The History of Music at Northeastern University: From Its Origins in Student Activities to its Development as a Department

This information was originally compiled from professor Judith Tick’s Music History and Analysis Capstone course by Karin Heim, Sophie Baratta, and Nikki Rafala (Spring 2010).

Timeline

1898   Northeastern was established

1925   the Division of Music in the Dept. of Student Activities includes a glee club, banjo club, dance orchestra, band, orchestra, and drama club.

1935   day College of Liberal Arts established

1943  Women are first admitted to the day College of Liberal Arts

1951  Music courses are first offered in the day College of Liberal Arts

1958  the Department of Drama, Speech, and Music is established, NU Band established

1966-1967 Music Department is established

1967  Music at Noon concerts begin, produced by Roland Nadeau and Reginald Hache. First concert was October 10th 1967.

1967   New England Association of Schools and Colleges cites the “humanities as a weak aspect of academic progress at Northeastern”

1970   College of Liberal Arts becomes largest undergraduate day school in the University

1973   African-American studies department is established

1979   NU Records begins production; lasts until 1988 under NU ownership. It is the only university-owned based commercial record company in the United States.

1982  NU Records issues “Songs and Violin Pieces of Amy Beach” with Virginia Eskin at the piano; this album receives national recognition in the press.

1982  Founding of “NU ARTS”—a center to foster the performing arts on campus and expand NU’s outreach to the Boston community; first director is Sergei Tschernish

1982-1983 BA in Music Literature “designed for students interested in music who would like the opportunity to pursue a liberal arts curriculum.” First time the BA in Music Literature is offered

1982-1988- nuArts Contemporary Performance Series includes a resident company, the Boston Lyric Opera Company and a resident series sponsored by  the League of Composers/International Society for Contemporary Music.

1986 – Professor Leonard Brown inaugurates the first John Coltrane Memorial Concert at Northeastern

1989   The Music Department offers a Music Major and its first degrees, both a B.A and a B.S. in music

1989   The Music Industry concentration begins, offering both a B.A. and a B.S. in music; It joins “Music Literature and Performance” and  “Music Literature.”

1993-1994   The music history courses are created and become part of the department curriculum.

1998-1999   The Music Technology Concentration begins

2007-2009  The Music Department hosts the  Fusion Arts Exchange Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department

2007   Two new venues open on campus, afterHOURS and the Fenway Center.