Welcome to a new academic year in the Colorado College Music Department! We are very excited to welcome all our new and returning students to Packard Hall. It has been way too quiet around here without you! 

“On the Beat” is an email newsletter we send to all music students at the beginning of every block. They are an informational “pulse” to keep us all in “rhythm” as we navigate the different time signatures of CC. Each edition contains essential information on upcoming performances, convergence sessions, informal and formal gatherings, masterclasses, and important deadlines. Please take a moment at the start of each block to review “On the Beat” and take note of what’s upcoming.

The Music Department’s website also contains all the information students need to navigate the department. The landing page always promotes what is coming up next.  Elsewhere on the site you will also find our course grid for the upcoming year. Or you might want to explore our fantastic list of dedicated and talented academic faculty and studio faculty. And don’t forget to sign up for music lessons if you haven’t already!   

We are excited for the concerts, events, gatherings, and guests planned for you this academic year, with much more to be shared as we move forward. Importantly, moving forward our mandatory concert attendance will be replaced by a more-organic model: where each course taught in the music department will incorporate one or more department concerts as part of the overall framework for the course. In addition to in-class reflections, the Music Department will be hosting several outside-of-class gatherings focused on informal conversation, music, and food – including a Music & the Menu gastromusicology food series before, and after, some of our upcoming concerts and convergences. We hope you will join us.  

Finally, the Seay Music Library is a wonderful resource for our campus community and houses a collection of musical works in physical and digital format. Here you can ask for help in specialized research for your musical assignments and projects. 
 
We are so glad you are here. We look forward to making your musical experience at CC as enlightening, inclusive, creative, and unique as you are. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly with any questions, concerns, or ideas!  
 
Sincerely, 
 
Liliana Carrizo, Associate Academic Chair 
Sue Grace, Associate Chair of Performance 
Ryan Bañagale, Chair 

Register for music lessons by Wednesday, Sep. 3, 4 p.m.  

Fill out the Lesson Intake Survey to begin the process.  

Bring some Broadway magic to CC! The Music Department, in association with the Colorado Springs Conservatory, will be presenting the musical Anastasia this December. We are seeking performers, stage managers, spot operators, prop designers and crew members. Please prepare 32 bars of a musical theatre selection, appropriate for the style of Anastasia.

TIME: 5-6 p.m., callbacks 7-8:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Packard Hall 

During Block A, Bluegrass Instructor Keith Reed took students “On the Road” to explore the roots and branches of folk music in the U.S. During Block B, Keith’s Advanced Topics in Music class traveled to Ireland and Scotland to explore how Irish and Scots-Irish history and culture have significantly influenced American folk music.

The US Air Force Academy Band (including CC’s own Monica Ding, Tim Stombaugh, Alex Vieira, and Bobby Wolfe) toured the Front Range, culminating in two performances at Mount Rushmore.  

Assistant Professor Dr. Lidia Chang and Research Assistant Alia Dahleez ’27 spent the month of June examining and cataloguing musical instruments, objects, and iconography at some of Vienna’s most important art and history museums: the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Belvedere, the Secession, the Albertina, the Museum of Science and Technology, the Austrian National Library, and the Beethoven House Museum. They met with curators and restoration specialists to learn about the priorities and challenges on the minds of museum professionals today, and built a strong foundation for Dr. Chang’s upcoming block abroad, “Music and the Museum” (Block 6). They will be presenting their findings on September 26 at Student Research and Internship Symposium. In July, Dr. Chang travelled to Boston, MA where she taught for her 15th summer at the South Shore Conservatory’s Summer Music Festival.

Collegium Musicum Director Elisa Wicks attended the Amherst Early Music Festival as the opera orchestra coordinator and principal second violinist. The opera project this summer focused on a rarity, the modern world premiere of Georg Reutter’s Dafne. Students, early-career singers and professional instrumentalists brought this ancient tale to life.

Jon Cowherd, Brian Blade, and Tony Scherr
Thursday, Sep. 11 at 7 p.m.
Celeste Theatre

Three of the most imaginative, sensitive and wide-ranging artists in modern jazz: pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Brian Blade.

United States Air Force (USAF) Academy Band Chamber Recital
Songs & Echoes
Monday, Sep. 29 at 7 p.m.
Packard Hall

A musical tour de force, the program features the talents of the United States Air Force Academy Premier Band performing an eclectic program from composers of the Romantic era to minimalism and modern jazz.

Hello Tigers,

Tonight is the Campus Sleep-Out, and while the rain is preventing us from sleeping under the stars, we’re still planning a fun and festive evening! Here is the scoop for all the location updates:

6 p.m.                         Hand out Swag — Worner Fireside
6:15 – 7:15 p.m.         Shop Dog plays — Benji’s
6:15 pm – 9 p.m.       Pickleball — North/East of Worner
6:15 pm – 9 p.m.       Hamster Soccer — Cutler Quad
6:15 pm – 10 p.m.     Glow Golf — Student event space
6:15 pm – 9 p.m.       Extreme Gaming Truck — on Cascade near Worner
6:15 pm – 9 p.m.       Henna Tattoos, and Arts and Crafts — Downstairs Worner
7 p.m.                         Men’s Soccer against Cal Lutheran — Stewart Field
7:15 – 8:15 p.m.         Jabbawocky plays — Benji’s
8:15 – 10:30 p.m.      S’mores, popcorn and snacks — Worner and Cutler Quad
9 – 10:30 p.m.           Movie begins (Princess Bride) — Gaylord
10:30 – 11:30 p.m.    Midnight breakfast — Rastall
11:45 p.m.                  Settle in for the night — in your room

We are excited to see you all there!

I hope that your first block is going well.

Whether you are a new or returning student, I am glad you are part of our vibrant CC community. As the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, it is my honor to support you on your academic and personal journey.

