At St. Olaf, music sings and plays its way into our lives every day. It’s not just music majors who participate in our ensembles, it’s one third of the entire student body.
We dedicate ourselves to creating an educational experience that unites the artistic standards of a professional program with the intellectual rigors and academic breadth of the liberal arts in an environment of free, creative, and critical inquiry. Through music we affirm the college’s mission to foster the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit.
30%
of Oles participate in music
8%
of Oles are music majors
18
Music ensembles
![IMG_0122](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/files/2016/08/IMG_0122.jpg?resize=820%2C600&ssl=1)
We strongly recommend students intending to major in music to apply for direct admission to the music program as a first-year student. Students seeking direct admission must complete an additional application to the program that is due on the same deadline as their application for admission.
In addition to the music application, you will need to include an audition recording, music resumé, and teacher recommendation. Admission to the B.A. music major is selective; admission to the B.M. program is highly selective. Consequently, it is not unusual for the B.M. applicants to be admitted to the B.A. music major initially.
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St. Olaf student receives DownBeat music award
![Photo by Steven Garcia/St. Olaf College](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SolomonRuhama.jpg?resize=370%2C245&ssl=1)
OlesTogether: Art as a Community-Building Tool
![Ordway_24488](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Ordway_24488.jpg?resize=370%2C245&ssl=1)
Oles at the Ordway
![StOlafChoir2024Tour](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/StOlafChoir2024Tour.jpg?resize=370%2C245&ssl=1)
St. Olaf Choir to tour South Africa this summer
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St. Olaf coursework, community collaboration, and concerts bring Somali music to life
![ManitouSingers2500x1667](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ManitouSingers2500x1667.jpg?resize=370%2C245&ssl=1)
Manitou Singers to perform Andrea Ramsey’s ‘Suffrage Cantata’
![LeeLabResearchersHawaii2500x1667](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LeeLabResearchersHawaii2500x1667.jpg?resize=370%2C245&ssl=1)
Exploring science and sound around the world
![KheshgiRehanna2500x1667](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/KheshgiRehanna2500x1667.jpg?resize=370%2C245&ssl=1)
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