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Music Department EnsemblesDepartment ensembles perform music ranging from the Renaissance to the modern era and world premieres. Visit the links below to find out more about levels of participation. Our concert schedule shows when each of these groups performs during the school year. Fall 2007 Audition information and what to prepare for auditions can be found here. * Brandeis Wellesley Orchestra The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra Neal Hampton, conductorThe Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra (BWO) is comprised of students, faculty, staff, and associates of Brandeis University and Wellesley College. Following successful collaborations in recent years, the orchestras at each institution formally united in the fall of 2002 under the direction of Neal Hampton. By sharing talents and resources, the BWO provides unique creative opportunities for the communities at both institutions, and specifically for students within the context of a liberal arts education. Uniting the high standards of excellence associated with Brandeis and Wellesley, the orchestra is dedicated to bringing inspiring performances of the great orchestral literature, past and present, to a new generation of musicians and audiences. In the spring of 2004, the orchestra performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the combined choirs of Brandeis, Wellesley, UMass Dartmouth, and MIT to a standing room only crowd of more than 700. Rehearsals are held Thursday evenings at 7:30pm (one week at Brandeis, the next at Wellesley) with sectional rehearsals on Tuesdays at Brandeis and Wellesley. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester and throughout the year by appointment. Sign-up sheets are posted in the Music Building at the start of the fall semester. Contact Neal Hampton for information. Chamber Choir/Solo Ensemble James Olesen, directorThis 24-voice choir is chosen from the entire student body on the basis of experience and musicianship skills. It is for singers who wish to explore unusual repertory, Bach cantatas, 16th-century motets and madrigals, 17th-century oratorios, 19th-century lieder, and 20th-century works. Singers are required to prepare independently outside of scheduled rehearsals. There are opportunities for one-on-a-part ensemble singing and solo work. Rehearsals are held Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm in Slosberg Recital Hall. Usually offered every year. Contact Jim Olesen for information. Chamber Music EnsembleThe Brandeis Chamber Music Ensemble offers instrumentalists the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to practical music making in an intimate and informal master class setting. Interpretation emerges as each piece’s unique structure is uncovered, and historical context, technique, and style are explored and discussed. Individual practice and ensemble rehearsal in preparation for coaching sessions are required. Course work includes written assignments, listening, and selected reading all aimed at getting "inside the piece." Final concert in Slosberg Recital Hall Early Music Ensemble Sarah Mead, directorSince its inception, the Brandeis Music Department has been providing singers and instrumentalists the opportunity to discover the music which formed the foundation for Bach and his successors. Using its large collection of historical instruments -- including recorders, krumhorns, sackbuts, curtals, viols, lutes, harps, and harpsichord -- the Brandeis Early Music Ensemble explores the music and performance practices of Western Europe in the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The Ensemble is made up of individual consorts of voices, strings, and winds, which rehearse together and separately. Rehearsals are held Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm in Slosberg Recital Hall. Instruments are available for student use. No prior experience in early music is necessary. Interested instrumentalists and singers should sign up for an informal interview/audition in the Slosberg Music Center. Contact Sarah Mead for more information. Jazz Ensemble Robert Nieske, directorThe outstanding Brandeis Jazz Ensemble, open to the entire Brandeis community by audition, is comprised of 15 musicians led by one of Boston's best-known jazz men. In addition to the classic jazz repertory, the ensemble performs original compositions written specifically for the group. Rehearsals are held Mondays 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm in Slosberg Recital Hall. Interested vocalists and saxophone, trumpet, guitar, piano, bass, or drum players will be asked to sight read and improvise a solo at the audition. Improvising experience is not required, but reading skills are. Sign up for a time in the Slosberg Music Center. Contact Bob Nieske for more information. University Chorus James Olesen, conductorThe Brandeis University Chorus draws its members from the entire Brandeis community. Every year the Chorus performs a major work drawn from the vast choral repertory. Often there are opportunities for student soloists. Rehearsals are held Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm in Slosberg Recital Hall. Regular attendance is required. Contact Jim Olesen for more information. Wind Ensemble Tom Souza, conductorThe Brandeis Wind Ensemble is a 50-member group that performs a wide variety of music. It rehearses Tuesday nights from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm and performs two or three concerts per year. Membership is open to the Brandeis and surrounding communities. Contact Tom Souza for more information. Improv Collective Tom Hall, directorThe Brandeis Improv Collective (BIC) is open to all Brandeis students who play an instrument or sing, regardless of skill or experience in improvising. For those without the time or sufficient experience to fully participate in the Jazz Ensemble, this may be the group for you! BIC meets on Tuesday nights for 10 classes a semester, culminating in a performance in Slosberg Recital Hall at the end of each semester. This is a non-credit ensemble. Sign-up sheets are posted in Slosberg Hall at the beginning of each semester, or you can contact Tom Hall directly at: tomhall@freeimprovisation.com. |
