Stanford Department of Music Concerts

Most visitors hear about Stanford concerts through Stanford Live and its touring stars. The other half of campus music gets less attention and is often a better deal. The Department of Music puts its students, faculty and visiting artists on stage several times a week during the school year. Plenty of those concerts are free. The ticketed ones cost far less than a night with a touring orchestra and some of them take place in the same hall.

This guide covers the free series, the ticketed ensemble concerts, the venues and how to find the calendar. The dates and prices below come from the department's published listings in late October 2026. Listings change, so check music.stanford.edu/events before you go.

Who puts on these concerts

The Department of Music sits within Stanford's School of Humanities and Sciences. Its home is the Braun Music Center on Lasuen Mall, a short walk from Tresidder Union and the center of campus. It is a separate operation from Stanford Live, the university's professional presenter, though the two share some halls and ticket links.

A department concert usually features one of three groups. Student ensembles are the largest share: orchestras, choirs, jazz bands, a wind symphony, a percussion ensemble and early music groups. Faculty members and studio teachers give recitals of their own and present their students. Guest artists also turn up for masterclasses and special programs. The computer music center known as CCRMA runs its own free concerts in a small hall at The Knoll on Lomita Drive; our CCRMA guide covers those.

The free concerts

Noon concerts

The easiest way in is the noon concert series. The department lists free noontime concerts on selected Wednesdays and Fridays in Campbell Recital Hall. They usually start at 12:30 p.m. and run to about 2 p.m. Each one is named for the students taking part, such as the piano students of a particular teacher or a guitar studio. The published schedule for the academic year runs in three blocks:

• Fall 2026: October 7 to December 4.
• Winter 2027: January 13 to March 12.
• Spring 2027: April 2 to June 2.

November 2026 listings include piano students of Laura Dahl on November 4, piano students of Melinda Lee Masur on November 6, flute students of Melody Holmes on November 18 and piano students of Kumaran Arul on December 2. Two chamber programs on November 11 and 13 feature the Dolphins string quartet, part of the department's Emerging String Quartet Program.

Recitals and studio concerts

Evening and weekend recitals fill the rest of the calendar. Most of them show no admission price on the listing. In November 2026 the calendar includes a Stanford Alumni Recital on November 8 at 7 p.m., the Stanford Cello Choir on November 14 at 2:30 p.m., a voice studio concert on November 15 and a faculty recital by pianist Clara Christian on the evening of November 15, all in Campbell Recital Hall. Senior recitals by graduating music students pile up in spring. A listing with no price is not a promise that no reservation is needed, so read the event page before you set out.

Some events are neither concerts nor recitals. On November 17 soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen gives a vocal masterclass at Bing Concert Hall, the day before her recital in the Shenson series. Masterclasses let you watch a working artist coach students in real time, which many people find more absorbing than a polished performance.

Ticketed ensemble concerts

The big student ensembles charge admission. Prices on the fall 2026 listings range from $27 to $37. The Stanford Symphony Orchestra page gives a clear example: $37 general admission and $32 for seniors 65 and over and non-Stanford students. That price includes a $4 per-ticket fee for online and phone orders. Stanford students get in free with one ticket per student ID, released at the venue starting one hour before the concert. Ticketed events link through to the Stanford Live ticketing site.

The symphony's November program shows the ambition of these groups. Conductor Paul Phillips leads Mahler's First Symphony along with a California premiere by Wang Lu and the world premiere of his own Concordia Mundi. A student conductor leads Liszt's Orpheus. At the time of writing the page said tickets would be available soon, so check back if the link is not live.

The venues

Campbell Recital Hall is inside the Braun Music Center. The department calls it an intimate 215-seat performance and lecture hall and its main venue for small ensembles and student recitals. Its GPS advice is useful: enter 471 Lagunita Drive or Dinkelspiel Auditorium rather than the department's mailing address.

Dinkelspiel Auditorium stands next to Braun and across from Tresidder Union. With 710 seats it suits the jazz ensembles, which sound better in a room with some energy than in a large hall. If you want a snack or coffee before a show, Tresidder Union is right there.

Bing Concert Hall is the department's showcase room for orchestras and big choirs. Our Bing Concert Hall guide covers the seating layout, which puts every seat close to the stage.

Memorial Church hosts the choirs and early music groups. The church was closed to visitors for maintenance from June 15 to October 31, 2026. The department's November choral concerts are listed there after that date. Our Memorial Church page has the background on the building and its organs.

How to find the calendar

1. Start at the department. The events page at music.stanford.edu lists every upcoming concert with time, venue and any price. A separate page lists only the noon concerts.
2. Open the event page. It shows the program, the performers and any ticket link. Prices appear only on ticketed events.
3. Cross-check the Stanford calendar. Many concerts also appear on events.stanford.edu, which you can filter by performance and by audience. Our guide to finding campus events explains the filters.
4. Sign up for email. The department offers an email signup on its site, which is the simplest way to hear about recitals that are added late.

The department's contact line for public questions is listed on its site along with the address 541 Lasuen Mall. Braun Music Center's posted building hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Parking and getting there

The department says campus parking is free on weekends and on weekdays after 4 p.m. That covers nearly every evening concert. Noon concerts are a different story. On weekday daytimes you need to pay. The department points visitors to the Tresidder parking lot. Payment runs through ParkMobile, so download the app or use the browser option before you arrive. Disabled parking spaces are on the southwest side of Braun and in the Tresidder lot.

The free Marguerite shuttle runs from the Palo Alto Caltrain station on weekdays, which makes a noon concert possible without a car. Our Marguerite shuttle guide has the routes and our Stanford parking and transit guide covers zones and rates.

Tips for a first visit

Arrive 15 minutes early for Campbell. With 215 seats it can fill for a popular studio, especially on weekends when families come to hear their students. Phones need to be silent and photography rules are set by each performer, so follow what the house staff announce.

Pick by mood. For a short, low-key hour, choose a noon concert. For a full night out, the symphony or wind symphony at Bing gives you a world-class room for a fraction of a touring orchestra's price. Jazz fans should watch the Dinkelspiel dates in November and again near the end of each quarter, when ensembles finish their term's work.

Frequently asked questions