Historical Performance

Where the musical past comes to life today

For more than 40 years, the Jacobs School of Music has offered a field-leading, comprehensive degree program in historical performance, now with a substantial international network of successful and supportive alumni.

In addition to a broad range of curriculum emphases, students can benefit from special learning opportunities beyond the Historical Performance Department via Musicology and Music Theory, each containing faculty with strong interests in historical performance.

Moreover, the entire IU Bloomington campus offers highly valuable interdisciplinary perspectives, whether through the Medieval Studies Institute, Renaissance Studies,  Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies, or Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology

The Historical Performance program at Jacobs is uniquely positioned on a major research university campus to offer a truly “compleat” experience in historical performance.

For further information, please contact the Admissions Office or our cutting-edge faculty listed below.

Perform on a regular basis

As a historical performance student, you’ll perform as part of an ensemble throughout your time at Jacobs.

There are seasonal ensemble opportunities open to all music school students, including the Recorder Consort, Viol Consort, and student ad-hoc ensembles. In addition, you can participate in a wide variety of official Jacobs School of Music ensembles, including the Baroque/Classical Orchestra and Concentus.

Learn more about ensembles