Music

We are incredibly grateful for our graduate students year round. For Graduate Student Appreciation Week, we are highlighting some of our wonderful grad students from across our college. Thank you!

The University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts has proposed a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Hip Hop Culture and the Arts. The proposal passed a vote by the UI Board of Trustees on January 15, 2026, and will also be reviewed by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The News Gazette featured an article highlighting the program and some of the program leaders.

Dimension 2025, the College of Fine and Applied Arts' annual magazine, was released this month and mailed out to over 37,000 college alumni and friends.

In honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, we’re featuring Guido Sanchez-Portuguez, professor of guitar with the School of Music. A passionate educator and performer, Guido believes music—and the arts more broadly—are essential threads of human connection. In this Q&A, he reflects on how art shapes community, emotion, and understanding, reminding us that without it, there is no culture.

In honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, we’re featuring Peter (Pete) Shungu, professor of Music Education. Blending his passions for teaching and performance, Pete creates music that builds community and celebrates cultural diversity. In this Q&A, he shares how his work with local schools, the Illinois Hip Hop Camp, and his upcoming album Bridges not Walls reflects his belief in music as a force for connection and social change.

By Aditi Khandelwal | Sophomore in Graphic Design and Information Sciences

“Art, music, and dance are alive and thriving in Urbana-Champaign,” says Dr. Lara Brooks, director of Carnaval!, reflecting on an evening of performance and celebration. And truer words have never been spoken.

The College of Fine and Applied Arts is home to 580 graduate students pursuing master and doctoral degrees in the arts. We are honored to have them here learning, teaching, researching, AND building, dancing, and making among us. Happy Graduate Student Appreciation Week!

The Humanities Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has awarded its annual Faculty and Graduate Student Fellowships to seven faculty members and seven graduate students from the campus for the 2025–26 academic year, including two faculty members from FAA and one graduate student.

Aditi Khandelwal, an Art student at the University of Illinois, shares her experience from the opening night of Krannert Art Museum’s latest exhibition, “Making Place for the Arts at Home: Performance and Midcentury Modern Architecture.” As she explores the exhibition, she reflects on the intersection of art, architecture, dance and music - highlighting the holistic approach of The College of Fine and Applied Arts- and how she felt a sense of community and representation as an artist. "As an art student, I feel an undeniable sense of connection to the community this exhibition created. The exhibition is a space where people from all backgrounds and all artistic disciplines come together, proving that art is not just something we create, but something we share."  Read more in The Illinois News Bureau

Dimension 2024, the College of Fine and Applied Arts' annual magazine, was released this month and mailed out to over 37,000 college alumni and friends.

October is National Arts and Humanities Month, a celebration that recognizes the vital role the arts and humanities play in enriching our lives and communities. This month, we’re excited to highlight the exceptional work of our faculty, whose creativity, research, and dedication inspire students and elevate the cultural landscape. Today we celebrate Carlos Carrillo, professor in the School of Music!

Two FAA faculty, Ruby Mendenhall and Lamont Holden, were featured on an episode of Dialogue on Illinois Public Media this week. Check out their conversation!