Admission Cost: FREE

This free public lecture, entitled "Sounds of the Mardi Gras Belt," is part of the Society for American Music's "Sounding the Nation at 250" initiative. See details here:

Admission Cost: FREE

Acclaimed banjoist Max Allard and double bassist Craig Butterfield present an evening of inventive and engaging music, showcasing the rich musical possibilities of this distinctive instrumental pairing. The program features original works and contemporary compositions by Max Allard, Craig Butterfield, Bill Jones, Edgar Meyer and Béla Fleck, blending bluegrass, classical, jazz and American roots influences into a compelling concert experience.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

James West, guitar and Joseph Gaskins, double bass. Both are recent graduates of the University of South Carolina, currently teaching at East Tennessee State University. 

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: Free, but registration is required.

Middle and high school girls are invited to spend a day of learning, playing and performing at Jazz Girls Day®! Founded by Dr. Colleen Clark, this free event welcomes girls who are just starting jazz or continuing their musical journey. Participants will enjoy master classes, jam sessions and the chance to build meaningful connections with peers. Registration is required.

Music educators are also invited to learn how to encourage girls to play jazz by registering for our Jazz Girls Day® Jazz Education Session.

Click here to register.

Admission Cost: FREE

Cormac Cannon, conductor
Ryan Gonzales, guest conductor
Serena Hill-Laroche, soprano

As part of the United States Semi quincentennial, the USC Wind Ensemble opens its season with a celebration of American stories. From Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra’s rousing Alegria, to Copland’s enduring classic Emblems, each work on this program highlights a unique American perspective. USC School of Music faculty member Serena Hill-Laroche is featured on Elena Specht’s evocative work Into Her Care, which tells the stories of American women. The concert closes with Benjamin Horne’s powerful Spiritual Symphony, based on numerous well-known African American spirituals.

Sierra/Scatterday, Alegria
Specht, Into Her Care
Copland, Emblems
Horne, Spiritual Symphony

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: General public - $30 Seniors/military / USC faculty and staff - $25 Children under 18 and non-USC students with ID - $8 USC Students - free with student ID

Celebrate the remarkable tenure of Scott Weiss during his 10th and final season as Music Director and Conductor of the USC Symphony Orchestra as he concludes his distinguished career with the University of South Carolina.

To open the season, the USC Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Spanish-Dutch pianist Albert Cano Smit in Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand. The program also features Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

Tickets are available in-person at Koger Center Box Office (803-251-2222, Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or online at KogerCenterForTheArts.com.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Violinist Fung Chern Hwei defies easy categorization. Equally at home in the precision of classical repertoire and the spontaneity of contemporary and folk traditions, he brings a rare fluidity to every performance. His playing moves seamlessly across styles—at once virtuosic and deeply expressive—revealing unexpected connections between musical worlds. Whether interpreting a canonical work or reimagining it through improvisation, Fung’s artistry transcends boundaries, inviting listeners into a space where genres dissolve and music speaks in its most direct, human form. Come hear this versatile musician in the intimacy of the School of Music recital hall. 

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

The SATB choral ensembles open the season with repertoire ranging from cori spezzatti by Gabrieli to music for choir and marimba sung by Concert Choir under the direction of Dr. Alicia W. Walker.  Dr. Evan Powers will make his conducting debut with the USC University Chorus as the SoM welcomes him to our faculty.

Shandon Presbyterian Church
607 Woodrow Street
Columbia, SC

Admission Cost: FREE

We Were Fridays, featuring Jeff Zeigler (cello) and Reggie Gray (dance) follows a story that began in the Griot tradition of West Africa, travel to South Carolina by way of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, then north by way of the Great Migration, and beyond. It explores the music of the Gullah people of the Low Country of South Carolina, a community which to this day has preserved more of their West African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States. Gullah music has influenced spirituals, gospel, ragtime, rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop and jazz. We Were Fridays  extends this reach into the world of instrumental cello music. Told through cello, electronics, and dance, this work explores forbidden love, fractured lines and complex legacies follows a story that began in the Griot tradition of West Africa, travel to South Carolina by way of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, then north by way of the Great Migration, and beyond. It explores the music of the Gullah people of the Low Country of South Carolina, a community which to this day has preserved more of their West African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States. Gullah music has influenced spirituals, gospel, ragtime, rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop and jazz. We Were Fridays  extends this reach into the world of instrumental cello music. Told through cello, electronics, and dance, this work explores forbidden love, fractured lines and complex legacies.

