Between 2020 and 2025, BYU’s stages, studios and concert halls pulsed with creativity, resilience and innovation. From cross-training ballerinas and international punk tours to once-in-a-lifetime collaborations with legends like Itzhak Perlman, these years showcased the depth and diversity of music and dance at BYU. Students trained through setbacks, performed across continents and honored legacy while creating new traditions of their own.
MUSIC
Music Building Is Officially Finished |2023
The BYU School of Music moved into the long-anticipated Music Building, a state-of-the-art facility designed with acoustics and artistry at its core. From the soaring, light-filled lobby to the vineyard-style Concert Hall seating 1,000 guests, every element was built to elevate both performance and pedagogy. Highlights include Studio Y, now equipped to support BYU’s growing commercial music program; a dedicated Choral Hall tailored to the university’s five elite choirs; and over 70 acoustically refined practice rooms. The Recital Hall and large North and South Ensemble Rooms ensure that soloists and full orchestras alike have space to rehearse and perform at the highest level. Even “The Box,” a black box theater that mirrors the dimensions of the planned new arts building stage, prepares performers for future productions.
World-Renowned Violinist Performs With the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra | 2023
In October 2023, world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman joined the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra for two unforgettable, sold-out performances in the university’s new Music Building. As the only university orchestra Perlman performed with that year, the concerts marked a tremendous milestone for the College of Fine Arts and Communications and the School of Music. Under the direction of both current conductor Nathan Haines and former director Kory Katseanes, students performed alongside one of classical music’s most iconic figures. The program featured works by Mendelssohn, Strauss and BYU’s own Stephen Jones, who composed "Florence and Friends: Re-sounding Voices" for the occasion. For student musicians, many of whom had prepared for over a year, the experience was deeply personal and formative.
BYU Organ Construction in the Music Hall | 2024
The BYU School of Music began installing a handcrafted 72-stop concert organ in the Music Building’s Concert Hall, marking a major advancement in campus music infrastructure. Built by Letourneau Pipe Organs in Quebec, the instrument combines centuries-old craftsmanship with modern technology, including a moveable electronic console. With over 4,600 pipes, the organ is larger than the one in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square and will serve as a centerpiece for the vineyard-style hall. Installation and tuning will span nearly five months. Once complete, the organ will provide students with regular access to a professional-quality instrument and serve as the focal point of a new concert series featuring BYU faculty and nationally recognized guest organists.
Piano Technician’s Playground |2024
In 2024, BYU began "Introduction to Piano Technology," a course designed to teach students the fundamentals of piano maintenance and mechanics. Created by full-time piano technicians Jason Cassel and Rick Baldassin, both of whom trained at BYU. The course builds on a popular summer elective and reflects growing student interest in piano care as both a practical skill and a career path. To complement the course, BYU hosted the Piano Technician’s Playground, a hands-on event in partnership with the Salt Lake City Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild. The event featured 14 repair and tuning stations and drew over 80 participants, ranging from students to seasoned professionals. Cassel and Baldassin now oversee more than 200 pianos in the Music Building.
BYU Music Student Opens for the Foo Fighters | 2024
Josh Bird, a 2024 BYU commercial music graduate known as LieYing, found unexpected success bringing 90’s style rock music to Asia after switching majors and writing a viral Chinese-language song. Supported by BYU’s experiential learning funds, he toured Asia and landed the opportunity to open for the Foo Fighters, who praised him as “Asia’s Nirvana.” Throughout his career, Bird has remained grounded in his faith. He credits his success to God’s guidance and encourages current students to be passionate, seek honest feedback and network earnestly, believing that dedicating one’s career to God leads to greater fulfillment.
Music Building Dedicatory Service | 2025
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the new BYU Music Building on April 16, accompanied by Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Church Educational System. Elder Christofferson and BYU President C. Shane Reese spoke at the event, emphasizing the impact the building will have on future students and the university’s musical legacy. President Reese referenced a 1975 address by President Spencer W. Kimball, highlighting BYU’s role in shaping future leaders in music. The ceremony also featured performances by a choral chamber ensemble and the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra.
