UNC Department of Music

11/05/2025

The department is saddened to share that Alan Bergman, B.A. 1948, a prolific songwriter and UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus, passed away on July 17, 2025, due to natural causes. Bergman’s career started early on and was fostered here at the Carolina, where he studied music and theatre arts. After UNC, Alan moved to Los Angeles and began a career with his wife, Marilyn, in which they went on to earn 16 Academy Award Nominations and create a legacy of over 500 songs. Some of his most famous works include the Oscar-winning song, “The Way We Were,” recorded by Barbara Streisand.
Carolina Alumni UNC College of Arts and Sciences

On July 17, 2025, prolific songwriter and UNC alumnus Alan Bergman, B.A. 1948, passed away at the age of 99 in his Los Angeles home from natural causes. According to the family spokesperson, Ken Sunshine, Alan had been suffering from … Read more

11/04/2025

We’re kicking off November with three fantastic performances this week! Some are free, and some will get you CLE credit - swipe to get the details. ➡️

🍂 Thursday, November 6 at 7:30 pm | Teddy Robie, piano, and Emily Brausa, cello | Person Recital Hall | free
🍂 Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 pm | UNC Opera presents Cherubino’s Cupcake Conundrum | Moeser Auditorium, Hill Hall | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | $10 general, $5 students/faculty, Free for UNC Music students/faculty/staff | CLE credit
🍂 Sunday, November 9 at 7:30 pm | Brass Chamber Music Concert | Moeser Auditorium, Hill Hall | free

Get tickets and more program details on our website today: https://music.unc.edu/calendar.

📸: Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill

10/31/2025

🎃Happy Halloween!👻 This is our version of the monster mash! Hope you guys have a fun halloweekend and enjoy some great spooky tunes!

10/29/2025

“Winning the beat battle has been a testament to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to, even if that is something I have not done before, just like beat making.” -Amelia Aganad

Amelia Aganad reigns supreme as our first-ever Beat Battle Grand Champion, having won all three rounds in a hard-fought beat battle. Amelia registered for Beat Making Lab as a way to diversify her STEM-filled schedule and find some much-needed stress relief. “It has been so fun to express myself through music and to also use it as an escape from the stress I have from my other classes,” she told us.

This is the first Beat Lab Beat Battle, and was started by Professor Kerwin Young. “Not only did she win all three rounds, but she also outscored the other section of the Beat Making Lab. This is too impressive to ignore,” wrote Professor Kerwin Young. “To top it all off, the students supplied all the grading of their fellow classmates. To receive such support from your classmates makes it even more special; it says a lot. I love the classroom camaraderie and overall participation, and I will continue this Beat Battle for each semester.”

The next battle is set for November 25, and we can’t wait to see what happens!

10/27/2025

Happy Halloween Week, Tar Heels! Get in the Halloween spirit this week with our Halloween Bluegrass Square Dance on Thursday evening, join us for a scary good time at our Open House on Saturday, and more! Swipe to see all the fun ✨free✨ events on tap for this week. ➡️

🎃 Wednesday, October 29 at 3:35 pm | Departmental Student Recital | Moeser Auditorium | free
🎃 Thursday, October 30 at 7:30 pm | Halloween Square Dance | Kenan Rehearsal Hall (1201) | free | CLE credit!
🎃 Thursday, October 30 at 8:00 pm | UNC Harp Ensemble Fall Concert | Person Recital Hall | free
🎃 Saturday, November 1 at 1 - 3 pm | UNC Music Open House | free

10/22/2025

“Connecting to lived experience, whatever that person’s lived experience is, is a really powerful way to bring people to music.” -Soprano Jennifer Lien

We caught up with Jennifer Lien and Annie Jeng after their performance of mOthertongue, a performance which celebrated the stories of Asian-American composers and explored how personal identity can find expression in song. Read more at https://music.unc.edu/2025/10/22/mothertongue.

10/20/2025

Welcome back, Tar Heels! This week we've got a fantastic FREE faculty and guest artist recital coming your way on Sunday evening. Come hear new faculty member Dr. Kelariz Keshavarz in her first faculty performance at UNC and get CLE credit for your attendance!

🍁 Sunday, October 26 at 5:30 pm | Kelariz Keshavarz, flute with Olga Kleiankina, piano, and Ariana Fajerman, choreography | Moeser Auditorium | free

See you there!

10/17/2025

“[W]hen [Donovan Livingston] heard the rapper Nas’ ‘If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)’ for the first time, ‘that song unlocked something in me that allowed me to see poetry as a mechanism for articulating my ideas about myself, about the world, about changes I wanted to see,’ he said.”

Professor Donovan Livingston has been building community through poetry and rap throughout his life. As a musical artist, a poet, and an educator, Dr. Livingston has been creating music and poetry daily. As Chapel Hill’s current poet laureate, he’s encouraging others to do the same with his “Rough Drafts” and “Mix Tapes” initiatives. Learn more about Dr. Livingston’s journey and see how you can tap into these exciting initiatives: https://music.unc.edu/2025/10/16/livingston-builds-communities.

10/15/2025

Happy Fall Break, Tar Heels! It may not be peak fall colors yet, but we hope each of you finds a way to create those cozy, relaxing fall vibes over break.🍂

10/13/2025

Before you Fall into Break, join us for two powerful concerts tonight and tomorrow night! Swipe for details and purchase tickets via the link in our bio. ➡️

🍂 Monday, October 13 at 7:30 pm | “Shifting Landscapes,” UNC Symphony Orchestra | Memorial Auditorium | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | $10 general, $5 students/faculty/staff, Free for music majors/minors, students in lessons/ensembles
🍂 Tuesday, October 14 at 7:30 pm | UNC Wind Ensemble & UNC Symphony Band | Memorial Auditorium | Martha Flowers Ensemble Series | $10 general, $5 students/faculty/staff, Free for music majors/minors, students in lessons/ensembles

Both events are CLE credit-approved - come get your credit!

10/10/2025

✨Concert Season appreciation post✨

We’ve been having a fantastic time with all the incredible concerts so far this fall! Swipe through to take a look back at some of the recent performances. And there are so many more to come - check out our website for the full list and get your tickets, when needed, today. (link in bio)