UCF Music

Summer music camps kicked off last weekend with UCF Cello Day!

Led by David Bjella, cellist and professor of cello at UCF, Cello Day gave 7th through 12th grade students a full-day intensive focused on building technique, establishing strong foundational skills, and training for the All-State prep. These students worked hard, performed well and had fun!

Up next: Clarinet, Flute, Flute and Piccolo, Percussion, and High School and Middle School Brass.

Learn more about UCF Music camps here: https://cah.ucf.edu/performingarts/camps/

Dave Schreier, UCF’s assistant director of bands, has been nominated 14 times for a UCF College of Arts & Humanities staff recognition award, and today he took one home🏆

Well deserved, Dave 👏 We appreciate everything you do for UCF School of Performing Arts, UCF Bands, and UCF Music!

UCF Choirs are finishing the 25/26 school year strong in concert with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at Steinmetz Hall, May 9 & 10. Joined by Richard Crawley, UCF musical theatre professor, and other acclaimed soloists, this concert features Beethoven’s final symphony, Symphony No. 9.

In honor of International Jazz Day, we're taking you back to the premier of "An Artist's Frame for Orlando," composed by Jeff Rupert, director of UCF's jazz program, and performed by the Flying Horse Big Band, UCF's top jazz band.

On April 4, 2026, at UCF Celebrates the Arts, Orlando audiences were awed by Rupert's five movement suite, each a perspective on Orlando's cultural scene.

Rupert moved from metro New York to Orlando in 1995, not knowing what to expect. He quickly discovered Orlando's deep roots in music, which have had a profound effect on him as an artist, educator, and person, ever since.

If you were lucky enough to experience the concert, you heard "Wells Built This," "Sea Spell," "Ditty for the City," "El Alma De Orlando," and "The Hot Spot" live at Steinmetz Hall.

If you missed it, you'll love the new album 🎷Coming soon ✨



📸 Drew Lofredo

Help us congratulate the students who received awards at UCF Music’s Annual Honors Forum 🎶

We’re so proud of our students’ commitment to excellence in music, performance, education, and service. Go Knights, Charge On ⚔️

The Performance Excellence Award
First place - Andres Diaz
Second place - Michael Weatherly

Phi Mu Alpha Man of Music Scholarship
Nishanth Shodavaram

Jack Williams Memorial Scholarship
Grace Singh

John R. Quello Music Scholarship
Andres Diaz

Dr. Gale Sperry Music Scholarship
Elaina Phelps

The Jose and Mimi Fernandez Scholarship
Valerie Albu

The Marshall Family Opera Scholarship
Frederick Brown

Sandy Jones Opera Award
Casey Wynn

Dr. Mary Palmer Book Award
Logan Grzybowski

James and Robert Meckley Outstanding Sophomore Award
Taylor Ribaric

The Marilyn Whisler Award
Joshua Manning-Martinez

Presser Foundation Music Scholarship
Cameron Cummins

Congratulations to percussionist and educator Thad Anderson '04 on his promotion to full professor in the UCF College of Arts & Humanities.

Jeffrey Moore, dean of the college of arts and humanities, taught Anderson when he joined the music department as a percussion performance major in 1999 and has had the rare opportunity to witness his former student's career progression when Anderson joined the UCF faculty in 2009.

“That is what education at UCF is about: empowering talented people to grow and lead. In this case, it made the institution itself stronger through their excellence and that is tremendously gratifying to me personally. I do not think I can be any prouder than I am of Thad.” - Dean Jeffrey Moore

Read more: https://cah.ucf.edu/news/ucf-recognizes-faculty-excellence-through-2026-promotion-and-tenure-awards/

✨THANK YOU

Join us this weekend (Saturday, April 11) for the 2026 Florida Horn Festival! 🎶 We're excited to welcome guest artist Kate Warren to campus for for the festivities!

The Florida French Horn Festival features activities designed for high school, college and community horn players, including performances, clinics and a horn ensemble reading session. All participants are encouraged to bring their instruments!

Our guest artist, Kate Warren, is an internationally acclaimed hornist and music educator currently serving as the principal horn for the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and 4th horn for the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

🗓️ Saturday, April 11
🕘 9am-4pm
📍UCF Rehearsal Hall

Registration and more info is available at the link in the first comment!

Join us this weekend for UCF Clarinet Day (March 28)!

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Daniel Gilbert for a recital and masterclass, featuring collaborations with Dr. Donna Lee (piano) and Dr. Rié Suzuki (clarinet).

Designed for all clarinetists — middle and high school students, college musicians, educators, community members, and UCF alumni. UCF Clarinet Day features a large play-in clarinet ensemble, recitals, a masterclass, exhibits, and more.

Details and registration at the link in the first comment!

Original work is everywhere at UCF Celebrates the Arts 2026, and especially in music 🎼

Orlando Sentinel's Matt Palm highlights Jeff Rupert's new five-movement jazz composition, "An Artist's Frame for Orlando," which premieres April 4 at the Flying Horse Big Band concert in Steinmetz Hall.

Read more about Jeff Rupert, jazz saxophonist and UCF's director of jazz studies, and more about UCF Celebrates the Arts (links in comments).