The University Band is comprised of outstanding student musicians from all schools and departments within the university. Featuring works from all genres of the wind band repertoire, this ensemble performs regularly throughout the academic year. Performances are often shared with the Symphonic Band and area public school bands.Participation in the University Band offers MU students an ideal opportunity to remain involved in music performance throughout their college career, despite their busy academic schedules. The University Band is conducted by Dr. Christian M. Noon ( Symphonic Band is one of the highest quality performing organizations on campus. It is comprised of accomplished wind and percussion players and performs a traditional repertoire of wind band literature. The Symphonic Band has represented MU with performances at state, regional and national professional music conferences and conventions. The Symphonic Band gives two performances each semester, and is conducted by Dr. Amy M. Knopps (

Concert Chorale: An innovative twist on the traditional choral experience, singers selected for Concert Chorale will have the opportunity to sing in both voice-specific (Soprano/Alto and Tenor/Bass) choirs as well as a mixed-voice ensemble. This auditioned ensemble is open to any university student regardless of major or year in school. Dedicated to providing a positive and high-quality choral experience, members of Concert Chorale will experience a wide variety of diverse and stimulating music that will include traditional repertoire, modern choral compositions from living composers, traditional folk songs from around the world, and a cappella/barbershop arrangements of popular songs.University Singers: MU's University Singers have been recognized as one of the premiere university choirs in the United States. In November of 2009, they were invited to perform at the national convention of the National Collegiate Choral Organization at Yale University–one of nine choirs selected by audition from across the U. S. In May of 2010, they accepted an invitation to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in Milan, Bologna, Rome and Salerno, Italy. This tour was sponsored by several institutions in these cities, as well as the office of the U. S. Consulate General in NaplesIn January 2011 they performed by invitation at the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) state convention. In March of that same year, they traveled to Chicago following an acceptance of an invitation to perform at the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association before accepting an invitation to perform at the White House in Washington, D.C. This same ensemble was the featured choir for MU residencies of Peter Phillips (Tallis Scholars) and Joseph Flummerfelt in 2012. In January of 2013, they returned to Missouri Music Educators Association conference as one of three collegiate choirs featured for the special 75th Anniversary convention. In May 2014, they were invited to perform in Austria and Hungary, including the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and performing with the Salzburg Cathedral choir. In May 2016 they completed a performance tour in China where they were hosted by various universities.

