For well over half a century, the Mills Music Department has enjoyed an international reputation in the field of contemporary music and has occupied a unique place in Bay Area culture. Our two-year graduate degree programs continue this tradition of excellence. Mills offers three graduate degrees:

Master of Arts in Composition
Master of Fine Arts in Electronic Music and Recording Media
Master of Fine Arts in Music Performance and Literature (with specializations in solo and chamber music or in improvisation)

These programs successfully blend appreciation for past accomplishment and skills with commitment to artistic innovation and technological advancement. The graduate faculty of leading composers, performers, and scholars prides itself on its creative openness and accessibility to students.

The programs in composition and electronic music keep Mills at the forefront of new music. Directed by a core of distinguished composers, including Fred Frith, Pauline Oliveros, Maggi Payne, John Bischoff, Les Stuck, and Chris Brown, these programs welcome stellar guests to their teaching rosters, most recently Zeena Parkins in fall 2007, Hilda Paredes in spring 2007, and Joëlle Léandre in fall 2006.

The Music Department also has at least one visiting composer in residence each year. Lou Harrison was the first Jean MacDuff Vaux Composer-in-Residence in 1998–99, followed by Gordon Mumma in 1999–2000, José Maceda in 2000–01, Bun-Ching Lam in 2001–02, Cecil Taylor in 2002–03, Meredith Monk in 2003–04, Terry Riley in 2004–05, James Tenney in 2005–06, Maggie Nicols in 2006–07, Helmut Lachenmann in 2007–08 and, Muhal Richard Abrams in 2008–09. The Music Department has also recently established an endowed residency in honor of the electronic music composer/performer David Tudor; Paul DeMarinis initiated this residency in 2000–01, followed by Maryanne Amacher in 2001–02, Steina Vasulka in 2002–03, Trimpin in 2003–04, Ron Kuivila in 2004–05, Jon Rose in 2005–06 and Keith Rowe 2008–2009.

The College's Center for Contemporary Music (CCM), with its roots in the historic San Francisco Tape Music Center, is world-renowned for its innovative work in electroacoustic and computer music, performance art, recording media, and sound synthesis. Its popular public events include Songlines, a series of symposia on sound, nature, and new music technologies that brings together in an informal setting guest composers, performing artists, and researchers. Recent guests have included Luc Ferrari, Miya Masaoka, Janice Giteck, "Blue" Gene Tyranny, Tetsu Saitoh, Robert Ashley, Annea Lockwood, Kitundu, Christina Kubisch, Carla Kihlstedt, Amelia Cuni, Neil Rolnick, Nicolas Collins, and Louis Goldstein.

Our commitment to creating interdisciplinary works with other fine arts departments is enhanced by Mills' Intermedia Arts Program, which generates many fresh ways of making and thinking about music.