Event Calendar
See all the upcoming School of Music concerts and events.
Columbia residents, visitors and the University of South Carolina community can enjoy hundreds of concerts and recitals throughout the year, many of which are free to attend. Orchestras, choirs, opera, chamber ensembles and guest artist concerts take place in beautiful venues like the Koger Center for the Arts, the School of Music’s Recital Hall and Johnson Performance Hall in the Darla Moore School of Business, designed by Raphael Viñoly.
Watch student recitals live on YouTube
Concerts and Events
2024-25 Centennial Events
Join us for a year of special performances and events featuring USC School of Music students, faculty and alumni.
Bands
Experience the excitement of athletic bands and our high-energy concert ensembles. The USC Wind Ensemble is USC’s premier wind band and the Carolina Band, seen by tens of thousands of fans each game day, is billed as the “Mighty Sound of the Southeast.”
Choirs
From Renaissance to jazz to gospel, the USC choirs have a long and distinguished history. The prestigious Concert Choir, our most select choral ensemble, has performed around the world including Spain, Italy and Austria.
Orchestras
Scott Weiss directs the USC Symphony Orchestra, one of the top university orchestras in the region. Concerts take place at the Koger Center for the Arts. Season tickets are available. The Campus Orchestra also presents concerts each year.
Opera at USC
High-end productions and talented casts reflect our quality opera program, one of only a handful of colleges and universities nationwide offering special training and practice for aspiring opera stage directors. Season tickets are available.
Jazz Ensembles
Our jazz program delivers some of the most exciting contemporary big band, vocal and chamber jazz performances. The Left Bank Big Band is our premier jazz ensemble.
Faculty and Guest Artist Concerts
You can enjoy many concerts throughout the year performed by our world-renowned faculty and an impressive roster of guest artists. Most of these concerts are free and take place in the School of Music’s Recital Hall.
Southeastern Piano Festival
The critically acclaimed Southeastern Piano Festival transforms the UofSC and Columbia, S.C. into a cultural destination each summer, drawing audiences and piano talent from around the world. In addition to public concerts, the festival also offers insight into the music-making process.
Southern Exposure New Music Series
The recipient of the 2007 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, this series features a diverse mix of guest artists from around the globe, as well as the talents of students and faculty at the university. Concerts are free in the Recital Hall and most are standing room only so early arrival is suggested.
Freeman Sundays @ 3
These Sunday concerts feature the university’s renowned music faculty in fresh and vibrant chamber music programs that pair canonic masterpieces alongside brand new works.
Parker Quartet Concerts
USC's Quartet-in-Residence has been hailed by The New York Times as “something extraordinary.” The Grammy Award-winning string quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation. The residency offers several public concerts and master classes each semester.
Percussion Ensembles
Hear high-energy, cutting edge percussion concerts several times a year. The Percussion Ensemble was selected as one of three winners of the prestigious Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition in 2012. Palmetto Pans Steel Band performs the music of Trinidad, Tobago and island classics.
Student Recitals
Students perform solo recitals, in chamber groups and small ensembles as part of their degree requirements. These recitals provide a rich opportunity to hear a wide variety of instrumentation, musical styles and compositions. Student recitals are free and open to the public.
Luise E. Peake Music & Culture Colloquium Series
A vibrant guest lecture series, the Luise E. Peake Music & Culture Colloquium, exposes students to outstanding scholars in the field and to the latest research in academic music studies.
Ears Wide Open
With the tagline of “For Adventurous Listeners,” Ears Wide Open (EWO) is a concert series with the mission to make live music by the students of the School of Music more accessible to USC students and Columbia community by offering non-traditional concerts in non-traditional venues.