Our students pursue their love of music while preparing for successful careers
Program Information
Viterbo’s music program prepares students for professional careers in a variety of fields related to music, performance, and music education. Our tiered curriculum allows students the flexibility to pursue a general Bachelor of Music degree with or without a double major, or a Bachelor of Music with an area concentration of either performance or music education with teaching certification. Students have opportunities to engage in a variety of artistic experiences and are encouraged to influence the musical lives of the communities in which they serve. Faculty members have extensive professional experience and students benefit from first-rate teaching and outstanding facilities, as well as full-scale productions of operas, oratorios, and musicals. The program has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) for over 50 years.
Nationally acclaimed
visiting artists
Triple Threat Voice Training
Classical, Music Theatre & Contemporary
4
Touring choirs
Music Performance (BM Concentration)
The Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in vocal performance prepares singers for careers not limited to work with professional vocal ensembles, opera companies, production companies, and music academies. Viterbo University singers can receive rigorous training in both classical and contemporary styles and are competitive in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Classical Singer, and Schubert Club competitions. Viterbo performance graduates consistently matriculate to prestigious graduate programs and opera internships. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
Music Education (BM Concentration)
The Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in music education prepares students for teacher licensure through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Students are certified to teach K–12 general music, 6–12 choral music, and receive instrumental instruction in compliance with the state rule requiring broad preparedness in music. Viterbo University has active student chapters in the National Association for Music Education, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the American Choral Directors Association and a near 100% placement rate for its graduates. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
Music (BM - No Concentration)
The Bachelor of Music degree is for students who want a professional degree in music with the flexibility to pursue numerous areas of specialty. Bachelor of Music students have available credits to either pursue a music-area concentration or to double major. These options uniquely prepare students for professional careers in the field of music, such as performance, music education, music business, non-profit work, or church musician, to name a few. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
Music (Minor)
Minors at Viterbo University generally require between 15–25 credits upon completion. Transfer course and waivers and/or substitutions could modify these credit totals.
Rhiannon Baasch to Share Love of Music through Education
Sharing what you love with others would certainly provide the basis for a rewarding career. For senior Rhiannon Baasch, that love is music, and she’ll be doing just that as a student teacher next semester and as a professional ...
Nathan Janzen Has a Head for Business, a Heart for Opera
Nathan Janzen, a double major—music performance and finance—was chosen to give the undergraduate commencement address at Viterbo's December 2022 commencement ceremony. That highlight was followed by a second finale: a performan...
Matt Curtis Combines Music and Business for Magnum Opus
Knowing the success Matt Curtis ’08 has had with an innovative music business he started and considering an ambitious new project he is launching called the Cappella Performing Arts Center, you might think he’d earned an MBA fr...
Viterbo Alumni Join Choir's Tuneful Travel Tradition
Viterbo University students have a long history of taking flight to share music with the world, going back at least 50 years. On the most recent concert tour to Vienna, several alumni joined in, singing with the choir in awe-in...
Music Is Katherine Weber's World Passport
For Viterbo vocal music performance grad Katherine Weber ’10, music has opened the world to her. Literally. She now lives in Amsterdam, engaged to a U.K. native, and has performances planned this year in several European countr...
Mason Hits the Right Notes
Gavin Mason, a senior vocal performance major at Viterbo University, has taken advantage of the challenges posed by the pandemic to broaden his talents.
In addition to lending his voice to Viterbo’s choirs, Mason has been usin...
Matt Boehler: From the World Stage to Viterbo University
Taking a break from the busy schedule of an internationally acclaimed opera singer, Matt Boehler ’98 returned to his alma mater in November 2019 to perform a recital and spend several days working with students. It was a specia...
Music Student Combines Big Dreams with Practical Focus
“Everyone here has big dreams,” says Alexandra Burch, a vocal performance and music education double major at Viterbo University.
Making Musical Memories in Nashville
On a recent trip to Nashville to host and perform at a show choir event, Viterbo's Platinum Edition got a chance to record a song in historic Studio B, where musical giants from Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers to Willie N...
Ben DiSera ’13
Choir Director, Hayward High School
I feel that my education at Viterbo has prepared me quite well for real-world experiences. When I attended my classes I always felt like I left with something valuable to put toward learning the next day or teaching in my clinical experiences. There are many schools out there who are willing to offer you a wonderful education, but Viterbo offers something more. Visit Viterbo, set up a tour and see for yourself—you will not be disappointed.”
Matthew Curtis ’08
Viterbo offered me a diverse variety of musical experiences that fostered the talent needed for my work with Chanticleer where I had to be proficient in all musical styles and genres. Some of these experiences at Viterbo included Concert Choir, opera productions, solo competitions such as NATS, and also through a cappella group and barbershop styles. I have always been very driven in my own career, and Viterbo's smaller campus, classroom sizes, and close, personal relationships I formed with professors fostered my work with my company Choral Tracks.”
Christopher Narloch ’08
Owner, Narloch Piano Studio
I realized right away that my education was going to be very extensive and thorough. Viterbo offered music classes that many other universities didn’t and my piano instructor was impressive as both a performer and a teacher. He was a great fit for one-on-one instruction with me.”
A Platinum Educator: Singing the Praises of Nancy Allen
Viterbo gave Nancy Allen '84 a second chance at a college education, and she came back to the university 25 years ago to give her music students the kind of love and attention she got from her teachers. Allen is retiring at th...
Viterbo Faculty Member James Wilson Is Sharing Music with the Community
Beginning his second year as choral music professor and department chair at Viterbo University, James Wilson couldn't be happier he made the move from Delaware to La Crosse. “The students are extremely talented, the facilities ...
Faculty Focus: Q&A with Ann Schoenecker
As a singer, Ann Schoenecker has applied her supple soprano voice to everything from opera to oratorio to musical theatre throughout the United States and Europe. Before coming to Viterbo, where she chairs the music department,...
Faculty
James
Wilson
Chair, Professor, Music
Director of Choral Studies
Conservatory for the Performing Arts