Chicago College of Performing Arts

Good morning everyone, and happy Make Music Day!

Make Music Chicago is presented by Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, with Chicago joining in with 2,000 other locations around the globe to celebrate the international Make Music Day.

Every year on the summer solstice, Make Music Chicago brings together Chicagoans to celebrate their ability to make music, regardless of age, ability or preferred musical style.

Unlike a typical music festival, Make Music Chicago is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician—young and old, amateur and professional—takes to the streets, parks, plazas, and porches of Chicago to share music of all genres with friends, neighbors and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public, and its purpose is to remove barriers to arts participation, celebrate Chicago’s cultural richness, and strengthen neighborhood connections through shared creative experiences.

Performances are happening both inside and outside, and in case of bad weather, the outdoor events will most probably be canceled, so stay tuned to our event list for the most updated information!

One highlight event for CCPA is called Roomful of Pianos, being graciously hosted by the Steinway and Sons Chicago Steinway Piano Gallery at 1960 N Clybourn Ave. There will be a huge variety of performers and repertoire played on Steinway’s beautiful pianos, and you’ll also get to hear the work of the participants in our CCPA summer program Art of Collaboration. Don’t miss this amazing event!

Head to the link in bio for more information about all of the other incredible Make Music Chicago performances (over 70)! If you catch a performance, share a picture or video with us.

Be a part of the day by attending a performance, joining a participatory event, or by taking a free guitar or piano lesson! Now go Make Music!

Today is Juneteenth, when on this day in 1865 the Union Army made its way into Galveston, TX and announced to the people of Texas that all enslaved African Americans were free. Although there were enslavers who were aware of the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation, it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that it was actually enforced with the Union Army. June 19th freed enslaved people in the rebelling states, although it wasn’t until the 13th Amendment that slavery was abolished across the nation.

Today is a complex holiday. It bears the weight of the countless number of souls that would not see a day of freedom celebration. The holiday by definition would not exist unless slavery was an American reality, where this nation participated in the slave trade for over 200 years before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln.

Beyond commemorating the news of emancipation, Juneteenth celebrates the sights and sounds of Blackness with people enjoying art, music and food that connect them to a shared ancestry and history. For the nation as a whole, it’s a time to look truthfully at our past and to use it as an honest compass to assess where we are and where we are heading.

Today in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park, the Obama Presidential Center opened up to the public with a vibrant 19 acre campus. It’s difficult to imagine a more perfect date for America’s first Black president to open an institution like this than on the day dedicated to honoring emancipation, freedom, and the relationship that both of those ideas have to this nation.

Incoming students and families! Join us for CCPA’s virtual, college-specific Ready, Set, Roosevelt session this coming Tuesday, June 16 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm CDT on Zoom!

During this session you’ll get to:
Meet your CCPA Dean and leadership team
Learn what to expect in your program, and get your questions answered
And connect with fellow incoming students!

Registration is required, so RSVP at the link below:
https://applyru.roosevelt.edu/register/RSR.CCPA.6.16.26

We recently caught up with CCPA alum Anila Aliu, and she’s had quite an incredible 2026 so far!

Anila is a winner of the North Shore Music Club’s 2026 Scholarship, and she performed at their Winner’s Concert just last month where she proudly represented CCPA. Shortly afterwards, Anila headed to Malaysia for the Asia Pacific International Arts Festival, where she performed, adjudicated, and gave master classes.

From Malaysia, Anila traveled to Singapore for a recital performance, and we are happy to say that she will make her London debut later this month on June 19th!

We are always so pleased to be able to stay in touch with our alum and follow their next steps, cheering for them along the way. Anila will be returning to CCPA this fall to continue her studies with Professor Adam Neiman in pursuit of a Master of Music in Piano. 💚🎹🎶

Thinking about our recent CCPA graduates today!

Commencement was just exactly three weeks ago this afternoon, and we are still full of joy for our incredible students that reached that landmark achievement.
💚👏🎉🙌💚

If you graduated and we didn’t get a chance to celebrate you with a spotlight post, we’d love to still feature you! You can reach out to [email protected] or feel free to message us directly here.

Spend part of your summer with us at CCPA, learning from our world class teaching artists!

CCPA Summer Camps are a series of immersive music and performance experiences where high school musicians and emerging creatives rehearse, perform, and collaborate with Roosevelt University’s world-class faculty in downtown Chicago.

🎶 Learn more: https://www.roosevelt.edu/colleges/ccpa/summer?utm_source=social&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=summer-session&utm_content=ru-channels-ccpa
Chicago College of Performing Arts

From all of us at CCPA & — we are proud and happy to celebrate Pride Month with our RU community! 🌈

We will continue to provide a safe space for our Lakers to be their authentic self and create a community that supports them. Happy Pride!!!

🤍🩷🩵🤎🖤❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Spend part of your summer at CCPA! ☀️🌆🕶️

We are offering 5 unique workshops and experience days this June that are designed to keep your skills sharp over summer break. See the list below, and click on the link below for detailed information and to register!

https://www.roosevelt.edu/colleges/ccpa/summer

Art of Collaboration Workshop - An intensive program focused on instrumental collaborative piano, hosted in partnership with the North Shore Chamber Music Festival.
Classes: 6/16-18; Performances: 6/20-21
Ideal for advanced high school and college pianists

Jazz & Contemporary Music Experience Day - Get to know our Jazz and Contemporary Music faculty during a full day of master classes and a final afternoon concert.
Date: June 18
Designed for high school students

Singing at CCPA: Musical Theatre, Classical Voice and Everything In Between - A two-day sampling of CCPA’s undergraduate degree programs geared towards singers interested in musical theatre and/or classical music, featuring a seminar, group classes, a performance class, workshops, and an individual consultation.
Dates: 6/17 & 6/18
Designed for high school students

Summer Composition Institute - An opportunity for young composers to work with CCPA composition faculty to learn more about acoustic and electro-acoustic composition.
Dates: 6/16-18
Recommenced cohort: High school students and entering-or-returning CCPA Students

High School Strings Workshop - A multi-day summer camp offering private lessons, workshops, and performance classes.
Classes: 6/18 & 20; Performance: 6/21
Recommended cohort: High school students

Have a CCPA summer!

If you’re at Classical Singer in Boston this weekend, make sure to stop by the Roosevelt University CCPA table and say hello to these amazing artists and educators picture here!