News
Graduate Spotlight on Ciara Cheeks, BMus '26
Ciara Cheeks passion for music has always been about storytelling, creativity and bringing joy to others.
This spring, the Gander native graduated from 91亚色檚 School of Music with a bachelor of music degree, majoring in composition.
From guest masterclasses and collaborative performances to premiering her own original works, Ciara says 91亚色檚 supportive music community helped shape her growth as both a musician and composer.
Her final recital, 淰ita Brevis, brought together friends, mentors and fellow musicians to celebrate four years of creativity, collaboration and hard work.
Duo Concertante Wins 2026 ECMA Award for Classical Release of the Year
Congratulations to Duo Concertante (Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves) on taking home the 2026 East Coast Music Award for Classical Release of the Year for their album Maier, Franck, Schumann: Sonatas for Violin & Piano!
The School of Music would also like to congratulate alumna Jing Xia and alumnus Steve Cowan!
Jing Xia檚 group, XIA-3, took home the 2026 ECMA Award for Global Music Release of the Year.
Steve Cowan's duo with Adam Cicchillitti won Instrumental Release of the Year for their album Lyrique.
School of Music's 50th Anniversary on CBC's The Signal
Dean of the School of Music Dr. Karen Bulmer, along with Dr. Dylan Rook Maddix, Assistant Professor in Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement, Kellie Walsh, alumnus of the School of Music and Artistic Director of Shallaway Youth Choir, and second-year clarinetist Lucas Upward were recent guests of CBC檚 The Signal with Adam Walsh.
They discussed the significance of our milestone 50th year as a School and how we are working to keep music at the forefront of the cultural landscape of this province.
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School of Music's Dr. Andrew Staniland featured on CBC News
淲ith JADE, we're using technology to kind of get to the humanness of what we do by asking a question if the electro signals in my brain were to make music all by themselves, what would that sound like?
Dr. Andrew Staniland recently sat down with CBC News to discuss how he created his album The Laws of Nature, nominated for a 2026 JUNO Award, using brainwaves from dancers in Kitttiwake Ballet.
, or watch the video segment below.
Alumnus Luke Blackmore (BMus (Hons) ’21) receives two SOCAN 2025 Young Canadian Composers Awards
Alumnus Luke Blackmore (BMus (Hons) 21) has received two Young Canadian Composers Awards!
Luke檚 string quartet "Dark Nebulae" received 1st Prize in the chamber music category, and "Gnarl" for cello and electronics received 3rd Prize in the electroacoustic category.
Congratulations, Luke, from all of us at the School of Music!
For more information and a complete list of winners, visit the .
School of Music faculty and alumni nominated for 2026 ECMA Awards
Congratulations to the School of Music faculty and alumni who were nominated for this week!
Duo Concertante (Timothy Steeves and Nancy Dahn) are nominated for Classical Release of the Year for their album MAIER FRANCK SCHUMANN: Sonatas for Violin and Piano.
Faculty member Florian Hoefner, part of Atlantic Jazz Collective, is nominated for Jazz Release of the Year for Seascape feat. Norma Winstone & Joe LaBarbera.
Faculty member Andrew Staniland, alumna Bekah Simms, and alumnus Jason Noble are nominated for Classical Composer of the Year.
Andrew Staniland is also nominated for Electronic Release of the Year for the composition Dancer Portrait No.4 and Instrumental Release of the Year for the album The Laws of Nature.
Alumni Jason Noble & Steve Cowan are nominated for Fusion Release of the Year for the album Folk Suite.
The group XIA-3, featuring alumna Jing Xia, are nominated for Group of the Year, Global Music Release of the Year, and Rock / Alternative Release of the Year for the album Interworlds.
Alumnus Steve Cowan and duo partner Adam Cicchillitti are nominated for Instrumental Release of the Year for their album Lyrique.
Congratulations to all the nominees!
Two School of Music faculty nominated for 2026 JUNO Awards
Congratulations to two members of our faculty, Andrew Staniland and Florian Hoefner, on receiving 2026 JUNO Award nominations!
