MFA in Music Performance & Literature

Our master of fine arts (MFA) in music performance and literature offers you the opportunity to study a broad range of repertoires and techniques—from traditional solo and chamber music to recently composed works, from notated music to indeterminate scores. The program has two options: one dedicated to the performance of composed music and the other to improvisation. View the degree requirements for this MFA.

You’ll study and perform with top San Francisco Bay Area musicians as well as with distinguished guest artists. Visiting performers have included AMM, MEV, Werner Bärtschi, Iva Bittová, Imogen Cooper, Marilyn Crispell, Amy Denio, Angela Hewitt, Susie Ibarra, Joëlle Léandre, Louis Lortie, Matmos, Meredith Monk, Ikue Mori, Viktoria Mullova, Zeena Parkins, Anne Queffélec, Maja Ratkje, Aaron Rosand, Charles Rosen, Frederick Rzewski, Kazue Sawai, Wadada Leo Smith, Laetitia Sonami, Frances-Marie Uitti, and the late David Tudor.

Musical groups, such as the Contemporary Performance Ensemble, the Mills Performance Collective (which specializes in chamber music), and the Mills Performing Group (originally established by Luciano Berio, Darius Milhaud, and Morton Subotnick to present works from across the genre spectrum) provide a range of performance opportunities. In addition, the Music Improvisation Ensemble (led by Fred Frith) and the Improvisation Workshop (directed by Roscoe Mitchell) afford unique opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the practice of improvisation in an intense and supportive environment.

Be Empowered to Make a Statement.

Mills is a place where your voice matters—a place where you can be yourself in a community that will support your educational and personal dreams. Here, you’ll be encouraged to stand out, emboldened to think big, and empowered to make a statement.

It starts with our commitment to creating an inclusive, diverse community that asks you to think for yourself and for the world. Our goal is to empower you with both the confidence and the tools that will help you make a difference.

Our students come from a range of backgrounds with varied interests, but they all find support to pursue their passions through the mentorship of our faculty. You’ll have life-changing opportunities to engage in student and faculty collaborations that will give you an edge in your future career.