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You want to perform!

It’s in our blood too! We dance. We act. We compose and practice and play. It’s about connecting with an audience, and setting the stage. The College of Arts and Architecture’s majors, minors, and graduate programs will prepare you to succeed in the limelight.

Undergraduate
Degrees

Theatre students performing a scene from Argonautica.

B.F.A. in Acting

The B.F.A. in Acting degree program trains the next generation of stars using a holistic educational approach that prepares performers for success on every stage.
ADRI Jenny Kenyon

B.A. in Integrative Arts

The B.A. in Integrative Arts offers the unique opportunity for students to work successfully as innovative and dynamic artists, designers, and performers in an increasingly interdisciplinary world.
School of Music Mosaic performance.

Bachelor of Arts in Music

The Bachelor of Arts in Music fosters musical creativity and skill while immersing students in a diverse educational experience that informs artistic growth and explores the profound importance of music.
School of Music recital hall center stage.

Bachelor of Music

The Bachelor of Music prepares students for a professional career as a performer or composer by offering specialized training designed to develop musicianship and celebrate creativity.
School of Music student playing the marimba.

Bachelor of Musical Arts

The Bachelor of Musical Arts explores each student’s passion for music while offering endless cross-disciplinary opportunities to create a unique degree that prepares graduates for a professional career.
School of Music student teacher helping elementary students during rehearsal.

Bachelor of Music Education

The Bachelor of Music Education equips students with the tools to become music educators that profoundly impact the lives of elementary and secondary school children.
Musical Theatre students performing the halftime show at Beaver Stadium.

B.F.A. in Musical Theatre

The B.F.A. in Musical Theatre is a revered and intensive professional training program that prepares students to step into the spotlight on Broadway and beyond.
Photo of a female presenting student on a dark background

B.A. in Theatre

The B.A. in Theatre develops the cross-trained artist/scholar, with a focus on playwriting, performance devising, directing, and preparation for graduate study.
School of Theatre dress rehearsal of Argonautica.

B.F.A. in Theatre

With options in Stage Management and Theatre Design and Technology, the B.F.A. in Theatre trains the behind-the-scenes theatre professionals to produce a transformative theatrical experience by artistically engaging modern technology and skills.

Undergraduate
Minors + Certificates

A student presents her 3d model figurine concept to a panel of judges during the Arts Business Ideas Competition. Mimicking the look of her 3d model, she wears a pink ponytail wig and vibrant outfit.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor

Become a leader in the arts or design. Engage in a start-up venture. Leverage your art or craft. Create alliances. Meet social or business needs. Craft ideas and make art work.
Hundreds of red lanterns overhead in the Doseonsa temple in Seoul, South Korea.

International Arts Minor

Expand your perspective. Become a well-traveled citizen of the world. A minor in International Arts will provide a deeper understanding of how art and design permeate cultures around the world.
Music students in class singing in front of microphones.

Music Technology Minor

The Music Tech minor opens the study of musical acoustics, digital audio, sound design, and audio recording. You will apply domains of knowledge from your majors to the fields of audio production and digital technology.
School of Music vocalists performing on stage during the Mardi Gras Jazz Concert at the Recital Hall.

Music Studies Minor

Blend music theory, composition, or performance studies with your major. The Music Studies minor can refine and balance coursework and studies across varied majors.
Penn State School of Music MOSAIC vocal performance in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Music Performance Minor

A minor in Music Performance lays the foundation for you to integrate your love and knowledge of music into any career path.
Stage crew students adjusting sound and lighting for the production rehearsal of Violet, located in the Playhouse Theatre at Penn State University Park campus.

Theatre Minor

The Theatre minor is designed for personal enrichment or to enhance study particularly for students in the humanities, communication, and the arts.

Graduate
Degrees

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Master of Arts in Music (+Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Option)

The Master of Arts in Music offers three curricular tracks – Musicology, Music Theory, or Music Theory and History – as well as integrated undergrad/grad options.
School of Music orchestra performance showcasing a violinist..

Master of Music

Program Application Deadline Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given priority consideration for admission and graduate assistantship funding. To be assured full consideration,...
Graduate student conducting a performance.

Master of Music Education

Program Application Deadline Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given priority consideration for admission and graduate assistantship funding. To be assured full consideration,...
A music education Ph.D. student teaching in front of a group of musicians with instruments.

Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education

The Music Ed Ph.D. program, which offers advanced study of teaching and learning music from a research-based perspective, is aimed at individuals careers in higher ed and music administration.
School of Music piano soloist performance.

Doctor of Musical Arts

Program Application Deadline Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given priority consideration for admission and graduate assistantship funding. To be assured full consideration,...
Scenic design from the play Argonautica.

M.F.A. in Theatre

Program Application Deadline The deadline for applications for AY 2023–24 is January 15, 2023. To be assured full consideration, please apply by this deadline. Review individual program descriptions for details...

Alumni Spotlight

Alex Meixner playing an accordion, posing against a blue sky background

Alumni Spotlight

Alex Meixner

Master of Music 2001

Meixner is a nationally acclaimed musician, performer, bandleader, educator, and a leading advocate of polka music. Formally trained in classical, jazz, and ethnic music, he has cross-pollinated his versatile playing styles through pop music, funk, jazz, and polka. Photos: Chris Spiegel and Michael G. Stewart.

