MUSIC PROGRAM
The music program welcomes all enrolled MIT students, regardless of major, who wish to take subjects in music history/culture, composition/theory, music technology, and performance in the areas of classical, jazz, popular, and world music. At MIT it is possible to major (full, joint, or double), minor, or concentrate in Music. Our curriculum is known for its fantastic variety of quality offerings to undergraduates at all levels of preparation and talent. Our faculty and teaching staff is comprised of distinguished award-winning composers, musicologists and performers and include two Institute Professors, the highest honor awarded to only about a dozen members of the entire MIT Faculty.
THEATER PROGRAM
The program in Theater Arts at MIT invites students to explore theater as a contemporary artistic practice within an intellectually rich continuum of traditions in the performing arts. We teach theater arts as a mode of inquiry into self and society with the conviction that such inquiries become the vehicle for a transformation of one or both. Interdisciplinary in its philosophy and humanist at its core, the program in theater arts is committed to a rigorous and innovative course of study across a diverse spectrum of creative forms.
Performance and Design Exhibition
MUSIC PERFORMANCE INITIATIVES
PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLES
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CHAMBER CHOURUS
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The MIT Chamber Chorus is a small student group that performs two concerts each year under the direction of Dr. William Cutter. Designed for the more vocally and musically advanced singer, this select ensemble is challenged with a wide variety of repertoire including music for a cappella chorus as well as choral works accompanied by small ensembles, or piano. Chamber Chorus has collaborated with the MIT Symphony, the MIT Wind Ensemble and with Theater faculty mounting chamber opera productions and opera scene programs.
CONCERT CHOIR
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The MIT Concert Choir, directed by Dr. William Cutter, is a large choral group open by audition to both graduate and undergraduate students, and to members of the MIT community. The Concert Choir is a social, academic and musical ensemble in which students learn and perform major works from the standard repertoire, as well as selected shorter and lesser-known pieces.
FaMLE
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The MIT Laptop Ensemble (MLE) is a living laboratory examining how new digital technologies are shaping musical performance. Using laptop computers as our /primary/ canvas, we look into how our digital lives suggest new opportunities for musical collaboration and exploration.
FJE- FESTIVAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE
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Founded in 1963 by Boston jazz icon Herb Pomeroy, this advanced 18 to 20-member big band/jazz ensemble performs traditional and contemporary jazz ensemble literature, including student compositions and new works written for the MIT FJE by major jazz composers.
MIT BALINESE GAMELAN
Gamelan consists of gongs, metallophones, hand drums, and bamboo flutes, creating shimmering layers of rhythmically intricate, lyrical patterns. Students will learn the basics of this unique musical practice by playing and performing on traditional instruments, culminating in an end-of-semester performance. Students will also learn how gamelan fits into Bali’s rich, multifaceted culture. No prior experience is necessary.
RAMBAX
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Senegalese Drum Ensemble is an ensemble dedicated to learning the art of sabar, a vibrant drum and dance tradition of the Wolof people of Senegal, West Africa.
MITSO - MIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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MITWE - MIT WIND ENSEMBLE
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Founded by Dr. Frederick Harris, Jr. in the fall of 1999, the MIT Wind Ensemble is comprised of advanced undergraduate & graduate MIT students from a wide range of disciplines. MITWE performs four concerts per year on the MIT campus and one off-campus.
THEATER ARTS PERFORMANCE INITIATIVES
FALL PRODUCTION
Fefu and Her Friends
by María Irene Fornés
Directed by Jay Scheib
Rehearsals begin Sept 29
Performances 4,5,6,7,12,13,14 November 2020
Virtual Auditions — Sept 10, 11 & 15
Virtual Auditions by Appointment
Image: Rian Flynn, '21
Learn More!
ANNUAL PLAYWRIGHTS WORKSHOP FESTIVAL
CONNECT
Questions regarding Music or Theater performance? Reach out to us at performance@mit.edu
Questions regarding course offerings, degree requirements and major and minor opportunities? Reach out to Alexa Torres at alexat@mit.edu
FACEBOOK: @MITMusicandTheater
INSTAGRAM: @MITMTA
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
MIT Music and Theater Arts is united in our pursuit of artistic, intellectual, creative and technical excellence; this requires intense focus and dedication by all members of our community. We value diversity and practice inclusion with regard to identities, backgrounds, opinions and beliefs. Because we see our students as whole people, we prioritize their mental, emotional and physical health above the quality of their work. This ethos extends to both our advisory and pedagogical relationships. Diversity, wellness and inclusion are likewise central to our curriculum and hiring; we are therefore committed to recruiting a diverse faculty and staff to enhance the educational experience of the students we serve.
