Gabriel Wade, who earned his Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the NIU School of Music in 2024 is one of three...
Music News Archives
Arman Sangalang, ’22 earns Luminarts Jazz Fellowship
Arman Sangalang, a 2022 graduate of the NIU School of Music with a master of music in jazz studies has earned a...
Commencement Profile: Connor Butler, MM Percussion Performance
Connor Butler earned his master of music in percussion performance last weekend, and was featured in a video that ran...
Northern Public Radio profile on School of Music’s Maria Kurochkina
Maria Kurochkina, assistant professor of music and director of orchestras was recently profiled by Northern Public Radio, WNIU/WNIJ. Kurochkina joined the NIU School of Music faculty in August after earning her D.M.A. in orchestral conducting from Boston University. A...
Commencement profile – Khadija Nagi
Khadija Nagi, a DeKalb native, and now a proud graduate of the NIU School of Music is the subject of the fall 2025 commencement video profile. Khadija says she chose to stay in town to study music in part because of the accomplished alumni who are so supportive of...
In Passing: Ron Modell and more
by Antonio Garcia Jazz education lost a giant in the field with the passing on June 10 of my friend and colleague Ron Modell. Ron joined Northern Illinois University’s faculty in 1969 after a performance career that had already included touring as a teenager with...
An open window led Zachary Good to the clarinet and to NIU
A familiarity with the school and a desire to teach music at a state university made NIU the perfect place for new School of Music faculty member Zachary Good. Good had previously worked with NIU's recording arts team on some projects in the Recital Hall and Boutell...
New director of orchestras was drawn to NIU by its student-centered nature
For Maria Kurochkina, the new director of orchestras at NIU, all it took was a few minutes into her visit to Northern Illinois University to feel like it was the place for her. "When I came to campus for my second interview, I felt an immediate connection to the...
13th New Music Festival kicks off Nov. 5
The New Music Festival at NIU, a staple of the fall performance season since 2008 will be held Wednesday, November 5 through Friday, November 7 in the NIU Music Building. Each fall, the multi-concert festival featuring prominent guest composers, performers, and...
Music’s Geof Bradfield awarded Chamber Music America grant for “Colossal Abundance”
Geof Bradfield, professor of jazz studies and jazz performance in the NIU School of Music was awarded a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant for his latest recording, "Colossal Abundance." The CMA New Jazz Works grant is the fourth that Bradfield has receieved....
Yuko Asada’s Fulbright Fellowship has her back on familiar ground
Yuko Asada is having a bit of a full-circle moment. Nearly a quarter century after her interest in steelpan performance led her to the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago for the annual Panorama Steelband Competition, she's back. This time, it's as the first staff...
NIU Mariachi members to perform at Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox games
Three members of the School of Music's NIU Mariachi Band will be joining the group Mariachi Monumental De México to perform at the Chicago White Sox Hispanic Heritage Night, Friday, September 19 at 6:40 p.m. versus the San Diego Padres, and again at Sunday's Chicago...