Department of Music
 
The Department of Music at Lake Forest College offers its students a strong foundation in music fundamentals as well as the opportunity to tailor their studies to suit their individual interests. Central to the department’s approach is the notion that students use their time as undergraduates to discover and explore not only who they already are as musicians – but who they could yet become. Be it opera or hip hop, violin or harmonica, students pursue their inclinations and ever-evolving aptitudes with guidance from engaged and knowledgeable professors whose own interests range from world music to electronica.

Musicians at Lake Forest benefit from the school’s close proximity to Chicago, one of the great music cities in the world. From Ravinia to the Lyric Opera to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and numerous jazz, blues, folk, and house music venues, students have access to tremendous resources. Some choose to intern with these institutions; others simply enjoy the chance to hear world-class performances on a regular basis. However, students need not always travel as far as Chicago; Lake Forest Lyrica, a series of chamber music concerts performed by some of the city’s finest musicians, is held on the campus in Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel and is free to students.

In addition to encouraging students to start their own music groups of any genre, the department sponsors a variety of performance activities. The Lake Forest College Concert Choir is the main choral group, with advanced singers invited to join the smaller Chamber Singers. Instrumental musicians may participate in the Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band, Flute Choir, the Experimental Music Group, and Percussion Ensemble.

Majors have gone on to graduate school in music at Northwestern, the University of Toronto, and the University of Illinois, among others. However, and not surprisingly, the diverse mental aptitudes required for serious study of music theory, history, performance, musicology, and composition prepare students for work in nearly any field.

The department invites prospective music students to contact Department Chair Don Meyer at 847-735-5171 (meyer@lakeforest.edu) to set up an interview to discuss their goals as well as Lake Forest’s music scholarship.

Department Contact:
847-735-6147

 

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