Oberlin Conservatory

09/25/2026

For the first time in over a decade, the renowned Juilliard String Quartet will be performing at Oberlin. In 2014, the 'Boston Globe' dubbed them “the most important American quartet in history.” Don't miss this occasion, grab tickets for the concert at Finney Chapel happening TOMORROW at the link.
https://www.oberlin.edu/events/juilliard-string-quartet

09/22/2026

After over a decade, the Juilliard String Quartet will be returning to the Oberlin stage at Finney Chapel. The performance will take place this Saturday, September 26th, at 7:30p.m. This is the first installment of this year's Artist Recital Series, and it's safe to say the concert is highly anticipated by all involved.

“I really think of Oberlin as this place of exploration and open-mindedness,” says violinist Leonard Fu.

Not only is the Quartet fascinated by Oberlin, but students think highly of them as well: “Their artistry and musical communication is unparalleled,” says third-year violinist Isabella Duque Moreno.

This year happens to be the Quartet's 80th birthday, making them one of the longest running string quartets in existence. Founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York City, the quartet has earned four Grammy Awards across its lifespan, which they’ve paired with a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. To this day, they maintain their sterling reputation as outstanding performers and influential teachers.

To learn more about the Quartet before their Oberlin appearance, read the story linked in our bio.

09/20/2026

🎶 Join us for an unforgettable week of live music at the Oberlin Conservatory! 🎻

• Thursday & Friday: The Oberlin Chamber Orchestra (Thursday) and Sinfonietta (Friday) take the stage, featuring incredible faculty guest artists alongside these student ensembles.

• Saturday: The world-renowned Juilliard String Quartet debuts this season’s Artist Recital Series in Finney Chapel! 🎟️ Oberlin students get in free with Claim Your Seat!

• Sunday: The Dan Wall Memorial Tribute Concert honors the beloved emeritus jazz piano professor with tribute messages, alumni stories, and performances by Oberlin Jazz faculty and students.
Master Classes with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, a Department Composers' Recital, and Mark Edwards performs a clavichord Faculty Recital.

See details and more: https://calendar.oberlin.edu/calendar/week/2026/9/21?card_size=small&order=date&experience=&event_types%5B%5D=19263

09/12/2026

Check out what’s happening at the Conservatory this week! 🎶✨

Monday, September 14:
Voice master class with Melanie Helton in
2:30 - 4:30 p.m., Kulas Hall

Friday, September 18:
Contemporary Music Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Warner Hall

Saturday, September 19:
Oberlin Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Finney Chapel

See our full calendar of events: https://calendar.oberlin.edu/calendar/week/2026/9/14?card_size=small&order=date&experience=&event_types%5B%5D=19263

09/09/2026

🎻 Don’t miss the renowned Juilliard String Quartet as they kick off the Oberlin Artist Recital Series! 🎶

Hailed by The Boston Globe as “the most important American quartet in history,” this celebrated ensemble brings its vibrant mix of timeless classics and new works to the stage.

📍 Finney Chapel
📅 Saturday, September 26

Join us for an unforgettable night of world-class chamber music! ✨
Learn more and purchase tickets at https://www.oberlin.edu/events/juilliard-string-quartet

08/30/2026

Congratulations to Oberlin Conservatory alum Jennifer Koh ’97 on the release of her latest recording, “The American Concerto, Volume One,” released earlier this month on Cedille Records.

The inaugural album in Koh’s “American Concerto” project, launched in 2017, features two works with strong Oberlin connections: Vijay Iyer’s “Trouble” for violin and chamber orchestra, and Courtney Bryan ’04’s “Syzygy.” Koh performs alongside the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, conducted by Timothy Weiss, in sessions recorded on campus with Grammy-winning producer Judith Sherman. This project also gave current Conservatory students the opportunity to work alongside a distinguished alum and participate in a professional recording experience.

Koh, who collaborated with Weiss during her time as an Oberlin student, has since premiered more than 100 works and earned the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.

🎵 “The American Concerto, Volume One” is available now on Cedille Records.

Read the full story:

The Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble shines on Jennifer Koh ’97’s "The American Concerto, Volume One."

08/28/2026

Last Friday, new students and their families filled Finney Chapel for an evening of extraordinary music. The Orientation Recital welcomed the newest members of the Oberlin community with solo and ensemble performances by Conservatory students and faculty. Bravo!

08/28/2026

Congratulations to Oberlin Conservatory alum Sullivan Fortner ’08 on the release of his new album, “Leave That In There,” out today!

The three-time Grammy winner’s sixth album—and his first studio recording with his working trio, bassist Tyrone Allen II and drummer Kayvon Gordon—offers a deeply personal and self-referential statement, blending original compositions, a cover, and fully improvised passages recorded in the studio. The liner notes for the release were written by Courtney-Savali L. Andrews DD '04, Oberlin Assistant Professor of African American and African Diasporic Musics

A New Orleans native, Fortner earned a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied with Dan Wall. Earlier this year, he won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for “Southern Nights,” his third career Grammy. He was also named the inaugural recipient of The Gilmore’s 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award—the first jazz pianist to receive an Artist Award from The Gilmore.

🎵 “Leave That In There” is out now on Artwork Records.

👉 Read the full profile in The New York Times:

This standards-leaning pianist has made fans of jazz’s heavyweights. On “Leave That in There,” out Aug. 28, his playful originals reveal another level of virtuosity.

08/20/2026

The Verona Quartet, Oberlin's Quartet-in-Residence since 2020, has released Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartets, Op. 12 & 13 on Oberlin Music. Available now on all major streaming platforms, the recording brings together Mendelssohn's first two string quartets, composed around the same time as his iconic Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Featuring violinists Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro, violist Abigail Rojansky '11, and cellist Jonathan Dorman, the Verona Quartet is also a vital part of the Oberlin community, mentoring Conservatory students through lessons and coachings.

Experience the quartet live on September 30, when they join Oberlin Associate Professor of Cello Dmitry Kouzov for a recital in Kulas Recital Hall. Learn more about them and the recording in our New Center article: https://www.oberlin.edu/news/telling-stories-through-sound-verona-quartet-and-mendelssohns-string-quartets

08/20/2026

Tune in for an evening of extraordinary music.

Award-winning, Oberlin-founded ensemble The Poiesis Quartet returns to Finney Chapel in a performance of John Adams’ "Absolute Jest" with the Oberlin Orchestra.

Watch their performance on Applause tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. on WVIZ, or stream it anytime on the PBS app.
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