Andrew Staniland is nominated for Classical Composition Of The Year for his album The Laws of Nature.
Atlantic Jazz Collective, featuring our own Florian Hoefner, is nominated for Vocal Jazz Album Of The Year for their album Seascape feat. Norma Winstone & Joe LaBarbera.
Congratulations from all of us at the School of Music on these well-deserved nominations!
School of Music students chosen to sing with the National Youth Choir of Canada
Congratulations to third-year voice performance major Ellie Piercey and third-year piano student and composition major Daniel Dumaresque Correa on being chosen to represent Newfoundland and Labrador this May in the !
to talk about this upcoming experience.
Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Staniland on receiving the University Research Professor Award from 91亚色
Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Staniland, Professor of Composition and Electronic Music, on receiving the University Research Professor Award from 91亚色!
The President檚 Awards shine a spotlight on people who are among the most commendable members of the 91亚色 community.
Dr. Andrew Staniland is a leading composer of his generation and internationally regarded for his visionary work as one of Canada檚 renowned contemporary classical and electroacoustic music composers with an exceptional record of research and creative activity.
School of Music alumni take home 2025 MusicNL Awards
Congratulations to the School of Music alumni who received MusicNL Awards last week!
Andrew Gosse (BMus 22) took home the award for Electronic Artist of the Year.
Jing Xia (PhD in Ethnomusicology 22) took home two awards, Global Music Artist of the Year and Instrumental Artist of the Year, for her role in XIA-3.
Sarah Newell (BMus 18) took home Pop Artist of the Year as a member of With Violet.
Clare Follett (BMus/BAdmin 24) took home Group of the Year, Rock Artist of the Year as a member of Nick Earle & The Reckless Hearts.
Evan Watts Smith (BMus 14) received the award for Rising Star of the Year.
Amy Collyer-Holmes (MMus 18) received the award for Music Educator of the Year.
Michelle LaCour (BMus 13) took home the award for Recording Engineer/Producer of the Year.
Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
School of Music alumnus Alex Halliday named one of CBC Music's Top 30 Classical Musicians under 30
Congratulations to School of Music alumnus Alex Halliday (BMus 17) on being named one of CBC Music檚 Top 30 Classical Musicians under 30 for 2025! This is the fifth year in a row that one of our alumni have made the list.
In the 2025-26 season, Alex will make his debut with no less than three Canadian opera companies: He will sing the role of Angelotti in Pacific Opera Victoria's Tosca in February; Colline in Vancouver Opera's La boh猫me in April; and Fafner in Edmonton Opera's Siegfried in June. Last November, he won third place in Edmonton Opera檚 Rumbold Vocal Prize and will return to the Canadian Opera Company in September to sing the Duke in Rom茅o et Juliette.
Congratulations, Alex!
Congratulations to the Class of 2025!
Join us in congratulating the School of Music檚 Class of 2025!
We celebrate your successes and look forward to what檚 next for you as our newest alumni. To those who received your degrees this spring, congratulations from all of us at the School of Music!
More photos are available
Graduate Spotlight on David Eguiguren, BMus '25
David Eguiguren discovered his love of music at the age of four when his parents bought him a guitar.
Eighteen years later and more than 6,000 miles from his hometown of Quito, Ecuador, Mr. Eguiguren is graduating from 91亚色 next week with a bachelor of music degree with a major in composition.
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MUN Opera Roadshow premieres and tours Le Phare, a newly commissioned opera for young audiences
What happens when a lonely lighthouse decides to stop shining to make a new friend?
A School of Music-commissioned opera aims to answer just that.
91亚色檚 Opera Roadshow/Opéra en Tournée presented the world premiere performance of Le Phare, a new French-language children檚 opera commissioned by the school檚 Dr. Caroline Schiller and written by Qu茅b茅cois composer Laurence Jobidon and Ukrainian-Canadian librettist Maria Reva on April 29.
In May, the production took the story of light, friendship and teamwork to primary and elementary schools in the St. John's area and Central Newfoundland.
