Blair
Join the online Nashville Hope Choir
Aug. 25, 2020—The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all kinds of choirs—church, synagogue, community, college—to take a break from in-person singing. While online singing can never replace making music together in the same physical space, the Nashville Hope Choir at Blair Academy offers a “for this moment” substitute.
Blair School offers tai chi sessions via Zoom
Aug. 21, 2020—Take a break from your desk and Zoom with tai chi instructor Cindy Hui-Lio on Wednesdays from 12:15 to 1 p.m.
Blair offers senior adult classes through ZOOM
Aug. 19, 2020—“Symphony 101: New Ears for Music and the Orchestra” is an interactive eight-week class that brings great music to life. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m., Aug. 26–Oct. 14.
Blair Academy offers Kindermusik on Zoom
Aug. 19, 2020—Blair Academy will offer five Kindermusik classes this fall beginning Sept. 2 and 3. Choose the one that fits your family’s schedule.
“Ignore Boundaries” Dean Mark Wait reflects on his decades at the Blair School of Music
Jul. 17, 2020—by John Pitcher It’s the end of an era at Blair. Mark Wait, the Martha Rivers Ingram Dean and professor of music, retired June 30. Blair was a relatively small institution when Wait took the helm in 1993. It had 19 full-time faculty who taught and performed in a 31,000-square-foot facility. Today the school boasts...
Blair Faculty Notes
Jul. 17, 2020—Kirsten Agresta Copely, adjunct associate professor of harp, released Around The Sun, an all-original new age harp album in January. It takes listeners on a journey through a 365-day cycle from “Daybreak” to “Winter’s Bone” with introspective melodies and ambient soundscapes. This marks her third solo album and first as composer. Molly Barth, assistant...
Blair Student Accolades
Jul. 17, 2020—Undergraduate competition winners Max Randal, a rising senior piano performance major and computer science minor, was named the Tennessee Music Teachers Association Young Artist Collegiate Competition state winner in November 2019. Kaila Geisinger, a rising senior harp performance major, took second prize representing the Southeastern Region in the Advanced Division at the American Harp Society...
A classical singer pivots during pandemic to bring cheer through parody
May. 19, 2020—When Chris Mann, a Vanderbilt alumnus with a degree in opera, started making music parody videos and posting them online, he struck a positive chord with millions of people also struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qualities Applicable to Music and Medicine: Rachel Miles, BMUS’20
Apr. 30, 2020—When applying to colleges, Rachel Miles wanted to keep her options open. Vanderbilt proved to be the perfect fit for the Brunswick, Ohio, native, who majored in oboe performance through the Blair School and minored in chemistry and biological sciences through the College of Arts and Science.
Vanderbilt jazz program honored by ‘DownBeat’ magazine
Apr. 28, 2020—Blair School of Music’s budding jazz program earned top ranking in the category of Best Blues/Pop/Rock Group for "Commercial Break," a self-titled debut album written and recorded by an ensemble of Vanderbilt undergraduates.
‘Open Spaces: Comfort and Hope’ shares diverse array of artistic expressions, uplifting messages
Apr. 20, 2020—While the world is practicing social distancing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, two Vanderbilt community members have created a virtual gathering space for students, faculty, staff and postdoctoral scholars to engage with uplifting musical performances, artistic presentations, poetry readings and more.
Vanderbilt University names new dean of Blair School of Music following international search
Mar. 24, 2020—Vanderbilt University has tapped Lorenzo Candelaria, dean and professor of music at Purchase College, State University of New York, as the next dean of Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music following an extensive international search.