Events

• Wednesday, April 15, 2026

  Percussion Ensemble

  7:30 pm

  Fairchild Theatre

  MSU Small Ensembles

  MSU’s Percussion Ensemble presents a dynamic program of contemporary works, showcasing a wide range of sounds and textures through varied instrumentation. 

  Event Details

  $$$
• Wednesday, April 15, 2026

  The Art of Verse and Sound: Debussy’s Preludes

  8:00 pm

  Cook Recital Hall

  Piano Recital and Poetry Readings

  Solo piano and spoken word share the stage in this unique performance. Debussy’s Preludes are followed by poetry readings that reflect the spirit of each work.

  Event Details

  Free
• Thursday, April 16, 2026

  Concert Orchestra: Kings, Queens, and Variations

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  The Concert Orchestra presents a program centered on Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations and Respighi’s Belkis, Regina di Saba, pairing music inspired by the civil rights movement with the legendary story of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, alongside Philharmonic Fanfare by Gina Gillie.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, April 16, 2026

  Jazz Nonets with Anat Cohen

  7:30 pm

  Murray Hall

  MSU Jazz Spectacular Series

  Grammy-nominated clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen joins MSU Jazz Nonets for an evening of inventive arrangements and improvisation.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Online
  Friday, April 17, 2026

  State Singers and University Chorale

  7:30 pm

  Fairchild Theatre

  MSU Choirs

  State Singers explore personal and collective truths through choral works, while University Chorale highlights Jewish musical traditions with pieces by Rossi, Hensel, Kesselman, and Panufnik, concluding with Alex Berko’s Sacred Place, conducted by Derrick Fox and Sandra Snow.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Friday, April 17, 2026

  Jazz Swing Dance

  7:30 pm

  Music Building Room

  MSU Jazz Spectacular Series

  Get on your feet for this high-energy night of swing! MSU Jazz Orchestras deliver timeless charts and toe-tapping rhythms from jazz’s greatest composers.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Saturday, April 18, 2026

  Jazz at Lincoln Center: Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Regional Competition

  8:00 am

  Murray Hall

  MSU Jazz Spectacular Series

  Top high school bands from across the region gather for a full day of performance and competition, presenting works by Duke Ellington and other legends before a panel of Jazz at Lincoln Center clinicians and professional jazz artists.

  Event Details

  Free
• Saturday, April 18, 2026

  Jazz Spectacular Finale Concert with Anat Cohen

  7:30 pm

  Fairchild Theatre

  MSU Jazz Spectacular Series

  Internationally renowned clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen brings her captivating artistry to this series finale, joined by MSU Jazz Orchestra I, the Professors of Jazz, and the Outstanding High School Jazz Band of the Day for a high-energy celebration of jazz collaboration and excellence.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Monday, April 20, 2026

  Musique 21: “From Darkness to Light”

  7:30 pm

  Fairchild Theatre

  Musique 21

  Six contemporary works explore darkness and light, featuring a new song cycle by MSU composer David Biedenbender, alongside music by today’s leading voices.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Wednesday, April 22, 2026

  Concert Band and Campus Band

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  The program, conducted by Arris Golden, features Tuttarana by Reena Esmail, Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, Resting in the Peace of His Hands by John Gibson, Fallingwater at Twilight by James David, and His Honor by Henry Fillmore.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, April 23, 2026

  Symphony Orchestra, “Rhythms in Motion: A Celebration of Dance”

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  Conducted by Octavio Más-Arocas, the MSU Symphony Orchestra closes the season with an energetic program featuring Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Contreras’s Mariachitlán, Simon’s Hellfighters’ Blues, Ravel’s Boléro, and a student-composed Sam and Mary Austin Fanfare.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Online
  Friday, April 24, 2026

  African Diaspora Percussion Ensemble

  7:30 pm

  Murray Hall

  MSU Small Ensembles

  Members of MSU’s Percussion Ensemble explore the vibrant drumming traditions of the African Diaspora, performing traditional Congolese and Cuban rhythms on culturally unique instruments. 

  Event Details

  $$$
• Saturday, April 25, 2026

  MSU Choirs with Wind Symphony

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Wind Symphony and Choirs

  MSU Wind Symphony joins forces with various MSU choirs to present a powerful concert featuring works by guest composer Jake Runestad, including Proud Music of the Storm, A Silence Haunts Me, and a piece by MSU composer David Biedenbender.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Sunday, April 26, 2026

  Spartan Youth Wind Symphony and Symphony Band

  3:00 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  An afternoon showcasing wind ensemble versatility with Bernstein’s Slava!, Profanation, and BSO Forever, plus works by Chambers, Yagisawa, Piunno, Sousa, and Newman, conducted by Dana Sedatole and David Thornton.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, April 30, 2026

  Exit Music: For the End of Time

  Cook Recital Hall

  Artist Faculty and Guest Recital Series

  A piano recital shaped by reflection, asking which pieces stay with us when time feels especially short.

   

  Event Details

  $$$
• Sunday, May 3, 2026

  Piano Monster: America 250!

  3:00 pm

  Fairchild Theatre

  MSUFCU Showcase Series

  Piano Monster returns in a spectacular finale to the Showcase Series, featuring eight pianists on four grand pianos in a powerful, all-American program celebrating 250 years of music, patriotism, and bold, genre-spanning arrangements.

  Event Details

  $$$