Music Calendar

Join the WKU Jazz Band for some outdoor music at the Colonnades! 

There is no admission fee - just take a seat at the Colonnades and hum along! 

In the event of bad weather, the date will be moved to the following Friday, October 10th

Repertoire TBA

Guest artist and faculty chamber recital performed by

• Dr. Jessica Welsh, piano
• Sarah Berry, cello
• Sara Sasaki, violin

Pieces to include:

• Price - Three Spirituals
• Adams - Road Movies
• Schoenfield - Café Music
• Copland - Hoe-Down

Please contact Dr. Jessie Welsh if you have questions!

Admission is free!

"Baritone Zachary Coates is a lecturer in music in voice, teaching applied voice and graduate courses in Song Literature. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Westminster Choir College and both Master and Doctor of Music degrees from Indiana University, where he was a student of Andreas Poulimenos. 

A fervent interpreter of song, Dr. Coates has given recitals across the United States and internationally. His academic interests include the Kunstballaden of Carl Loewe, the intersection of poetry, music, and the visual arts in France at the turn of the 20th century, and the wide range of diverse and powerful voices crafting art song in America in the last few decades and today. His culminating doctoral project, A Practical Handbook for Teaching Undergraduate Song Literature, is a guide to assist Song Literature teachers in adapting core undergraduate curriculum into a format that will fit their unique perspectives and institutional requirements. 

Although he specializes in song, Coates’s vocal studies have included Stanislavski Technique, and he has performed with opera companies across the country including Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Philadelphia, Spoleto Festival USA, and Opera North. He has also been involved with the groundbreaking and inclusive work of Opera MODO, both on stage and behind the scenes. Roles have included Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Guglielmo and Don Alphonso (Così fan tutte), Sid (Albert Herring), Balstrode (Peter Grimes), Sergeant Sulpice (La fille du régiment), and Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore). His concert performances include oratorios with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

During his graduate studies at Indiana University, Dr. Coates was a recipient of the Georgina Joshi International Fellowship, which allowed him to spend three months in England and Germany on a self-constructed intensive program of lessons and coachings, including an extended period of lessons with Sir Thomas Allen. Coates was also honored to work with legendary song coach and pianist Dalton Baldwin on several occasions before his passing."

Guest artist of Dr. Emily Britton

Johanna Yarbrough joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s horn section in 2012. She came to Detroit after completing a Professional Studies Certificate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, California. Prior to her time in LA, Yarbrough attended the University of Alabama where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music. Yarbrough also studied abroad at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway.

Yarbrough has won many prestigious awards including first prize of the 2009 International Horn Competition of America University Division. She has appeared as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has presented masterclasses and recitals throughout the country. She is also a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra where she performs for three weeks in Jacksonville, Oregon each summer. She has performed with several renowned orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Festival Mozaic, and the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival. She is a frequent guest artist with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings.

Clarinet and Saxophone students to perform at this studio recital

Admission is free!

Please contact Dr. John Cipolla with questions!

The WKU Treble Chorus, University Singers, and Chorale with special performances by the Treblemakers and Redshirts

Tickets can be purchased at the door only!

$6 general admission / $4 with student ID

Music major Samuel Wooten to perform his senior bassoon recital 

Guest artist event sponsored by Dr. Zachary Lopes

Pianist Jooyoung Kim, a native of South Korea, has been critically acclaimed on international stages for her dazzling technique, superb musicianship, and exquisite artistry. Fanfare Magazine and American Record Guide have hailed her as “richness of talent,” “charm, romance, and elegance,” and “exuberant and bold playing.” Since making her debut at the age of twelve as a soloist with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Kim has presented numerous solo and chamber recitals in Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain, England, France, Portugal, Italy, Russia, and the United States. She has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras including the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Yonsei Sinfonietta, Yale University Symphony Orchestra, and the Ball State Symphony Orchestra.

As an active recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician, Kim has performed in numerous music festivals and summer camps including Yong-Pyung Music Festival, Busan Piano Festival, International Piano Festival in Spain, Courchevel International Music Festival, Internationale Klavierakademie Murrhardt, Benefic Chamber Music Camp, Festival of New Music, 40th Festival of New American Music in Sacramento, The American Liszt Society Festival, Aria International Summer Academy, UTRGV Summer Piano Camp, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Kim, who holds degrees from Yonsei University, Universität der Künste Berlin, and Ball State University, currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Campbellsville University. Prior to joining the faculty at CU, she held faculty positions at Indiana Wesleyan University, Indiana University East, Indiana University Kokomo, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Anderson University. She has also taught at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and UTRGV Summer Piano Camp during the summer.

Student recital - performers to be chosen by applied faculty

Admission is free!

Music majors Tess Raney and Sarah McAuliffe to perform their senior recital

WKU Percussion Ensemble to perform

Tickets can be purchased at the door with CASH or CHECK!

Tuba and Euphoniums studio recital - organized by Mr. Chris Schmidt 

Please contact Mr. Schmidt christopher.schmidt@wku.edu with questions!

Student recital - performers to be chosen by applied faculty

Admission is free!

Join the WKU Symphony on Friday, October 31st, 7:30 pm at WKU’s Van Meter Hall with special guest John Cipolla, clarinetist, for a concert of all-American music.

Dr. Cipolla will perform Copland’s legendary Clarinet Concerto, originally composed for Benny Goodman. The WKU Symphony, led by Dr. Brian St. John, will perform Copland’s Billy the Kid Ballet Suite, American Salute by Morton Gould, and New England Triptych by William Schuman.

Tickets are $12 at the door or available online at https://wku.showare.com/default.asp?searchdate=10/31/2025