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A black and white background of rings of circles, creating a visual hypnotic effect. In the center is a green circle with a black arrow pointing to the right.
Music

Why Spotify Wrapped Turns Your Music Habits Into a Social Event

Millions of Spotify subscribers woke up Wednesday morning to a much-anticipated annual tradition: Spotify Wrapped. In 2016, the world’s largest music streaming platform began showing users their most listened-to artists and songs, assigning music fans different listening personalities based on their favorite genres. The compilation of individual user data comes in brightly colored, stylish infographics designed to share on your social media feed. With a name like “Wrapped,” arriving right on time for the holidays, it feels like a thoughtful gift from the streamer delivered directly to your phone.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/why-spotify-wrapped-turns-your-music-habits-social-event

Five young women are shown singing into microphones on stage, standing close together, all wearing black clothing.
Music

The AcHOOstics Turn Up the Party for an Energetic and Emotional Concert

For most University students, the end of the semester looks like a wind-down for Thanksgiving followed by an immediate gear-up for finals, perhaps intermingled with reminiscing on another semester gone by too fast. However, for some, the end of the semester signals something a little different — a cappella concert season.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/11/the-achoostics-turn-up-the-party-for-an-energetic-and-emotional-concert?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_latest

A UVA female soccer player with long brown hair stands on the field and is hold a soccer ball under one arm, and is leaning on a propped-up keyboard under the other arm.
Music

On the Field, She’s a Star. On the Piano, She’s a Rock Star

It was early October 2020, amid her first season as a University of Virginia soccer player, when Lia Godfrey received a FaceTime call from her coach. Steve Swanson, though, wasn’t seeking any soccer-related thoughts from his freshman midfielder. No, Eddie Van Halen had just died, and all Swanson wanted was for Godfrey, an accomplished pianist, to play a song by one of his favorite bands.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/field-shes-star-piano-shes-rock-star

An orange background with 4 individuals playing various instruments and smiling. There is a black and white filter over the 4 people, so the orange background pops.
Music

‘Body, Space and Memory’: Capoeira Comes to Grounds

From side to side, they moved with rhythm in a nonstop swaying motion that set up kicks, blocks and dodges in the martial art dance known as capoeira. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance, acrobatic moves, music and spirituality. Practitioners use kicks, handstands, cartwheels and complex maneuvers in a series of flowing movements that are equal parts expressive dance and self-defense.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/body-space-and-memory-capoeira-comes-grounds

The interior of a girl's bedroom where she sits smiling on a small couch, and behind her we see a record player with various posters on the wall and vinyls spread out on the coffee table.
Music

The Music Beat: In a Digital World, This Hoo is Loyal to Vinyl

When it comes to setting records, Omonye Isi prefers classic vinyl. Isi first joined the University of Virginia’s staff as a clinical research coordinator in the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center in 2023. A year later, when she was admitted to a master’s degree program in public health, she stopped commuting from Richmond and moved to Charlottesville.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/music-beat-digital-world-hoo-loyal-vinyl

Dr. A.D. Carson
Music

Dr. A.D. Carson Gains National Momentum Ahead of Being Dope Release

Dr. A.D. Carson, associate professor of hip-hop at the University of Virginia and the nation’s only tenured hip-hop professor, is entering his book-release month with major national visibility. His forthcoming memoir-theory hybrid Being Dope: Hip-Hop and Theory through Mixtape Memoir (Oxford University Press, Nov. 19, 2025) is already generating significant cultural attention following new features in Genius and HipHopSince1987, along with a recent live performance that continues his signature fusion of scholarship, sound, and storytelling.

November 18, 2025
Arts on the Hill with The Virginia Belles & the Virginia Gentlemen
Music

Arts on the Hill with The Virginia Belles & The Virginia Gentlemen

Arts on the Hill will be held at Carr's Hill, home of Interim President Paul Mahoney and Julia Mahoney on Tuesday, November 18th from 5:30-6:30pm (Doors will open at 5pm). All UVA faculty, staff, and students are eligible to enter the lottery. The deadline to enter the lottery is 5pm on Sunday, November 16. Winners will be notified no later than 5pm on Monday, November 17.

November 13, 2025
The bright stage in Old Cabell with a performer at a music stand and another performer sitting at a grand piano.
Music

Dr. Jiyeon Choi Traverses Time and Space in Her Latest Concert

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, as the audience patiently waited in Old Cabell Hall for the second of the Department of Music’s Chamber Music Series. These concerts highlight faculty and guest musicians playing a wide variety of instruments. This edition starred Dr. Jiyeon Choi, the senior clarinet lecturer at the University and the principal clarinetist at the Charlottesville Symphony. Spanning five pieces and a little over an hour, and also including accompanying performances on piano and violin, Choi’s concert drew from a diverse range of genres and time periods, including both classical and contemporary works. This was intentional on Choi’s part, as she wanted to widen the audience’s perspective on music.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/11/dr-jiyeon-choi-traverses-time-and-space-in-her-latest-concert?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

Black and white photo of a large stage at a concert with a college band performing.
Music

Fraternity Band Last Call Plans to Make the Most of Their Last Year at the University

From playing parties at their home base of Sigma Nu fraternity to opening for the Neon Trees at John Paul Jones arena, Last Call has been soundtracking University weekends since 2022. The band has found their place in the Charlottesville indie-rock music scene, making a name for themselves by combining unique individual experiences and talents with a collaborative musical process.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/10/fraternity-band-last-call-plans-to-make-the-most-of-their-last-year-at-the-university?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

Clipart of a robot hand playing a keyboard.
Music

Q&A: Will AI Usurp the Desire for Human-Made Music?

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in the music business, whether you recognize it or not. It’s there when you stream – every Spotify recommendation is the product of AI-driven algorithms – and composes music based on its knowledge of previously published works. It’s even breathed new life into long-gone voices of performers like John Lennon.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-will-ai-usurp-desire-human-made-music