A Century of Musician Making

This year marks 100 years of composing careers at the Mary Pappert School of Music—and a century-long commitment to preparing musicians to thrive in meaningful careers across a continually evolving music industry. 

“This year’s Centennial is incredibly important to our faculty, staff, students and alumni,” said Dean David Allen Wehr. “You only get one 100th birthday, so you know the celebrations will be big, and planning is certainly well underway.”

Throughout this academic year, the music school will host a series of concerts, workshops and special events honoring a century of musical excellence, education and impact. World-famous alumni and distinguished guest artists will be welcomed back to campus, with a special alumni gathering taking place during the annual Christmas at Duquesne concert on Sunday, Dec. 6.  

“The Centennial happens to coincide with our reaccreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music, so we have two significant events happening this year that require us to look to our past, evaluate where we stand today and consider what we might become in the years ahead,” Wehr said. 

The music school has always met the needs of the day. At its inception in 1926, the school offered two program pathways—performance and education—and it has since added music therapy and music technology as those careers emerged.  

“As musicians, we learn to reflect on our own performances and build our technique and musicality by learning from the past,” Wehr added. “It’s how we become confident that we’ll be better musicians tomorrow than we were yesterday. The same certainly rings true for our school as we celebrate the last century and look forward to the next one.”

Visit the School of Music’s Centennial Celebration webpage for additional information and full list of events.