About Us
Music at Loyola University Chicago invites students into a liberal arts music program where artistic study, intellectual inquiry, and creative expression come together. The program welcomes music majors, minors, and students from across the university who want music to remain a meaningful part of their college experience. With a broad curriculum in performance, music theory, music history, composition, musicianship, and related areas of study, music at Loyola offers rigorous training for students considering graduate study or careers in music, while also providing an accessible and welcoming environment for non-majors who wish to explore the joy of making and understanding music.
Located in one of the world’s most vibrant musical cities, Loyola gives students access to Chicago’s rich and varied musical culture. The city’s concert halls, theaters, and community spaces offer students a living context for their studies. At Loyola, students encounter music not only as an academic subject, but as a vital part of cultural, civic, and communal life. Through coursework and performance opportunities, they develop the skills to listen critically, perform confidently, think historically, and engage music as a form of human expression across traditions and styles.
Music at Loyola also connects students with distinguished guest artists and working professionals from Chicago’s dynamic musical community. The program’s visiting guest artist series has welcomed internationally celebrated musicians and composers, including Wendel Patrick, Kaoru Watanabe, and Stacy Garrop, offering students meaningful opportunities to learn from artists whose work spans performance, composition, improvisation, technology, and cross-cultural collaboration. Students also regularly work with musicians affiliated with many of Chicago’s leading institutions, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Bella Voce, Music of the Baroque, and others. These experiences help students understand music as a living profession and give them direct access to the artistic life of the city.
Performance is central to the Loyola music experience. Students may participate in ensembles, solo performance, chamber music, collaborative projects, and other opportunities that encourage musical growth and community. These experiences are open to students with a wide range of backgrounds and goals, from those preparing for professional musical work to those continuing a lifelong love of singing or playing. In rehearsal, performance, and creative collaboration, students learn discipline, communication, attentiveness, and the shared responsibility of artistic work.
As part of a Jesuit liberal arts education, music at Loyola encourages interdisciplinary exploration and connection. Students are invited to link music with fields such as theater, dance, theology, history, literature, technology, environmental studies, social justice, and many other disciplines. This breadth prepares students for many possible futures while affirming music’s enduring value in the life of the University. Whether students major in music, pursue a minor, join an ensemble, or take a single course, music at Loyola offers a welcoming community in which they can deepen their musicianship, expand their imagination, and take part in the vibrant musical life of Loyola and Chicago.