DANCE
Brain Tumor Doesn't Stop BYU Grad From Dancing and Giving Back | 2023
In 2023, BYU senior Logan Barnes was named National Cabaret Champion at the National DanceSport Championships, a remarkable achievement following a life-altering medical journey. Just a few years earlier, Barnes underwent brain surgery after doctors discovered a tumor, coupled with major hip surgery that left him in severe pain. Despite the odds, he made a swift recovery and was cleared to return to dance by the fall semester. A member of the BYU Ballroom Dance Touring Company for three years, Barnes has since represented BYU on national and international stages, including the prestigious Blackpool Championships. He credits the four aims of a BYU education and the mentorship of his professors as central to his resilience and personal growth.
BYU Theatre Ballet Performs at Arpino Centennial | 2023
In September 2023, BYU Theatre Ballet became the only university dance program invited to perform at the historic Gerald Arpino Centennial Celebration in Chicago, sharing the stage with professional companies like San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Ballet West. The invitation recognized Theatre Ballet’s unique, five-year partnership with the Arpino Foundation, nurtured by artistic director Ashley Parov and department chair Shayla Bott. The company performed "Viva Vivaldi" in the Arpino Repertory Showcase at the Joffrey Tower, nearly 60 years after the ballet’s premiere. With guidance from famed ballet repetiteur Cameron Basden and faculty alum, students rehearsed for months. The experience was both technically demanding and spiritually enriching, with dancers like Maia McBride and Colette Radstone reflecting on the lasting impact of performing in such a joyful and supportive environment.
Contemporary Dance Theatre performs "Tensile Involvement" | 2023
BYU’s Contemporary Dance Theatre (CDT) participated in the 60th anniversary celebration of the renowned Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, performing Alwin Nikolais’ seminal work "Tensile Involvement." Former Nikolais dancer and current artistic director Tito Del Saz rehearsed CDT dancers, continuing a collaboration dating back to 1999. The piece, first choreographed in 1955, features dancers performing with long elastic bands as dynamic extensions of their bodies, showcasing Nikolais’ innovative choreography. Four CDT students also appeared as guest dancers in "Liturgies" alongside the professional company. This invitation marked CDT as the only university company at the event, highlighting BYU’s growing national presence in contemporary dance and honoring a legacy central to modern dance history.
Young Ambassadors Celebrate 45 years | May 2024
In May 2024, BYU’s Young Ambassadors returned to China to commemorate the 45th anniversary of BYU’s first performing tour in the country — an event that began a lasting legacy of cultural diplomacy through the arts. The original 1979 tour, featuring students from the Young Ambassadors and the Living Legends, came on the heels of newly established diplomatic ties between the United States and China. Inspired by Church President Spencer W. Kimball’s call to “make small beginnings” and championed by then-BYU President Dallin H. Oaks, the tour marked a groundbreaking moment in BYU’s international outreach. Since then, BYU performing groups, including the Ballroom Dance Company and International Folk Dance Ensemble, have regularly toured China, fostering mutual understanding through music and movement. The 2024 anniversary tour, directed by BYU Dance Professor Nathan Balser, featured musical theatre performances that connected with Chinese audiences in deeply personal ways.
Theatre Ballet performs with English National Ballet School | 2025
For the first time, members of the BYU Theatre Ballet and Theatre Ballet Studio Company trained and performed alongside students from the English National Ballet School (ENBS) in London. BYU dancers joined ENBS’s summer performance, presenting "Italian Suite Pas de Deux" and "Rhizomatic" by faculty member Hilary Wolfley. The experience deepened their appreciation for ballet as a spiritual and artistic practice, prompting reflection on their creative capacity and connection to the divine. A highlight of the trip included a visit to the Royal Opera House, where students observed a professional ballet rehearsal and gained new inspiration for their own artistic growth.
Brain Tumor Survivor Logan Barnes
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