The work is centered around new compositions from Etienne Charles, Tamar-kali, Hannah Ishizaki and Jeffrey Zeigler; and features choreography/dance from Flexn pioneer Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray, and a bespoke interactive book design from sister sylvester. The project is deeply rooted in an ethos of community and intergenerational learning – partnering with the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, South Carolina and the University of Georgia Culture & Community program to devise community engagement and education platforms. This work brings together community members and elders from local Gullah communities, along with students and teachers from HBCUs across the country - to engage in dialogue, conversation and creative exchange around the project’s themes of memory and diaspora. The album and touring performance work will premiere in 2026 and tour across the US and internationally.

We Were Fridays will premiere at National Sawdust in September before the Southern Exposure New Music performance.

* * *

All Southern Exposure concerts are FREE, but patrons may reserve seats and support the Southeast’s most adventurous music series! A gift of $150 secures a seat for the entire 2026-27 season. To donate online, click here or contact Brad Martin at brad.martin@sc.edu, 803-777-0704.

Admission Cost: FREE

Jay Jacobs, conductor
Grant King, guest conductor

Throughout our lives we are constantly encountering opportunities to enjoy the journey of getting somewhere or simply just finding a way of getting through a long day. A sip of espresso from Dennis Llinás’s Un Cafecito can get us through the day. A hike to a mountaintop can be a momentous journey filled with memorable moments in Adam Gorb’s Pikes Peak. Both the third movement of Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F and Michael Markowski’s The Coppersmiths take us on a journey of getting us to the creation of something new. The USC Symphonic Winds invite you to join us on our musical journey.

Program:
Llinás, Un Cafecito
Holst, Second Suite in F
Markowski, The Coppersmiths
Gorb, Pikes Peak
Sousa, Saber and Spurs March

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Echoes of Identity brings together a rich and varied tapestry of violin music by Jewish composers, highlighting both heritage and individuality of expression. Ernest Bloch’s Baal Shem stands as a cornerstone of the repertoire, evoking the spiritual depth and intensity of Jewish tradition, while Meira Warshauer’s Yiddish Fantasy offers a vibrant and personal reflection on cultural memory from a contemporary voice rooted here in Columbia, South Carolina. The program is further enriched by works of Israeli composers Paul Ben-Haim and Shulamit Ran, whose music expands the narrative in strikingly different ways, blending lyricism, modernism, and rhythmic vitality. Together, these works reveal the diversity and expressive breadth of Jewish composers across time and place.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Presented by USC Jazz and the SC Jazz Foundation.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Cormac Cannon, conductor
Ryan Gonzales, guest conductor

Three colors weave their way through a diverse program of classic and brand-new music for wind ensemble. The USC Wind Ensemble performs the world premiere of the wind ensemble version of Noir by USC School of Music faculty composer Fang Man. Black and white emerge through the piano keys of Charles Ives’ classic The Alcotts, the imagery of historical newsreels in William Schuman’s first work for band, and two marches by John Philip Sousa. The finale, contemporary American composer Michael Daugherty’s Red Cape Tango, is a musical depiction of a “dance of death,” following Superman’s fight to the death with the villain Doomsday.

Fang Man, Noir  - World Premiere of Wind Ensemble Version
Ives/Elkus, The Alcotts
Sousa, The Black Horse Troop
Sousa, The White Rose
Schuman, Newsreel in Five Shots
Daugherty/Spede, Red Cape Tango

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Join Dr. Scott Price for a performance of the complete Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg. Free admission, family and sensory friendly. Attendees are invited to attend all or as much of the program as they wish, and to arrive or leave at any time as fits their schedule – all are welcome!

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: General public - $30 Seniors/military / USC faculty and staff - $25 Children under 18 and non-USC students with ID - $8 USC Students - free with student ID

Celebrate the remarkable tenure of Scott Weiss during his 10th and final season as Music Director and Conductor of the USC Symphony Orchestra as he concludes his distinguished career with the University of South Carolina.

The October concert features Allen Guelzo, one of the nation’s foremost scholars of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era, serving as narrator for Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. The program also showcases USC Professor of Saxophone Cliff Leaman as soloist in Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra.

Ives - The Unanswered Question
William Grant Still - Festive Overture
Gould - Amber Waves from “American Ballads”
Eric Ewazen - Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra
Copland - Lincoln Portrait

Tickets are available in-person at Koger Center Box Office (803-251-2222, Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or online at KogerCenterForTheArts.com.

