University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music presents a wide-ranging spring concert series featuring nationally recognized artists, student recitals and performances that celebrate cultural diversity, artistic excellence and emerging voices.

See the full concert calendar.

Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated musicians will perform for the community and mentor students, reinforcing the Conservatory’s commitment to professional preparation and creative exploration.

“Pacific celebrates cultures—plural—that make our communities whole,” said Dean Peter Witte. “This spring, faculty and students will offer another incredible array of performances and events that make Pacific a 'Dream School.' As always at Pacific, all are welcome.”

Among the semester’s highlights is University Artist in Residence Gabriela Lena Frank, a Latin Grammy winner and Guggenheim Fellow, who will visit campus Feb. 5 as part of the Presidential Speaker Series.

“This is a tremendous honor,” Frank said. “I hope to draw on my story and how my life unfolded in service of the institution. Sometimes it’s a matter of knowing that we exist, that we’re actually here, and this partnership with Pacific affirms that.”

Frank will discuss her work inspired by Latin American folklore and her efforts breaking cultural and gender barriers in classical music. 

“Jazz pianist Orrin Evans will jam with Pacific Jazz,” said Witte. “The Conservatory returns to Long Theatre to produce a terrific set of quick operas—one is nine minutes long. At year’s end, in addition to the highlighting student winner of the 2025-26 Performance Competition, we’ll also highlight Pacific student composers and showcase our incredible Music Management students, so many of whom shine in Pacific’s Tiny Office series.”

The Conservatory’s spring calendar also features orchestral, choral, opera and jazz performances, as well as 26 curated student recitals presented between January and April.

“My upcoming junior percussion recital will showcase a diverse program of instruments, timbres and styles,” said Casey Kim ’27. “It represents the culmination of my practice and studies here at Pacific.” Kim’s recital will be March 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Faye Spanos Concert Hall.

Concert highlights

Pacific Orchestras: “Human Landscapes”
Thursday, Jan. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Faye Spanos Concert Hall | $10–$15 (students free)
Conductor Sebastian Serrano-Ayala leads Pacific Orchestras in a program featuring Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Escaramuza,” Randall Smith’s “Suite Humana,” Adolfo Mejía’s “Pequeña Suite para Orquesta” and Lorenzo Fernández’s “Danza di Negri.” The works explore the human spirit through expressive storytelling.

Professor Emeritus Frank Wiens, piano
Friday, Jan. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | Faye Spanos Concert Hall | Free
Wiens performs Franz Liszt’s art-song transcriptions, Beethoven’s “Waldstein Sonata” and works by César Cui, Sergei Lyapunov, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Pacific Choirs: “In At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners”
Wednesday, Feb. 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Faye Spanos Concert Hall | $10–$15 (students free)
Conducted by Brett Epperson, University Chorus and Pacific Singers present music celebrating the natural world, including works by Jennifer Lucy Cook, Hildegard von Bingen, Gabriela Lena Frank and Willametta Spencer.

Pacific Wind Bands: “I, Too”
Thursday, Feb. 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Faye Spanos Concert Hall | $10–$15 (students free)
Vu Nguyen conducts Pacific Wind Bands in a Black History Month program inspired by Henry Dorn’s “I, Too, Am America.” The concert includes Carlos Simon’s “Sweet Chariot” and Michael Daugherty’s “The Adventures of Jesse Owens,” featuring soprano and artist-in-residence Lisa Williamson, described by The Washington Post as “silvery of voice” and “a showstopper.”

Other highlights from the spring schedule include:

Guest Artist Rebecca Lawrence, double bass
Tuesday, March 3 | 7:30 p.m. | Rhea McCarthy Hall | Free
Lawrence presents contemporary and Baroque works for solo double bass, showcasing extended techniques and alternative tunings.

Pacific Opera Theatre
March 19–21 | 7:30 p.m.; March 22 | 2:30 p.m. | Long Theatre | $15–$30
Pacific Opera Theatre presents Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium” and Samuel Barber’s “Hand of Bridge,” directed by James Haffner with Eric Dudley conducting.

Pacific Orchestras: “Emerging Voices”
Friday, April 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Faye Spanos Concert Hall | $10–$15 (students free)

Pacific Music Management Showcase
Sunday, April 26 | 6:00 p.m. | Faye Spanos Concert Hall Quad

A student-produced concert highlighting Conservatory talent, organized and managed by students in music industry studies and music management.

Pacific Varied Ensembles
Monday, April 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Conservatory Recital Hall
Conservatory student performers present works across multiple styles and genres.

The spring season concludes May 1 with Pacific Composers: Spring Premieres, featuring original works composed and performed by Conservatory students.

Most Conservatory events are free for Pacific students, faculty and staff; $5 for seniors; and $10 for general admission. Opera Theatre productions are $15 for students and $30 for general admission. Additional information is available online.