Sarah Comerford is the new Director of MUN Concert Winds beginning September 2025!
We檙e thrilled to welcome Sarah Comerford to the MUN Bands team as the new Director of MUN Concert Winds, beginning September 2025!
An accomplished conductor, music educator, and flutist and a proud 91亚色 alumna Sarah brings a wealth of experience and passion to the podium.
We can檛 wait for our campus community to learn and grow under her leadership!
Sarah Comerford is a musician and music educator based in St. John檚, NL. She holds degrees in flute performance, music education, and instrumental conducting from 91亚色. Sarah teaches at Macdonald Drive Junior High, where she leads six ensembles, including concert band, string ensemble, and jazz band.
An active contributor to the local music community, she adjudicates festivals, coordinates the MUN Junior Band Camp, and chairs the Newfoundland and Labrador Band Association.
As a performer, Sarah sings with the award-winning Lady Cove Women檚 Choir and plays flute and piccolo with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
Graduating BMus student Paige Sargent featured on CBC!
Paige Sargent, fourth-year voice performance major, recently stopped by the CBC Radio studio to speak about her experience at the School of Music the past four years, her diagnosis with cancer at a young age, and what's next as she continues her studies with a focus on opera performance.
or listen to her .
Paige graduates this spring with a Bachelor of Music degree with a Major in Performance. Congratulations, Paige!
Welcome Dr. Luis Achondo to the School of Music!
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Luis Achondo will be joining the School of Music as Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology and Musicology!
Luis Achondo is a music scholar who studies Latin American expressive cultures in contexts of violence and precarity. He holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Brown University and has previously held postdoctoral positions at Case Western Reserve University and Universidad Cat贸lica de Chile.
Read more about Dr. Achondo here.
Welcome to the School of Music!
Faculty member Dr. Christine Carter and alumna Dr. Gillian Morrissey recipients of 2024 President's Awards
Congratulations to faculty member Dr. Christine Carter and alumna Dr. Gillian Morrissey at the Centre for Social Enterprise on recently being honoured with President檚 Awards from 91亚色!
Faculty member Dr. Christine Carter received the 2024 President檚 Award for Outstanding Research for her work as a performing artist and scholar. A sought-after expert in performance psychology, Dr. Carter is one of the few active concert artists worldwide conducting research in the area, bridging the gap between research and current practice. In recognition of her influential contributions to performance and research, Dr. Carter was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada檚 College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2023.
The Centre for Social Enterprise team, including School of Music alumna Dr. Gillian Morrissey, received the 2024 President檚 Award for Exemplary Employees: Champion of Innovation in recognition of their implementation of several 渇irst of its kind programs in NL, including the Social Ventures Incubator.
Congratulations to Dr. Carter and Dr. Morrissey!
Read more about the awards and the recipients .
Announcing the launch of the MUN Concert Winds!
This ensemble welcomes all members of the MUN community, including students from any major, faculty/staff (current or retired), MUN alumni, and advanced high school musicians. Prior band experience is required. The group is directed by Assistant Professor of Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement, Dr. Dylan Maddix, and Master檚 students in Instrumental Conducting, Carter Gaus and Owen Switzer.
Find out more and register for the MUN Concert Winds here.
Dr. Karen Bulmer has been appointed dean of the School of Music
Dr. Karen Bulmer, who has acted as interim dean of the School of Music since June 2021, begins a five-year term effective Nov. 5, 2024.
淒r. Bulmer is an experienced educator, administrator and performer with diverse experience at 91亚色, - Dr. Jennifer Lokash, provost and vice president (academic).
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New Pilot Admissions Requirements for School of Fine Arts and School of Music Applicants
We are pleased to announce NEW pilot admissions requirements to our Bachelor of Music program! All applicants to the School of Music must first meet the general admission requirements for 91亚色. Interested in applying but don't meet 91亚色's general admission requirements? Starting with fall 2025, applicants to the School of Music's Bachelor of Music program may be able to take advantage of modified admission requirements through a new pilot admissions process.
