Music
We provide a wide variety of music performance and academic courses that are open to music majors, music minors, or simply music lovers. You will have access to a conservatory-caliber education in a liberal arts environment, which is excellent preparation for further musical study, a career in music, and global citizenry. You will also have direct ties to the vibrant music scene in Portland, the third most creative city in America!
Why Choose a Degree in Music?
Our faculty are distinguished performers, composers, and musicologists who provide rich and rigorous coursework for all students, from professionally oriented students preparing for careers in music to dedicated nonmajors who want to continue their musical studies. We foster a collaborative sense of community and take pride in our ability to offer all our students the opportunity for an outstanding musical education full of growth and joy.
What You’ll Study
The department offers a major and minor. In addition to musicianship, literature, theory, and weekly lessons in their performance area, all our majors study conducting, instrumentation, and world music. Our programs in musicology and ethnomusicology are exceptional, as are our programs in composition and performance. From the wind ensemble to the orchestra, from raga and tala recitals to the Voces Auream choir, our students are creating, studying, performing, and researching music in groundbreaking, exciting ways.
Many of our students study music and earn course credit while on an overseas program. In addition to general cultural programs that are open to all students, we encourage our majors to participate in the England: Fine Arts program. The program focuses on the arts in the U.K. and the relationship of music, theatre, and the visual arts to English culture. In addition to attending weekly concerts and plays and visiting galleries and museums, students embrace social and economic questions related to the arts through classes, lectures, and group discussions.
Outside the classroom, we offer lessons in a wide variety of instruments, including voice, and students can choose to participate in a variety of ensembles, such as choirs, wind ensemble, orchestra, jazz combos, Ghanaian percussion, Javanese gamelan, Opera and Musical Theatre Workshop, and more. All performing groups welcome participation by nonmajors, and all studio instruction is open to beginning as well as advanced students. Our annual James W. Rogers Concert features exciting musical performances by members of the student body and faculty in solo, chamber, and large ensemble settings. Our performance instructors regularly perform with groups of great distinction, such as the Oregon Symphony, the Mel Brown B-3 Group, Cappella Romana, Resonance Ensemble, Portland Percussion Group, and Pink Martini. The Faculty Chamber Players and Palatine Trio series feature members of our splendid performance faculty, as does the annual Friends of Rain concert, which focuses on music composed in the last 50 years.
Connect With Lewis & Clark!
Complement Your Education With One of These Minors
The most popular minors for our music majors are English, history, and theatre.
#1L&C is #1 when it comes to Niche’s 2024 list of “Best Colleges for Music in Oregon.”
What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark
Piper McCoy Harmon BA ’26More about PiperThe community fostered by Lewis & Clark’s mathematics faculty makes the major an amazing, uplifting, and interesting experience.
Marta Ružić BA ’25More about MartaWhat I like about my music major is accessibility. I have the time and flexibility to explore my other passions, while still developing my skills as a musician.
What Can You Do With a Degree in Music?
Our alumni use their bachelor of arts degree in music to pursue careers in music and many other fields. They also attend prestigious graduate schools, such as Princeton University, University of Michigan, Indiana University, the Royal Academy of Music, College of William and Mary, and the University of California at Los Angeles.
Dedicated Faculty
Our expert professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth.
Our music faculty are some of the most engaged working artists in the Pacific Northwest. They are fellowship winners, run nationally recognized arts nonprofits, and have had their work supported through residencies, foundations, and grants. The faculty produce events annually, often bringing students on as assistants or collaborators.
Invest in Yourself
A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think. Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate with their bachelor of arts degree in four years that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition.
At Lewis & Clark, we think demonstrating outstanding skill and potential in an instrument, voice part, and/or music composition deserves recognition, which is why we offer merit-based music scholarships, regardless of your major. These scholarships range from $1,400 per year, which covers the cost of applied lessons, to approximately $6,000 per year. The amount of aid a student receives is contingent upon their audition and financial need.
Find Your People
Students can join a variety of student-run organizations. Don’t see what you’re looking for on the club list? Start something new and build your own community of peers!
Where Lewis & Clark Will Take You
Elsa Dougherty BA ’20More about ElsaL&C prepared me for working professionally in the arts by allowing me to try everything. That flexibility led me to really diverse professional opportunities.
Coco Bender BA ’16More about CocoLewis & Clark opened doors for me and helped me get a foothold in the Portland music scene. L&C classes gave me the confidence to believe in myself and my own ideas. I am lucky to still be making connections through L&C.
David Salkowski BA ’14More about DavidThe hands-on mentorship, the thoughtful pedagogy, and, of course, my classmates at L&C holistically prepared me for graduate school.
Music Events
Latin American Music Ensemble Performance
Join us for an end-of-semester Latin American Music Ensemble performance on Monday, April 21, 2025 at 7:30pm in Evans Auditorium.
Jazz Night
The Lewis and Clark jazz combos present a thrilling performance of jazz music from the last 50 years! Join us on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:30pm in Evans Auditorium.
Gamelan Ensemble Performance
Join us for an end-of-semester performance by our Gamelan Ensemble on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 2pm in Evans Music Center’s World Music Room (room 036).
Chamber Music Salon
Join us for an evening of chamber music performed by Lewis & Clark Chamber Music Ensemble students on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm in Seitz Lounge.
Wind Symphony & Friends
The Lewis & Clark Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble present an evening of exciting music on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7:30pm in Evans Auditorium. Brett EE Paschal, conductor
Lewis & Clark Orchestra and Choirs
Lewis & Clark’s Choirs and Orchestra join forces for an epic performance on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 4:00pm in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.
Electronic Music Concert
The Lewis & Clark Department of Music present an evening of original student electronic music on Monday, April 28, 2025 at 7:30pm in Evans Auditorium.
Featured News
Music Professor Cox Receives 2025 GRAMMY-Nomination
Visiting Professor of Music John Cox has received a GRAMMY® nomination for his work on the album Clear Voices in the Dark. The album features Francois Poulenc’s Figure Humaine—one of the most powerful anti-fascist artistic expressions from the 20th century—a seven-movement secular cantata written in 1943 during the German occupation of France.
