Students in University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music will learn from and perform alongside accomplished guest artists, composers and educators throughout the fall semester. 

A dynamic lineup of performances, residencies, workshops and special events will take place September through December, celebrating cultural diversity, musical excellence and emerging voices.

"The Conservatory’s Fall 2026 season reflects Pacific’s values and the Conservatory’s creativity. There is a reason Pacific’s Conservatory continues to grow in enrollment, national visibility and reach," said Conservatory of Music Dean Peter Witte. "We believe in music, in cultural connections, and in a fierce joy that includes everyone. Two concerts with our neighbors at San Joaquin Delta College, dozens with nationally accomplished artists, many of whom are Pacific faculty, and year-two of Pacific’s Inclusive Music Initiative with Gabriela Lena Frank, winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Pacific's Conservatory is cooking. Join us!"

See the full calendar of events.

The season opens with a faculty recital Thursday, Sept. 10 featuring pianist Shichao Zhang and tenor Frederick A. Peterbark. The program will feature Franz Liszt’s “Petrarch Sonnets” along with selections from Felix Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words” and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise.”

Pacific’s fall calendar continues with Pacific Tenor-Bass Day, a choral festival and vocal enrichment experience for high school and junior college students who sing in the tenor-bass range, and a performance by Pacific Choirs under the direction of Brett Epperson Tuesday, Sept. 15. The month also features a Pacific Jazz Ensemble performance with the Pacific Jazz Ambassadors Saturday, Sept. 19. The Pacific Jazz Ambassadors is the university’s flagship jazz ensemble. 

Third Coast Percussion, presented by Friends of Chamber Music, will perform Sunday, Sept. 20. The Grammy Award-winning ensemble is known for its innovative performances and collaborations that explore the possibilities of contemporary percussion.

Guest artist Sylvia Cuenca and her band will join Pacific musicians for a performance Thursday, Sept. 24, the same evening Pacific Wind Bands will perform. 

Later in the month, Assistant Professor Sadie Glass and students Ciera Alkhoury ’29 and Lily Walter ’29 will join assistant professor and pianist Patricia Grimm for “Reflections from the Alps” Wednesday, Sept. 30. The program is inspired by their recent trip to the International Alphorn Festival in Nendaz, Switzerland, and will feature music from the festival as well as new works by Laura Nelson and Michele Fellmann.

Violinist and educator Christian Howes will headline a residency Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17. The residency will include a screening of Howes’ documentary “Redemption Time” and “Breaking Free: The Transformative Power of Music Improvisation,” a joint music education and music therapy event featuring Howes and a panel of musicians and music therapists. The residency will culminate in a concert featuring Howes alongside Pacific jazz faculty and students.

Pacific Opera Theatre will present Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 22-25. Additional October highlights include a faculty artist recital featuring clarinetist Brooke Miller and pianist Patricia Grimm Monday, Oct. 26 and a faculty artist recital featuring vocalist Heidi Moss Erickson and guest pianist Kurt Erickson Tuesday, Oct. 27. 

The month will close with “Inclusive Music Now,” a new concert series that explores works by contemporary composers, featuring guest composers Tanner Porter and Nicky Sohn, Thursday, Oct. 29.

The fall season culminates in December with Pacific Composers Thursday, Dec. 3, featuring new works composed by Pacific and Delta College students, followed by Pacific Choirs’ festive seasonal performance on Friday, Dec. 4, conducted by Brett Epperson.

Other signature events include:

• Pacific Jazz Combos, Monday, Oct. 5
• Pacific Jazz Ensemble with Marcus Shelby, Wednesday, Oct. 21
• Pacific Brass Chamber Night, Monday, Nov. 9
• Pacific Percussion Ensemble, Tuesday, Nov. 10
• Guest artist Hassan Anderson, Thursday, Nov. 12
• Pacific Faculty Artists, Wednesday, Nov. 18
• Pacific Wind Bands with SJ Delta College Symphonic Band, Thursday, Nov. 19

Most Conservatory events are free for Pacific students, faculty and staff; $10 for seniors; and $15 for general admission.