Admission Cost: FREE

Location: Koger

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: $25 general admission Free for USC School of Music students/faculty/staff

Join us for the opening concert of our inaugural Freeman Parker Chamber Music Series as we welcome the acclaimed Terra String Quartet. A vibrant young ensemble based in New York City, the ensemble is composed of graduates of The Juilliard School, The New England Conservatory, Harvard University, and The Curtis Institute of Music. Praised for their “remarkable maturity and musicality” and “superb ensemble playing” (Hyde Park Herald, Chicago), these four musicians are known for their sincere storytelling, commitment to artistic excellence, and versatile approach to repertoire, and they strive to foster conversation and genuine human connection through their performances and pedagogy. Their name is a nod to their multicultural origins — together, this foursome represents four continents and speaks six languages.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: Free

As part of its fall residency at USC, the Terra String Quartet presents a free, family-friendly concert in the Darla Moore School of Business’s Hootie Johnson Performance Hall. Celebrated for its compelling storytelling, artistic excellence, and versatile approach to repertoire, the quartet creates performances that inspire conversation and foster meaningful human connection. Through both its concerts and educational work, Terra String Quartet seeks to engage audiences with music that is vibrant, thoughtful, and deeply communicative. 

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

LOCATION: Koger Center for the Arts Large Rehearsal Room

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: Free performance.

Enjoy the music native to Trinidad and Tobago, along with popular music, in the Koger Black Box!

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: Adults: $25; Seniors, USC Faculty & Staff, Military: $20; Students with ID: $10

Opera at USC invites audiences into a world of magic, passion and transformation. George Frideric Handel’s Alcina tells the story of a powerful sorceress who lures men to her enchanted island, only to transform them into animals or objects when their romance fades. 

Purchase tickets online or at the door. Please note that online sales end at 3:00 p.m. on opening day. Tickets are available at the door one hour before the show. No refunds. Adults: $25; Seniors, USC Faculty & Staff, Military: $20; Students with ID: $10

Drayton Hall Theatre

Admission Cost: Adults: $25; Seniors, USC Faculty & Staff, Military: $20; Students with ID: $10

Opera at USC invites audiences into a world of magic, passion and transformation. George Frideric Handel’s Alcina tells the story of a powerful sorceress who lures men to her enchanted island, only to transform them into animals or objects when their romance fades. 

Purchase tickets online or at the door. Please note that online sales end at 3:00 p.m. on opening day. Tickets are available at the door one hour before the show. No refunds. Adults: $25; Seniors, USC Faculty & Staff, Military: $20; Students with ID: $10

Drayton Hall Theatre

Admission Cost: Adults: $25; Seniors, USC Faculty & Staff, Military: $20; Students with ID: $10

Opera at USC invites audiences into a world of magic, passion and transformation. George Frideric Handel’s Alcina tells the story of a powerful sorceress who lures men to her enchanted island, only to transform them into animals or objects when their romance fades. 

Purchase tickets online or at the door. Please note that online sales end at 3:00 p.m. on opening day. Tickets are available at the door one hour before the show. No refunds. Adults: $25; Seniors, USC Faculty & Staff, Military: $20; Students with ID: $10

Drayton Hall Theatre

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Jay Jacobs, conductor
Grant King, guest conductor

Celebrating the United States Semi quincentennial, the USC Symphonic Winds presents a concert of American visions. Marie Douglas celebrates the vision of African American women band directors and conductor through Ascension. Experience the view of America through the lens of Ansel Adams in the music and accompanying film from composer Steve Danyew. The shaped-note tradition of 19th century hymns in America inspires Donald Grantham’s Star Spangled Heavens, and classic works by Aaron Copland and John Wiliams round out our concert and inspirational salute to 250 years.

Program:
Douglas, Ascension
Copland, An Outdoor Overture
Danyew, This World Alive
Grantham, Star Spangled Heavens
Williams, The Cowboys

Admission Cost: FREE

Student chamber music ensembles of diverse instrumentation (typically including string quartets, piano trios, wind quintets and mixed instrument groups) perform chamber music from Baroque to contemporary.

Admission Cost: FREE

LOCATION: Koger Grand Tier

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

The USC University Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Evan Powers, presents their full length fall concert.

Shandon Presbyterian Church
607 Woodrow Street
Columbia, SC 29205

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

The Palmetto Saxophone Quartet will present a compelling program showcasing the remarkable breadth and vitality of contemporary music for saxophone quartet. Reflecting the ensemble’s commitment to championing new repertoire and innovative artistic voices, the concert features works by eight living composers, including the world premiere of a new composition by David Garner. Audiences will experience a rich variety of compositional styles, from introspective lyricism and expressive textures to exhilarating rhythmic energy and virtuosic interplay. Through this diverse program, the Palmetto Saxophone Quartet highlights the saxophone quartet’s extraordinary versatility and expressive potential as a dynamic medium for contemporary artistic expression.