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Alex Meixner playing an accordion
Alex Meixner enthusiastically playing an accordion over his head

Venues Galore

World-class performance venues. Classic theatres. Practice and performance spaces. They are here!
See All Venues Galore
Pavillion Theatre stage crew assembling equipment on the floor for the production of the play Grand Hotel.
Pavillion Theatre stage crew assembling equipment on the floor for the production of the play Grand Hotel.

Eisenhower Auditorium

Eisenhower Auditorium, with a seating capacity of 2,500, is Penn State’s primary theatrical performance space. Opened in 1974 and later named for former University


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Pavillion Theatre stage crew assembling equipment on the floor for the production of the play Grand Hotel.

Pavilion Theatre

The Pavilion Theatre, built in 1915, is a key venue for the Penn State School of Theatre. Designed by architects Frank Miles Day and Charles


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Pavillion Theatre stage crew assembling equipment on the floor for the production of the play Grand Hotel.

Penn State Downtown Theatre

Finished in 2003, the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center is an intimate 152-seat theatre in the heart of downtown State College. The Penn State


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Pavillion Theatre stage crew assembling equipment on the floor for the production of the play Grand Hotel.

Playhouse Theatre

The Playhouse Theatre is a 383-seat proscenium-thrust theatre equipped with a dual level, moveable pit, full fly space, and advanced lighting and sound control


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Pavillion Theatre stage crew assembling equipment on the floor for the production of the play Grand Hotel.

Recital Hall

Hailed as an acoustically superb design, the new Recital Hall has quickly distinguished itself as one of the centerpieces for the arts at University


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A scene from the musical A Lucky Boy. A female and male character is dancing together and he dips her looking intently into her eyes.
School of Music students playing their saxophones on stage during the Mardi Gras Jazz Concert at the Recital Hall.
A scene from the production of Angels in America where two actors are sitting on a city park bench talking and holding hands. Performed in the Playhouse Theatre at the University Park campus.
A student from the School of Music Ed program, helping an elementary student with her clarinet.
A female actress dressed in a beautiful red dress with gold trim stands center stage singing a musical number from the production of Kiss Me Kate.
School of Music students dressed in tuxedos are playing their violins during a Mosaic performance.
A scene from the production of To Kill A Mockingbird where a female and male actor are on a balcony. Performed in the Playhouse Theatre at the University Park campus.
School of Music student playing his trombone on stage during the Mardi Gras Jazz Concert at the Recital Hall.
A scene from the production of A Year With Frog and Toad where actors in bright-colored costumes are performing a musical number. Performed in the Playhouse Theatre at the University Park campus.
School of Music students playing their clarinets during a music rehearsal.

In the spotlight...

With more than 400 performances per year, A&A students have a wealth of opportunities to shine.

Faculty Spotlight

Naomi Seidman, with flute, and three members of a quintet.
Naomi Seidman, with flute, and three members of a quintet.
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Naomi Seidman

Assistant Professor of Music

Assistant Professor Naomi Seidman joined the School of Music faculty in 2012. An accomplished solo performer, she has won the Mid-South Flute Competition and the Frank Bowen Young Artist Competition, and was first runner-up in the Myrna Brown Young Artist Competition. She was also a semi-finalist in the Beijing Nicolet International Flute Competition. She has performed as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Kingsville Symphony, and Ballet Austin. She has also been an invited performer, judge, and presenter at National Flute Association (NFA) conventions and is a member of the NFA Cultural Outreach Committee.

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Close-up portrait of Naomi Seidman with flute against red background.
Place holder image for Events
Feb 9

Bach’s Lunch – School of Music Voice Area Noontime Concert Spivey Studio

Pasquerilla/Eisenhower Chapel
Spivey Studio Students in the voice studio of Norman Spivey present a program of songs and arias. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly Thursday afternoon concert

Events

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Bach’s Lunch – School of Music Voice Area Noontime Concert Lyric Diction Class

Pasquerilla/Eisenhower Chapel
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Feb 16

Lyric Diction Class Voice students present a program focusing on English and Italian diction skills developed in class. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly Thursday afternoon


Bach’s Lunch – School of Music Voice Area Noontime Concert Trost Studio

Pasquerilla/Eisenhower Chapel
Place holder image for Events
Feb 23

Trost Studio Students in the voice studio of Jennifer Trost present a program of songs and arias. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly Thursday afternoon concert


Bach’s Lunch – School of Music Voice Area Noontime Concert Opera Theatre

Pasquerilla/Eisenhower Chapel
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Mar 2

Opera Theatre Singers from Opera Theatre present a program of scenes and excerpts. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly Thursday afternoon concert series during the school


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News from A&A

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Displaced: Composers Who Left Their Homelands Because of Political Turmoil - A faculty recital by Christopher Guzman, piano
Faculty Recital: Displaced: Composers Who Left Their Homelands Because of Political Turmoil - Prof. Christopher Guzman, piano

Join Penn State Professor Dr. Christopher Guzman on Sunday, Feb.5 at 4:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the School of Music as he presents an afternoon piano recital of


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2023 African American Music Festival to take place Feb. 1-4 with full slate of events
The 2023 African American Music Festival will take place Feb. 1-4 on the Penn State University Park campus.
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Period instrument Eybler Quartet to perform long-forgotten works by Franz Weiss
The Eybler Quartet, a Toronto period instrument ensemble, will perform two long-forgotten string quartets by 19th-century composer and viola virtuoso Franz Weiss on Jan. 31.
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