Your success, both inside and outside the classroom, is at the heart of everything we do. CC offers a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and overcome any challenges you may encounter along the way.

Please reach out and seek support when needed. Our faculty, staff, and student leaders are committed to helping you navigate your college experience. Please review the campus resources available to you.

At CC, we value the power of diverse perspectives and experiences, integrity, stewardship, civic engagement, freedom of expression, and sustainability. These values create a unique and intellectually challenging campus environment where we can learn, grow, and dream together. We also believe our community is strongest when we all act in ways that reflect our shared values. This means being mindful of how our actions impact others and approaching campus life with care, respect, and integrity. Our community guidelines and policies are here to support a safe, inclusive, and thriving environment for everyone. Take time to review the Freedom of Expression Policy, and CC’s Community Standards.

College is a time for you to learn new things, explore your interests, challenge yourself, and discover who you are outside the expectations of others. I want to encourage you to embrace all that our community has to offer. Get involved in activities, clubs, and organizations. Attend campus events, athletic games, and engage in meaningful conversations with your peers inside and outside the classroom.

For example, join me tonight for the Campus Sleep Out. We will have lawn games, movie-watching, live bands, s’mores, and a chance to cheer on CC Men’s Soccer. Then roll out your blanket/sleeping bag and sleep under the stars with President Whitaker and your fellow Tigers. Bring a friend, a cozy layer, and your Tiger pride.

As the academic year progresses, remember that the Division of Student Life is here to help. The Student Life Office, in Armstrong 107, is a great place to stop by, ask questions, get connected to resources, pick up a snack, or just chat. My door is open, and I host drop-in office hours every Wednesday, 1–2 p.m., in Armstrong 110.

Welcome to a year of new opportunities. I look forward to getting to know you, supporting you, and seeing you thrive.

Warmly,

Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students 

From left, Michaela Kabat ’26, Ami Piburn ’27, and Kieran Blood ’22 mingle and roast marshmallows at the first-ever Campus Sleep-Out on Friday, Sep. 13, 2024. Photo by Parker Seibold

Pack your sleeping bags, Tigers—CC’s second annual Campus Sleep-Out kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. on Tava Quad. Don’t have a sleeping bag? Borrow one from the Outdoor Ed team, who will be set up near Shove Chapel. Kick things off with live music from Shop Dog at 6:15 p.m., then make your way to Washburn Field to cheer on the Men’s Soccer team in their 75th Anniversary matchup against Cal Lutheran.

After the game, the celebration continues back on the Quad with music from Jabbawocky, ghost stories by the fire, s’mores, glow golf, henna tattoos, and plenty of evening fun. As the stars shine above, we’ll settle in for an outdoor screening of The Princess Bride, then wrap up the night with a late-night breakfast on the Quad. See the full schedule online and join the celebration.

Registration is open for the next Work of the College Series event, “The Evolution of the Office of Communications and Marketing” on Tuesday, Sep. 9, from 1:30–2:30 p.m. in Bemis Great Hall.

We’re excited to share how the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) has evolved—with a new structure, new roles, and a new approach to our work! We’re shifting from being primarily service providers to becoming true strategic partners across campus. At this session, you’ll learn how we’re leveraging our team in new ways to collaborate with divisions, develop communications strategies, build impactful plans, and launch campaigns that not only move your mission forward but also strengthen the mission of the College as a whole.

As stewards of the CC brand, we’ll also share how we’re championing our refreshed brand to enhance visibility, strengthen reputation, and ensure our community speaks with one clear, compelling voice.

Add to calendar.

The Office of Institutional Equity and Belonging is excited to announce this year’s Antiracist Book Club selections — Nuclear Nuevo México: Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos by Myrriah Gómez is the Fall selection, and Noor by Nnedi Okorafor is the Spring selection. Both books are available at the CC Bookstore and can be picked up with your CC ID.

Nuclear Nuevo México is our Sense of Place selection. Gomez, a Nuevomexicana from the Pojoaque Valley, began this investigation “as a mapping of inchoate narratives to contribute to decolonizing the modern account of New Mexico atomic history and U.S. national myth…[and] has since evolved to examine the nuclear industrial complex through New Mexico, beginning with Site Y of the Manhattan Project.” Through research and storytelling, Gomez reveals the impact of nuclear weapons, science, and research on the people, communities, and land of New Mexico. Myrriah Gomez is an assistant professor in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico. 

Noor is a science fiction novel set in near future Nigeria. Through characters, time, and setting, Okorafor, born in the United States to Nigerian immigrant parents, creates a world in which biotechnology, disability, gender, and capitalism converge and allows the reader to reflect on humanity and our collective future. Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism. 

Please join the Antiracist Book Club MS Team to receive timely communication and updates about upcoming ABC programming. And please connect with Nancy Ríos at nrios@coloradocollege.edu if you have proposals or ideas for programming.  

Don’t miss the first production of the 2025-26 Fine Arts Center Theatre Season, running September 18–October 5. Oddball female roommates Sherlock (yes, it’s also a girl’s name… Wait, is it a girl’s name? Is it even a name?) Holmes and Joan Watson join forces and emerge from the Covid pandemic fog as a deeply codependent, quasi-dysfunctional Odd Couple adventure duo. Solving mysteries and kicking butts, they soon come face-to-face with a villain who seems to have all the answers.

An irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick, this fast-paced romp re-examines the world’s most famous detective story with a bold new lens.

Students receive FREE tickets, and staff and faculty can purchase tickets for $30 on the day of the performance. Tickets subject to availability; must purchase in person and present a CC Gold Card.

CC graduating class of 2029, on Washburn Field, Wednesday, Aug. 20 during NSO. Photo by Jamie Cotten