Music | Instrumental

Study brass instruments right in the heart of vibrant Portland, Oregon. 

From trumpet to tuba, PSU is the ideal place to study brass instruments. Located in the heart of vibrant Portland, our experienced teachers will guide your performance and show you how to become a professional musician. Our music groups and classes offer a challenging but highly supportive environment. At PSU, we encourage every student to succeed and grow their skills. With exciting local performances and in-depth studio classes, you will graduate ready to launch your music career.

• Start Strong: Begin building relationships and taking brass classes early in your degree.
• Rigorous Practice: Develop a strong preparation schedule to meet the high performance demands of our program.
• Frequent Performances: Play in university bands, orchestras, chamber groups, and brass-specific ensembles.
• Travel Opportunities: Travel with your ensembles to perform at various regional festivals and conferences.
• Engage with Experts: Learn directly from notable visiting soloists and groups like the Boston Symphony and Army Brass Quintet.
• Supportive Studio Classes: Gain vital performance experience by playing for faculty and peers in a constructive environment.
• Career Readiness: Prepare for graduate studies or careers as orchestral musicians, freelance artists, and music educators.

Dave Bamonte

Brass Area Coordinator

Dave Bamonte was trained at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Eastman School of Music, and is assistant principal trumpet in the Oregon Symphony. Though he primarily teaches trumpet, he also serves as the Brass Area Coordinator, conducts various brass ensembles and teaches brass pedagogy.

Contact Dave →

Our classical guitar program prepares you for a real career in music.

Whether you want to perform on stage, teach students, or record in a studio, we give you the tools to succeed. You will build a strong musical foundation through special courses in guitar teaching, music history, and group performance. Join a close community of growing artists and learn in a creative space with one-on-one help from world-class teachers.

• Expert Mentoring: Get one-on-one support from dedicated teachers to build your skills and career mindset.
• Master Classes: Learn from famous guest artists through special classes and concerts on and off campus.
• Group Playing: Play in both small and large guitar groups to build your professional network.
• Campus Collaborations: Work with other musicians, including recording projects in our music production program.
• Local Gigs: Find plenty of chances to perform on stage throughout the Portland area.
• Travel & Competition Opportunities: Travel to regional guitar festivals and test your skills in exciting competitions.
• Instrument Library: Borrow from our large collection of classical, steel-string, and electric guitars.
• Rare Instruments: Try out unique instruments like a lute or a 19th-century replica guitar for special performances.
• Guitar Orchestra: Participate in the PSU Guitar Orchestra, a large, challenging guitar ensemble, with intensive practice and preparation.

Mario Diaz

Classical Guitar Instructor

Mario Díaz is a guitarist, singer, audio engineer, and educator whose musical activities have taken him across the U.S. and South America. A member of the Oregon Guitar Quartet, he has also performed with Portland Opera, 45th Parallel, Fear No Music and Third Angle New Music.

Contact Mario →

Join a dynamic urban music community and bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional bandstand. 

As an instrumentalist, you will master improvisation, learn new music, and speak the language of jazz to find your unique artistic voice. Our program values both instrumental and vocal jazz, creating a great space to collaborate with all types of musicians.

• Expert Mentorship: Start one-on-one lessons on day one with teachers who are active leaders in the jazz world.
• Instrumental Excellence: Improve your technical skills and understanding of harmony through rigorous studio instruction.
• Performance-First Focus: Play in high-energy big bands and essential small combos where you learn to communicate and be spontaneous.
• Portland’s Bandstands: Take advantage of our downtown location as you move from campus recitals to gigs at the city’s best jazz venues.
• World-Class Faculty: Study under renowned artists like pianist and composer Darrell Grant, who encourages students to use music to drive social change.
• Guest Artists: Perform and learn alongside Grammy-winning guest artists like Johnaye Kendrick and Allison Miller.

Learn more about  Jazz at PSU →

George Colligan 

Jazz Area Coordinator

George Colligan is not only one of the great jazz pianists of his generation, but he has earned an international reputation as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, accompanist, teacher, and bandleader. Contact George →

The Percussion program at the PSU School of Music & Theater gives you the opportunity for immersive study and personalized attention as you learn percussion from a group of talented and experienced faculty. 

Join a friendly and passionate group of peers while you perfect your percussion technique and develop your craft. We pride ourselves on making you as employable as possible as a professional musician, and your coursework and performances are designed to help you achieve your career goals.

Learn more about Percussion at PSU →

• Rigorous Training: Benefit from a challenging practice schedule that builds your technique and prepares you for demanding repertoire.
• Abundant Performances: Play extensively on campus with the orchestra and opera, and off-campus with local symphonies, chamber groups, and drumlines.
• Learn from the Best: Take master classes and learn directly from the career professionals of the Oregon Symphony.
• The Percussion Ensemble: Join our collaborative and eclectic ensemble, practicing weekly and performing diverse works several times a quarter.
• Travel & Perform: Represent PSU and perform alongside students from other institutions at the annual NW Percussion Festival.
• Professional Readiness: Graduate ready to pursue a master's degree, perform on Broadway or with a symphony, or build a career as a freelance musician or educator.

