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Department of Organ

Doctor of Musical Arts in Harpsichord Performance

Application deadlines are specific to degree programs. See our Graduate Admissions page for a list of all deadlines.

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Designed for students seeking the highest degree in the field, the DMA is a rigorous three-year course of study culminating in two solo recitals, a lecture-recital, a collaborative recital, and a doctoral document.

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Curriculum

The doctoral degree is awarded on the basis of demonstrated competence, not on the basis of a specified number of credit hours. Completion of the program normally requires six terms of full-time study beyond the master’s degree. Students are expected to attain candidacy effective at the beginning of the sixth term. Course selection must include performance, early music, early music ensemble, music theory, and musicology.

program requirement details

Final Project:

Two solo recitals, a lecture-recital, a collaborative recital, and a doctoral document.

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View Pre-screening Requirements

Courses

SMTD offers a wide variety of courses across all disciplines.

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Silent Advisor

Degree requirements and term-by-term layout for current students.

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Funding

Nearly all DMA students receive full-tuition fellowships. Most also receive health benefits and a stipend attached to a Graduate Student Assistantship, which can vary in proportion to the appointment fraction and the duties associated with it. In addition to the funding packages offered by the SMTD, Rackham students are also eligible to apply for a wide range of fellowships to fund research, travel, and performance.

Residency Requirement

At least one academic year of full-time residence is required.

Faculty


Joseph Gascho

Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Stearns Collection
Early Music Chamber Coordinator, Harpsichord

Nicole Keller

Assistant Professor of Music, University Organist
Organ, Sacred Music

Tiffany Ng

Chair of Organ and Associate Professor of Music, University Carillonist
Carillon, Musicology, Organ

Instruments

All SMTD instruments are available for practice and performances.

Organs

hill organ

The U-M recognizes the pipe organ as the only instrument suitable for practice and performance of the organ repertoire. Students enrolled for organ instruction perform, study and rehearse on the instruments in Hill Auditorium and the Earl V. Moore Building.

Additional information may be found in Pipe Organs of Ann Arbor by Professor James O. Wilkes.

Carillons

Baird Carillon

The University of Michigan has two carillons. A carillon is an instrument of at least 23 bronze bells, arranged in chromatic sequence, so tuned as to produce concordant harmony when multiple bells are sounded together. It is played from a keyboard and pedalboard, which allow expression through variation of touch. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni give regular performances on the campus carillons.

Charles Baird Carillon (Burton Memorial Tower)
53 bells cast by John Taylor & Co. in Loughborough, England and installed in 1936

Ann and Robert H. Lurie Carillon
60 bells cast by Royal Eijsbouts in Asten, the Netherlands and installed in 1996

Practice Carillons
Three practice carillon keyboards are available. Two are located in the upper floors of Burton Memorial Tower, and a digital practice carillon is located in the Duderstadt Center. Practice keyboards are not audible outside of the practice room.

For further information, contact Professor Tiffany Ng, university carillonist. Current students interested in carillon lessons: please visit the Carillon Studio page.

Harpsichords

harpsichord early music chamber

Students of the harpsichord will graduate as experienced soloists and continuo players, having learned principles of historical performance and how to tune and care for their instruments. The university maintains the following harpsichords for students’ use:

  • Keith Hill, 1992: German double manual
  • William Dowd, 1984: Franco-Flemish double manual after Ruckers
  • Peter Fisk: French double manual
  • Hubbard/Eckstein: French double manual
  • Hill and Tyre, 1980: German single manual
  • David Sutherland: Flemish single manual
  • William Post Ross, 1965: Italian single manual after De Quoc
  • Two Tuckermann kit instruments

For further information, contact Professor Joseph Gascho.

Questions?

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