Being a Performance Major
Form lifelong connections with your teachers: award-winning solo and recording artists, professional music directors, members of military ensembles, composers, and arrangers. A degree in music performance provides you with the real-world experiences you need to succeed in a competitive and demanding professional environment. Simply put, you will connect and network with the best artist-teachers in the music industry from New York to LA, from Beijing to Sydney, and across Europe.
Immerse yourself in Pittsburgh's thriving arts culture. In addition to university concerts and events, many students perform regularly in the tri-state region with ensembles such as the GRAMMY Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Ballet and Opera Orchestras, Pittsburgh Camerata, Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, Mendelssohn Choirs, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, and numerous other ensembles in the region. We even have a Hire a Musician program that connects you with local employers and venues, so you can take your performance expertise beyond the classroom and into the field, allowing you to make money while sharpening your entrepreneurial skills.
At the Mary Pappert School of Music, you have a wide variety of horizon-expanding
performance degrees and programs to choose from at both undergraduate and graduate
levels. We will help you find the right path for your bigger goals.
You've got a love for music. Our Bachelor of Music in Performance sets the stage for
you to go anywhere.
You've laid the groundwork. Now, refine your skills with a Master of Music in Performance.
You've got the foundation. You've honed your technique. Now, dive even deeper with
an Artist Diploma.
Our unique jazz curriculum integrates foundational training in the classical tradition
with private instruction and coursework in jazz idioms. Degrees & Programs
Undergraduate
Graduate
Certificate
Study and Play Jazz
Applied Areas
Ensembles
Duquesne's ensembles will provide you with the finest university-level performing experiences available, preparing you for your career as a professional musician. As a member, you will perform on campus, as well as at some of the best venues for music in the city.
Upcoming Events
Wildest Dreams: An Evening of Original Songs
Rachel Whitcomb, singer/songwriter
Enjoy an evening of original music from singer/songwriter Rachel Whitcomb, featuring songs tinged with country, blues, Americana, and adult contemporary styles. Rachel will be joined onstage by well-known Nashville fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Joseph
Audition Day
Choose between online or in-person format. When you're ready, register to audition on your applicant portal using the form “Schedule my Music Audition”.
The goal of the audition process is to provide faculty evaluators with a clear picture of your performance ability and level of artistry. We also w
Uptown Jazz Series: Retrospective - Concert 4
PERFORMERS:
Trumpet: JD Chaisson
Trombone: Jeff Bush
Saxophone: Mike Tomaro
Piano: Max Leake
Guitar: Eric Susoeff
Bass: Paul Thompson
Drums: Tom Wendt
Admission
$10 Suggested Donation (at the door)
Performance Department
As a student at the Mary Pappert School of Music, you study with professors internationally acclaimed in their fields.
Alumni Perspective
I will always be grateful for my education at the Mary Pappert School of Music. It was such a rich environment with world-class teachers who were connected to the current scene and present on a regular basis to share their knowledge about the music industry. It’s very rare to find teachers like this who excel in both the performance and academic worlds.