CCM’s Division of Composition, Musicology and Theory (CMT) offers student composers, musicologists and theorists opportunities to create original works, understand the social and historical contexts of music, and develop analytical procedures.
The division places great emphasis on merging the theoretical with the practical in biennial graduate student conferences, an in-house and student-run journal (Music Research Forum), in-house and student-run journal, and the Thinking About Music lecture series featuring distinguished speakers. It serves as a resource for all music students, enriching the creative and intellectual life of CCM and of the broader university community.
Coursework for the graduate degrees in musicology (MM, PhD) and music theory (MM, PhD) is wide-ranging and rigorous, offering students a unique opportunity to pursue an academic discipline in a performance-oriented school.
The BM, MM and DMA degrees in composition include one-on-one composition lessons and ample opportunities to work with CCM ensembles and community organizations for hearings and performances.
CCM is also home to the Center for Computer Music, which offers opportunities for research and composition using technology, and the Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition, a competition for young composers from around the world.
513-556-9464
513-556-6046
513-315-3207
513-556-9464
August 1, 2025
CCM Dean Peter J. Jutras shares a message with the college community ahead of the 2025-26 academic year and performance season.
July 7, 2025
UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will welcome a variety of new faculty and staff members to its roster of distinguished performing and media arts experts, researchers and educators this fall.
June 30, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Maggie Perrino as the college's new Assistant Dean of CCM Prep and Community Engagement. In this role, Perrino will lead a team of faculty and administrative staff at CCM Prep, which offers a wide variety of programs in music, dance and the theatre arts throughout the year for people of all ages and abilities. She will also oversee CCM’s Summer Programs for youth, teens and adults. Perrino's appointment begins on June 30, 2025.
June 6, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Sam Reenan, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Music Theory. His faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2025. Reenan holds a PhD and MA in music theory from the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) and bachelor’s degrees in music theory and biological sciences from the University of Connecticut. As an educator, Reenan strives to facilitate students’ growth as engaged musical thinkers, communicators and respectful collaborators.
June 4, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Jessie L. Grant, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Dean of Student Services. In this role, Grant will coordinate CCM’s academic advising program, connect students with college and university-level resources, and evaluate CCM policies and processes to better serve the college’s undergraduate and graduate students. Grant's appointment officially began on June 2, 2025.
May 6, 2025
CCM congratulates Erin Alcorn (DMA Voice ‘25) for her recent first place win at UC’s GradNEXT Competition, a Shark Tank-style event where UC students pitch their ideas for how the university can reshape graduate education. In addition to her first place win, Alcorn took home the Audience Choice Prize, and will receive funding support for her dissertation project: the UC ARIA Initiative, incorporating virtual reality into art song performance.
April 22, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Composition Professor Mara Helmuth is appointed to the 100th class of Guggenheim Fellows, including 198 distinguished individuals working across 53 disciplines.
March 25, 2025
The UC College-Conservatory of Music congratulates Douglas Knehans, Professor of Composition, who was recently named the recipient of the 2025 Wachtmeister Award. Awarded every two years by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), the prize includes a 30 day residency at Mt. San Angelo in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as a $1,000 honorarium and a travel stipend.
Event: April 9, 2025 2:30 PM
The UC College-Conservatory of Music's public lecture series continues at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, with a talk on rock and politics presented by guest speaker Minerva Campion, who serves as Professor of Political Science at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia. This talk is free and open to the general public. It will be presented in Watson Recital Hall, which is located on the 1000 level of the Corbett Center for the Performing Arts in the CCM Village.