Dr. Curtis Pavey is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator serving as the Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Missouri. Prior to his appointment at MU, Pavey served on the faculties of the University of Cincinnati and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Passionate about keyboard works from the 16th to the 21st centuries, he feels equally at home performing or teaching from the piano or the harpsichord. Dr. Pavey has presented talks at many prominent conferences including the Music Teachers National Association National Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, the Piano Pedagogy Collegiate Symposium, and the Ohio/Kentucky Music Teachers Association Conference. At NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, Pavey presented a lecture recital on the music of Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, and a presentation on historic improvisation titled "Make It Your Own: Improvising in Baroque Styles." In July 2023, he was invited to present a live webinar for MTNA titled "Reimagining the Baroque: Reflections from Performance Practice," which is archived on the MTNA website. The Frances Clark Center's From the Artist Bench series includes his video teaching demonstration and performance tips for Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre's Suite in A Minor; another video on Ravel's Prelude in A Minor is forthcoming on their Inspiring Artistry series. At the Frances Clark Center, Dr. Pavey serves as Manager of Online Publications, assisting with online courses, social media, and the Piano Inspires Discovery Page. He also serves as manager of the Journal of Piano Research and a digital copy editor for Piano Magazine. His research focuses include Baroque piano pedagogy, historic improvisation, early French music, the music of Maurice Ravel, music by Cuban composers, and composers from underrepresented backgrounds in the classical music field. As a pianist, Pavey engages audiences with intellectual and thoughtful interpretations, striving to make meaningful connections between repertoire old and new. Pavey has performed as a soloist in the Oklahoma Mozart Festival, the Edward Auer Summer Piano Workshop (EASPW), the Great Lakes Chamber Festival, Montreal's Kin Experience, and the Madison Performing Arts Foundation. In Cincinnati, he gave the world premiere performance of composer Grace Choi's Voyage, a work for solo piano. In August 2021, Pavey was named a finalist in the 2021 Beardsley Cup Piano Prize Competition. He has a special interest in the music of Maurice Ravel and is currently working to learn his complete piano music. In 2020, he received a Teacher Enrichment Grant from the Music Teachers National Association that supported private piano lessons on Ravel's piano music with Canadian pianist and Ravel specialist, André Laplante. In 2016, Pavey won the EASPW Chamber Music Competition and performed Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 with guest artists including Sarah Kapustin, Godfried Hoogeveen, and Marcus Thompson. The following year, he won the EASPW Solo Piano Competition. He has performed in master classes for renowned pianists Julian Martin, Emile Naoumoff, Su Bin, Bruce Brubaker, Olga Kern, and Malcolm Bilson, and worked privately with Jerome Lowenthal, Peter Bithell, Jon Nakamatsu, Crystal Lee, and Amy Yang. In 2021, Pavey was recognized as a member of Diapason Magazine's "20 Under 30 – Class of 2021," recognizing rising stars in the organ and harpsichord field. The same year, he was a semifinalist in the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition. In 2022, he was selected to serve as a member of Early Music America's Emerging Professional Leadership Council, helping to spread awareness and passion for early music in North America. Pavey was acclaimed by Peter Jacobi of the Herald Times, who described him as "an artist of considerable finish and even more promise" after his opening debut recital in the Bloomington Early Music Festival as an "Emerging Artist." In October 2017 and January 2018, he performed Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in A Major, BWV 1055 with the IU Baroque Orchestra. As a continuo player, Pavey has performed in the Bloomington Early Music Festival and the Oregon Bach Festivals. He has coached with many distinguished early music specialists including Elisabeth Wright, Jacques Ogg, Wilbert Hazlezet, Alexander Weimann, John Butt, Debra Nagy, Dana Marsh, Stanley Ritchie, Richard Egarr, and Bruce Dickey. Dr. Pavey regularly collaborates in a number of ensemble settings. He was chosen to perform amongst CCM faculty pianists James Tocco and Dr. Dror Biran in Stravinsky's Les Noces. With pianist Helena Hyesoo Kim, he performed a four-hands piano recital in Madison, Indiana at the Madison Performing Arts Foundation Series, and at the Kin Experience in Montreal, Quebec. In 2019, Pavey performed works of Handel as well as Schubert's complete Die Winterreise, D. 911 with bass-baritone Daren Small. Working with contemporary composer Hojin Lee, he performed her Four Miniatures for Flute and Piano (2009) in a concert of the composer's works. Pavey received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati where he studied with Professor James Tocco. He completed a cognate in harpsichord under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Unger and a cognate in piano pedagogy under the joint direction of Dr. Michelle Conda and Dr. Andy Villemez. His doctoral project is a textbook titled An Introduction to Early Music and the Harpsichord, which was used at the University of Cincinnati in the Fall 2022 semester. Prior to his studies in Cincinnati, he studied at Indiana University where he graduated from the Bachelor of Music – Piano Performance and Master of Music – Piano Performance and Early Music Harpsichord. During his time at IU, he worked with Professors Edward Auer, Elisabeth Wright, Lee Phillips, and Evelyne Brancart.

MU Student Composer World Premieres Dominick DeStefano Mon Ieong Cheok Kai Aiden SpavalePERFORMERTAK Ensemble ( is a world-renowned new music ensemble, delivering energetic performances "that combine crystalline clarity with the disorienting turbulence of a sonic vortex" (The WIRE), and that "impresses with the organicity of their sound, their dynamism and virtuosity" (New Sounds, WQXR).  TAK is a mixed-quintet comprised of flute, clarinet, violin, percussion, and voice, committed to musical exploration and experimentation, and dedicated to commissioning new works and direct collaboration with composers and other artists. They have premiered hundreds of works to date since the ensemble's founding in 2013.

