ISSUED: 27 January 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Department of Music will host a visitation day Monday, February 17 for all high school juniors who are considering pursuing a degree in music at Shepherd.
Students will attend classes, meet music faculty and students, visit with representatives from the Office of Admissions, hear ensemble rehearsals and performances, have lunch in the dining hall, and take a campus tour. It is an opportunity for the high school students to live a “day in the life” of a Shepherd University music student and learn about the audition and application process. Interested parents are also welcome to attend.
Shepherd University offers degrees in music and music education, and concentrations in performance, musical theater, piano pedagogy, and composition. The Department of Music has a mission to challenge its students to reach their potential by providing extraordinary experiences. Music majors have myriad performance opportunities, including four choirs, wind ensemble, wind symphony, orchestra, chamber groups, two jazz bands, an opera every fall, musical theater every spring, and marching band.
Shepherd music students have the opportunity to study with the region’s most experienced performers and educators. Master classes are regularly offered with nationally acclaimed guest artists. As a result of the high quality ensembles, Shepherd’s students are invited to perform at a number of exciting venues. Invitations have been accepted from Giants Stadium, the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Carnegie Hall in New York, and cathedrals around the world. The Jazz Ensemble and members of the vocal ensembles toured England in 2007, the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir toured Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic in 2009 and Spain in 2011, and the Wind Ensemble and the Chorus toured Paris, the Cote d’Azur, and Monte Carlo in May 2013 and a Northern Italy tour is planned for this May.
To register for visitation day, complete the prospective student information form online at www.shepherd.edu/musicweb/information_request.html and indicate under “additional information or questions” how many people will be attending. For more information, contact Esperanza Alzona, music operations manager, at 304-876-5711 or ealzona@shepherd.edu.
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