and internationally known performers and ensembles to campus each semester, and the Galbraith Fund supports an annual masterclass and workshop at Hollins by leaders in the field of piano teaching.
Hollins' concert series are free and open to the public.
Music Around Roanoke
The Roanoke Valley, a metropolitan area of 236,000, offers myriad opportunities for students interested in music. The Roanoke Symphony is a professional orchestra that performs a full series of classical concerts each year, in addition to special seasonal concerts, pops performances, and programs featuring its sister organization, the Roanoke Symphony Chorus. Opera Roanoke professionally stages several operas and musical productions during the year. The state-of-the-art Shaftman Hall, along with the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre, Salem Civic Center, and other stages and halls in the valley, is host to numerous musical events during the year, from classical to country to rock. Roanoke is also home to a lively musical scene in clubs and restaurants, where a wide variety of jazz, rock, folk, and alternative music is always available.
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Music:
Courses & Major Requirements
Faculty
A Long and Winding Path
Music Events
Preparatory Division
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CONTACT
Judith Cline, chair
(540) 362-6514
jcline@hollins.edu
Hollins University
P. O. Box 9643
Roanoke, VA 24020
"The music department at Hollins is, quite simply, exceptional. It's friendly enough to feel like an extended family, serious enough to provide excellent instruction in theory, history, and performance, and stimulating enough to keep everyone inspired and motivated. I have grown immensely as both a performer and a scholar during my four years here, receiving constant support and encouragement to meet the challenges that my professors set before me. Visits to other institutions have shown me two things: First, at Hollins, I probably had more access to professors as a college freshman than even most graduate-level students at other institutions have to faculty. Second, Hollins is unmatched in the way it supports women as aspiring performers, teachers, and scholars in the field of music."
Elizabeth Anne Dister '07
Dister has received a scholarship and award from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She will be given full tuition to complete a combined master of arts and doctorate program in musicology, and an $18,000 a year stipend for seven years. She will be working with the leading musicologist in 19th-century French music, Hugh Macdonald.
"The music program at Hollins has been an enriching experience for me. Hollins is an environment where you grow from the personalized help you receive. My
voice teacher, Judith Cline, is not only a mentor but also a friend."
Tiffany Seymour '99
"My experience at Hollins was one that I will always treasure. One of the best decisions I ever made was to go back to school and get a degree in music at Hollins. Being there challenged me and forced me to grow, not only intellectually but personally as well. I am a different person now, thanks to Hollins."
Dee Singleton '04
"The main thing Hollins gave me sounds like a cliché, but I mean it: It's this idea that you really can use anything you learn here outside of the college setting."
Priscilla Leuenberger '00, who interned with Jazz@LincolnCenter
"I'm so glad I made the decision to go to Hollins to receive my B.A. in music. I feel fortunate to have gone to a small school and to have received such personalized attention. I developed a wonderful relationship with my professors."
Heather Mitchell '98
"The music department is academically very strong, whether you are interested in applied music, music history, music theory, or any other aspect of the study of music.
"I was a voice major. The music department helped me set up internships with the Roanoke Symphony and Opera Roanoke. I was even able to perform a solo in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Opera Roanoke. The faculty also helped me study for my music GREs and were instrumental in helping me to get accepted to the conservatory at the University of Missouri."
Maggie Collins '96
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