Dr. Megan Murph is the Director of the Budds Center for American Music Studies and a musicologist at the University of Missouri. Her research explores the life and career of experimental percussionist and sound artist Max Neuhaus, as well as broader questions about how sound and environment are experienced through American music and sound art. As the Director of the Budds Center, Murph organizes programs focused on American and Missouri music, oversees publications and recording projects, maintains the Center's collections and archives, and manages the endowment and grant application process. Her teaching areas include Music of the United States, Missouri Music, Approaches to Ecomusicology, Women in Music, Global Popular Music Traditions, African American Music, Graduate Research Methods in Music, and Mindfulness for Musicians. Murph is a faculty member of the "Hearing Place" faculty research group (2025-2027) via the Center for Humanities at the University of Missouri, where she also co-facilitates the "Mindfulness in Teaching" Community of Practice at the university's Teaching for Learning Center. She has presented research at national and international conferences, including the American Musicological Society (AMS), the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), the Society for American Music (SAM), and the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM). She currently serves as Associate Conference Manager for the Society for American Music and has held numerous leadership roles, including co-chair of the AMS Ecomusicology Study Group (2020–2022), co-chair of the SAM Experimental Music Interest Group (2017–2019), and virtual conference manager for AMS–Midwest (2022, 2024). Murph earned her Ph.D. in Musicology and Ethnomusicology from the University of Kentucky, her M.M. from Louisiana State University, and her B.A. from Brevard College.

The Symphonic Band is one of the highest quality performing organizations on campus. It is comprised of accomplished wind and percussion players and performs a traditional repertoire of wind band literature. The Symphonic Band has represented MU with performances at state, regional and national professional music conferences and conventions. The Symphonic Band gives two performances each semester, and is conducted by Dr. Amy M. Knopps ( University Band is comprised of outstanding student musicians from all schools and departments within the university. Featuring works from all genres of the wind band repertoire, this ensemble performs regularly throughout the academic year. Performances are often shared with the Symphonic Band and area public school bands.Participation in the University Band offers MU students an ideal opportunity to remain involved in music performance throughout their college career, despite their busy academic schedules. The University Band is conducted by Dr. Christian M. Noon (

The University Band is comprised of outstanding student musicians from all schools and departments within the university. Featuring works from all genres of the wind band repertoire, this ensemble performs regularly throughout the academic year. Performances are often shared with the Symphonic Band and area public school bands.Participation in the University Band offers MU students an ideal opportunity to remain involved in music performance throughout their college career, despite their busy academic schedules. The University Band is conducted by Dr. Christian M. Noon ( Symphonic Band is one of the highest quality performing organizations on campus. It is comprised of accomplished wind and percussion players and performs a traditional repertoire of wind band literature. The Symphonic Band has represented MU with performances at state, regional and national professional music conferences and conventions. The Symphonic Band gives two performances each semester, and is conducted by Dr. Amy M. Knopps (

MU's University Singers have been recognized as one of the premiere university choirs in the United States. In November of 2009, they were invited to perform at the national convention of the National Collegiate Choral Organization at Yale University–one of nine choirs selected by audition from across the U. S. In May of 2010, they accepted an invitation to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in Milan, Bologna, Rome and Salerno, Italy. This tour was sponsored by several institutions in these cities, as well as the office of the U. S. Consulate General in NaplesIn January 2011 they performed by invitation at the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) state convention. In March of that same year, they traveled to Chicago following an acceptance of an invitation to perform at the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association before accepting an invitation to perform at the White House in Washington, D.C. This same ensemble was the featured choir for MU residencies of Peter Phillips (Tallis Scholars) and Joseph Flummerfelt in 2012. In January of 2013, they returned to Missouri Music Educators Association conference as one of three collegiate choirs featured for the special 75th Anniversary convention. In May 2014, they were invited to perform in Austria and Hungary, including the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and performing with the Salzburg Cathedral choir. In May 2016 they completed a performance tour in China where they were hosted by various universities.