* * *

All Southern Exposure concerts are FREE, but patrons may reserve seats and support the Southeast’s most adventurous music series! A gift of $150 secures a seat for the entire 2026-27 season. To donate online, click here or contact Brad Martin at brad.martin@sc.edu, 803-777-0704.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: $25 adults. Free for USC School of Music students, faculty and staff.

The USC School of Music’s renowned music faculty performs fresh and vibrant chamber music programs that pair canonic masterpieces alongside brand new works.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Benjamin Pouncey, conductor
Featuring works by Brittin Chambers, Dello Joio, Thomas, Biedenbender, Sousa and Bernstein

Join the University of South Carolina University Band for an evening of music in the Koger Center for the Arts. “We” is a celebration of the voices, traditions and musical styles that represent the story of America. Through works that reflect the richness and diversity of the American experience, this concert highlights the power of music to unite, inspire and remind us of the connections we share. From bold and energetic to reflective and heartfelt, the program showcases a vibrant tapestry of American composers and musical influences, offering something for every listener. All are invited to experience an evening that celebrates community, creativity and the enduring spirit of the music that brings us together.

Admission Cost: Free

Garnet Chorale and Gamecock Chorale come together to present a concert of music for treble and tenor/bass voices, respectively.  These ensembles feature both students and community members - a joyous celebration of music making in the Columbia community!

Free and open to the public

Shandon Presbyterian Church
607 Woodrow Street
Columbia, SC 29205

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: A cover charge may be required.

Experience an exciting performance by the Music Industry Studies Commercial Music Ensembles featuring original songs and crowd-favorite covers. Location to be announced.

Admission Cost: Free

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Cormac Cannon, conductor
Ryan Gonzales, guest conductor
Philip Bush, piano

The USC Wind Ensemble takes flight! Emerging composer Noah Hudson-Camack’s exhilarating fanfare is contrasted with the haunting rising intervals of David Biedenbender’s Enigma. Adam Schoenberg’s Rise is a haunting an evocative journey, while Frank Ticheli’s new work Over the Moon is a joyous and imaginative trip into space. Faculty pianist Philip Bush takes center stage in Olivier Messiaen’s groundbreaking Oiseaux exotiques, based on bird calls from around the world.

Hudson-Camack, Fanfare and Flight
Biedenbender, Enigma
Schoenberg, Rise
Messiaen, Oiseaux exotiques
Ticheli, Over the Moon 

Admission Cost: EE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

 

 

Admission Cost: FREE

Students from the Carolina LifeSong Initiative perform and improvise in their end-of-semester recital. Free admission, family and sensory friendly.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: General public - $30 Seniors/military / USC faculty and staff - $25 Children under 18 and non-USC students with ID - $8 USC Students - free with student ID

The USC Symphony Orchestra presents a powerful evening of symphonic masterworks featuring mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway in Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah.” Blending orchestral brilliance with a deeply moving vocal finale, Bernstein’s first symphony reflects themes of prophecy, loss, and hope.
The program opens with Dora Pejacevic’s Symphony in F-sharp Minor, a richly expressive work by the pioneering Croatian composer whose music is gaining renewed international recognition. Together, these compelling works offer an evening of passion, drama, and profound emotional depth.
Program

Dora Pejacevic – Symphony in F-sharp Minor
Bernstein – Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah”

Tickets are available in-person at Koger Center Box Office (803-251-2222, Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or online at KogerCenterForTheArts.com.

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: FREE

Admission Cost: Tickets: $75 young professionals (ages 21-30), $125 individual, $200 couple

Join the Friends of Music for the 2027 Musical Feast! On January 30, the Koger Center for the Arts will come to life while showcasing our students’ talent. Sip wine and savor delicious hors d’oeuvres, from the main stage to the Grand Lobby, with musical performances as varied as the locations. Move among the percussion, jazz, opera, strings and vocal musicians and mouthwatering food displays as you meet new friends and catch up with old ones. Dawndy Mercer Plank, former WIS news anchor, will serve as emcee. This is the night everyone looks forward to and you won't want to miss it!

Proceeds from the evening directly impact our students’ academic lives by raising funds for scholarships. Help our students achieve their dreams of making a difference in the world through music by purchasing a ticket today! 

Koger Center for the Arts (1051 Greene St.)

Admission Cost: FREE