Arthur Satz Department of Music

“Going Nuts! A Halloween Spooktacular,” an evening of rock, metal, and popular music re-purposed for brass instruments, just in time for Halloween.

To mark the 50th anniversary of what many rock historians consider to be one of the most progressive years in the history of rock music, the institute's “In Performance” series kicks off with a tribute concert to American rock.

Students from the Musical Theater Workshop at the University of Rochester will perform stage favorites in a show titled “A New World!” The revue is a culmination of a semester-long course in a two level workshop series through the University’s college music department in acting and singing for 14 undergraduate and graduate students.

Kara DioGuardi, songwriter and former judge on TV’s American Idol, and Bill Flanagan, a veteran music journalist who has spent the last 15 years as an executive at both MTV and VH1, will sit down for a behind-the-scenes look at their careers on Wednesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 29.

For the past five decades the Rolling Stones have enjoyed tremendous success as the original bad boys of rock for their image based on sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. But what many people don’t realize is that this hasn’t always been the case for the group, according to John Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music.

Institute for Popular Music kicks off its 2014-2015 performance and lecture series with a tribute to the iconic 70s rock band, Led Zeppelin. In the spring, lectures and a concert will focus on the music of the Rolling Stones and the 50th anniversary of the group’s career-making hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

The canonization of John Paul II on April 27, 2014, will be celebrated through a blend of music and readings of John Paul's poetry and writings.