Visit here for more information. Any questions? Email us at music@mun.ca.
Congratulations to Music and Business #MUNGrad2024 Erin Lee!
Congratulations to #MUNGrad2024 Erin Lee! Erin is graduating this fall as part of the first cohort of the joint bachelor of business administration and bachelor of music program (now bachelor of commerce and bachelor of music joint degree program).
淚 want to keep music and art and creative expression in my life there is a dire need for musicians and artists to have proficient business skills in today檚 world. I檓 proud there is such a trailblazing degree program in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Read all about how this unique program, the only one of its kind in Canada, has helped Erin discover her purpose, which she hopes will make a positive change in the world.
School of Music alumni win 1st Place in 2024 Young Canadian Composer Awards!
Congratulations to School of Music composition alumni and on winning First Prize in 檚 Young Canadian Composer Awards!
Gavin Fraser won 1st Place in the Large Ensemble category for the piece 渇or dappled things.
Robert Humber won 1st Place in the Chamber Orchestra category for the piece 渋nto air.
Congratulations to you both from all of us at the School of Music!
For more information and a complete list of winners, visit .
School of Music alum Duncan Stenhouse named one of CBC Music's Top 30 Classical Musicians under 30, 2024 edition
Congratulations to School of Music alum Duncan Stenhouse on just being named one of CBC Music檚 Top 30 Canadian Classical Musicians under 30! Duncan holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from 91亚色 with a major in Performance and a minor in Composition. He is currently a member of Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio.
We have had several current students and alumni recognized on this list in the last few years! Current MMus student , , and .
Congratulations, Duncan, on this well-deserved recognition!
Congratulations to our 2024 East Coast Music Award-winning faculty!
Congratulations to School of Music faculty members Andrew Staniland and Florian Hoefner on your East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Award wins this past weekend!
Andrew Staniland took home the 2024 ECMA Award for Classical Composer of the Year award for Blackwood Sketches, featured on Kate Read檚 album After.
Florian Hoefner檚 project with Daniel Oore, Flying Pooka!, won the 2024 ECMA Award for Instrumental Recording of the Year for their album The Ectasy of Becoming.
Musicology Student Cameron Bennett's Research featured on CBC News
Cameron Bennett, a BMus Musicology student graduating this Spring 2024, recently spoke to CBC about his graduating essay: 淚 Bet You Think About Me: Taylor Swift, Illusory Intimacy, and the Economization of Fandom.
Cameron檚 essay asks a very timely question: how has Swift developed a persona and a fan-artist relationship which has led to the illusion of intimacy between her and her fans, and in what ways has Swift been successful in economizing this relationship? His paper analyzes two recent examples of Swift檚 intimate fan relationship in action: The Eras Tour and the re-recording project.
Introducing the first graduating class of 91亚色’s Joint Music and Business Degree program!
Introducing the first class of students graduating with a joint Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Business Administration degree from 91亚色!
Left to right: Erin Lee, Clare Follett, Matthew Fillier, Stephen Flynn, and professor Dr. Gillian Morrissey. Missing from photo: Hugh Hunt.
This five-year joint Music and Business degree program began accepting students in the 2019-20 academic year and the inaugural graduates of this program presented their capstone project last week in the course Music Business in Practice.
Music Business in Practice is a course taken by students in the final year of the joint Music and Business program. It allows students to develop and explore business pathways and opportunities in the music industry through project based, experiential learning.
Dr. Harris Berger Renewed as Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology
In a , Dr. Harris Berger was renewed for another five-year term as a tier 1 Canada Research Chair in ethnomusicology, one of Canada檚 highest academic honours. Congratulations, Dr. Berger!
淭he renewal of Dr. Berger檚 position is a crescendo in the realm of ethnomusicology and folklore studies within Newfoundland and Labrador.
淲ithout the CRC檚 support, many of my projects would have been difficult or impossible to pursue. It also supports graduate students here at 91亚色. It will allow the university to continue to recruit and retain the very best young minds in the discipline.
Read more about the work Dr. Berger is doing as director of MMaP Research Centre .