Welcome!
Welcome to the Department of Music! Cornell’s music department offers a wealth of exciting courses, music-making opportunities, a world-class library – and the promise of lifelong friendships and extracurricular interests around music. We hope you’ll take advantage of visiting campus, getting to know faculty and students, and taking a virtual tour of Lincoln Hall and our performance venues. Be sure to look at our event calendar and join us in the audience!
We look forward to making your transition to college life intellectually stimulating, artistically creative – the most memorable time of your life.
With all best wishes,
Ariana Kim, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Find your musical outlet at Cornell!
Participating in music at Cornell provides fantastic opportunities for students to become engaged in a community, explore a creative outlet while pursuing other interests, and take advantage of the superb resources and teachers here!
One of the biggest reasons Tanvi Athavale ‘23 chose Cornell is because it had programs that fit exactly what she wanted to do! “The ISST major is kind of perfect for my interests and I also loved that Cornell would allow me to continue playing the violin at a high level and complete a music minor while studying something else as my major.”
Adedayo Perkovich ‘25 is grateful for the amazing opportunities she’s come across in Cornell Music. “I haven't even finished my first year! From playing for Professor Wynton Marsalis to singing with a collection of historical pianos, Cornell has so much to offer.”
“Having the freedom to explore music in a broad liberal arts sense is super exciting for me,” said Isaac Dorio ‘26. “I appreciate the ability to explore subsects of music and its diversity through different organizations on campus and in the music department itself.”
The most exciting part of Lily Dovciak’s ‘27 musical journey has been experiencing the immense diversity of styles and interests among the faculty and students. “Since starting at Cornell I’ve played and listened to jazz, samba, punk, gamelan, and electronic music among other genres.”
Gabrielle Garra ‘27 chose Cornell for its academic excellence but soon found herself deeply engaged with Cornell Music. “Knowing I wanted to pursue music in college, I auditioned for the CU Wind Symphony, and I feel incredibly fortunate to call it my home away from home.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about becoming involved in the music department.
Visiting campus/trial lessons
Click here for more information about visiting campus.
Select studios offer the opportunity for trial lessons, as well as virtual options. Contact the faculty member noted below for more information.
| Instrument | Faculty Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Violin/Viola | Ariana Kim | arianakim@cornell.edu |
| Cello | John Haines-Eitzen | jah242@cornell.edu |
| Piano | Visit cupiano.org | |
| Jazz | Paul Merrill | pm75@cornell.edu |
Student News
Blog posts from students discuss different ways of being involved in music on campus. Visit the News section of our website for additional interesting stories, and follow us on social media for more about our students and events!
See a need on campus? Start a new club
Students find community in a cappella group
Student finds opportunity to travel through passion through music