Music Program
Music majors and non-majors enjoy outstanding music ensembles and private lessons from some of the country's finest teachers and gifted performers.
Our curriculum focuses on the development of the whole musician, guiding each student to strive for excellence and realize their full potential.
With small class sizes throughout the program (student-to-teacher ratio of 5:1), majors and non-majors alike see exponential growth and development and enjoy an enviable number of performance opportunities.
Saint Mary's Partnership with Estill Vocal Training
NEW! Vocal Music Program Becomes an Estill Educational Affiliate
Saint Marys' Vocal Music program has recently joined the community of Estill Educational Affiliates, becoming the only institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River to earn this status. As part of a non-genre biased model, our voice program incorporates Estill Voice Training and its cutting-edge vocal science pedagogy into our ensemble and private lessons curriculum. Students learn isolated control of individual anatomical structures in the voice production system and apply these elements to their musical endeavors, creating breathtaking performances across a wide variety of genres and styles. For more information on Estill Voice Training and our new affiliation, please visit estillvoice.com
Choir Wins Gold at World Choir Games in NZ
Auckland, NZ, July 13-24
At the 13th World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand, the Saint Mary’s College of California Chamber Singers brought their distinctive voices to a global stage. Now, they’ve returned stateside with a gold medal—and a trove of unforgettable experiences.
Established by Interkultur in 2000, the World Choir Games is the largest choral competition on earth. It was certainly the biggest such event New Zealand has ever hosted: The 2024 Games—which had 250 choirs performing in both championship and open competitions from July 10 to 20—brought 11,000 participants of all ages from over 40 countries and regions to the island nation.
This year, Saint Mary’s Chamber Singers was placed in the Championship Mixed Chamber Group category following a pre-qualification process, going head-to-head against groups from Australia, China, India, the Philippines, and Switzerland.
On July 19, the Gaels gave a rousing performance of expressive range, opening with “Hear My Prayer” by Moses Hogan, followed by Z. Randall Stroope’s thunderous “Conversion of Saul,” then Hugo Alfven’s serene soundscape “Aftonen” (“Evening”), sung in Swedish, and concluding with “Riuh!” (“Chaotic Joy”) by Malaysian composer Tracey Wong, which featured three beat-boxers.
Read more here.
To watch their gold medal performances, click here.
Auditions
Auditions for ensembles occur at the beginning and end of each term. Please contact the directors regarding auditions.
Glee (Music 220) | Chamber Singers (Music 320):
Contact Dr. Julie Ford: jaf17@stmarys-ca.edu
Piano and Private Lessons:
Contact Dr. Lino Rivera: lrivera@stmarys-ca.edu
Chamber Players (Music 330)
Concert Ensemble (Music 230)
Jazz Band (Music 430):
Scholarships
In addition to need and merit-based scholarships, incoming students who are planning on majoring or minoring in Music are eligible for a $5,000 scholarship (renewable for all four years). This year, applications are open for the East Bay Performing Arts Scholarship which is a four-year, full-ride scholarship for an East Bay student who identifies as Black or of African descent and intends to major or minor in Dance, Music, or Theatre. Apply by Dec. 1! Scholarships fill up fast.
Performances
SMC Glee Club
Our students take part in numerous shows throughout the academic year. Check out SMC Glee Club’s rendition of “Rather Be,” rehearsed and recorded remotely in May of 2020!
Program & School Information
CONTACT US:
Dr. Sixto F. Montesinos Jr., Head of Instrumental Studies & Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, Music
Tara Sundy, Performing Arts Coordinator & Events Manager/Box Office Manager