Christopher Whyte 

Percussion Area Coordinator

Called “hypnotic, enthralling dynamic” (Oregon ArtsWatch), with playing described as “a striking diversity of styles and spirit" (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Christopher Whyte is known for his artistry as a percussionist, timpanist, collaborator, composer, and educator. 

Contact Christopher →

The PSU School of Music & Theater's Piano program gives you the skills and tools you need to succeed as a professional musician. 

You will receive world-class instruction right in Portland, preparing you for a life of musical excellence. Join a vibrant community of musicians and learn from faculty who are truly dedicated to watching you grow as an artist.

• World-Class Instruments: Practice and perform on the highest quality instruments as a student at our All-Steinway School.
• Steinway Piano Series: Attend and perform in special events and master classes featuring internationally recognized piano professionals.
• Recital Preparation: Plan and perform your junior and senior recitals while learning time management, mental preparation, and event marketing.
• Supportive Community: Share your drive and talent with a close-knit group of fellow piano majors who will support you through your studies.

Dr. Julia Hwakyu Lee

Piano Area Coordinator

Dr. Julia Hwakyu Lee is a pianist, educator, and scholar with an international career known for her clarity, beautiful sound, and insightful interpretations. As head of the Piano Program at PSU, her students have won international competitions, scholarships, and teaching roles at top universities. 

Contact Julia →

With a wide array of performance opportunities and a well-rounded curriculum, the strings program will enhance and develop your musical skills. 

The PSU School of Music & Theater prides itself on taking advantage of our arts-centric city and providing students with plenty of ways to perform, both on and off campus. From our vibrant orchestra to smaller ensembles, you will become an experienced and dynamic performer during your time here.

• Individualized Training: Craft an education focused on individualized lessons, playing in the orchestra, and performing in smaller groups or string quartets.
• Chamber & Solo Experience: Build a versatile set of skills by learning to play both as a soloist and as part of a chamber group.
• Learn from the Masters: Take master classes with renowned visiting musicians from touring groups like the Takac Quartet and partners like Friends of Chamber Music.
• Professional Preparation: Learn in a supportive but demanding environment designed to give you the most realistic training for a professional music career.
• Versatile Repertoire: Master a varied repertoire and perform in both traditional concert halls and unique local venues, preparing you for any kind of gig.
• Career Success: Join our alumni who perform in major orchestras like the Boston Symphony, work as freelance musicians, or teach privately and at universities.

Harp

Study harp with acclaimed performer and educator Denise Fujikawa, a longtime member of the Portland Opera Orchestra whose career includes orchestral, chamber, and solo performances throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

At Portland State University, harp students receive individualized instruction while performing regularly with orchestra, band, opera, and chamber ensembles. Located in the heart of Portland’s vibrant arts community, PSU prepares students for careers in performance, teaching, and graduate study through a collaborative, performance-focused education.

Hamilton Cheifetz

String Area Co-Coordinator & Cello Professor

Hamilton Cheifetz is professor of music at Portland State University and a founding member of the Florestan Trio. He has been described in Fanfare Magazine as “unquestionably a magnificent player" for his solo recordings and has performed throughout North America and in Europe, Asia, and Australia. 

Contact Hamilton →

Tomás Cotik

String Area Co-Coordinator & Violin Professor 

Tomás Cotik is internationally recognized as a soloist, chamber musician, and professor. A much sought-after recording artist, Dr. Cotik has released fifteen CD recordings for Naxos and Centaur records, which have received over two hundred enthusiastic reviews. 

Contact Tomás →

The Woodwinds area is designed to instruct flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, and bassoon students through a varied and dynamic curriculum. You will join other passionate students in our college music program who are excited to hone their craft and develop their skills. You’ll thrive here, particularly if you have an innate sense of curiosity and camaraderie about music and are open to a wide range of learning opportunities.

• Build Your Skills: Embrace an intense and challenging practice and performance schedule that will provide you with a foundational set of skills in music and help your artistic growth.
• Experienced Faculty: Learn in individual sessions with your applied music professors who will help you with your quarterly goals, classes, and larger-scale projects like your junior and senior recitals.
• Award-Winning Ensembles: Participate and perform in band, orchestra, and various chamber groups, with plenty of on-campus performances and off-campus shows around town and local conferences.
• Prepare For Your Career: Graduate ready to perform, compose, pursue graduate studies, or teach. Some woodwind majors double major and apply their music education to other career fields.

Barbara Heilmair

Woodwind Area Coordinator

A devoted educator, clarinetist Dr. Barbara Heilmair engages communities as a clarinet professor, performer, and teaching artist. She serves as Professor of Clarinet & Music History at the Portland State University School of Music as well as Associate Dean for the College of the Arts.

Contact Barbara →