Performance Ensembles

The Department of Music is home to a wide range of performing ensembles. Students participating in the Chorale, Community Chorus, or the Classical Guitar, Community Wind Ensemble, Jazz, Jazz Guitar, Percussion, or String receive one-half course credit per semester.

THE COLLEGES CANTORI

Robert Cowles, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Cantori is a select chamber vocal ensemble comprising members from the larger Colleges Chorale; admission to the ensemble requires participation also in the Chorale. The 16-voice Cantori performs a wide range of a cappella choral literature, including each year a new work by a different distinguished American composer for the Cantori Commissioning Project. The group rehearses Wednesdays, 5:00-6:30 p.m., and has sung for numerous Colleges functions including Parents Weekend, Trustee Weekend, the Blackwell ceremony, and various out-of-town alum events, such as in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

THE COLLEGES CHORALE

Robert Cowles, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Chorale is a mixed ensemble comprising the finest student vocal talent on the campus. The 35-voice group performs a wide range of a cappella choral literature—repertoire from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Colleges Chorale rehearses Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00-6:30 p.m. In addition to a formal concert at the end of each term, the Colleges Chorale performs at a variety of campus events throughout the year. Each spring the group takes a four-day tour. Regular tour destinations take the group to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. In addition, members of the Chorale have the occasional opportunity to embark on an international tour; recent tours have taken the group to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland, including performance at the Estonian National Song Festival.

THE COLLEGES CLASSICAL GUITAR ENSEMBLE

Benjamin Ellis, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Classical Guitar Ensemble is a student group providing a performance opportunity for talented student guitarists. The group rehearses arrangements for two, three, four, or more guitars at a time each semester to be determined.

THE COLLEGES COMMUNITY CHORUS

Caleb Hopkins, Director (students interested in auditioning should contact Prof. Robert Cowles) The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Community Chorus comprises students, faculty and staff at the Colleges, and members from the surrounding community. The fifty-voice ensemble performs major works from the standard repertoire as well as lesser-known works deserving wider familiarity. Recent programs have included extended works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Gabriel Fauré, Ottorino Respighi, Sir Edward Elgar, Aaron Copland, Benjamin Britten, and Randall Thompson. The Colleges Community Chorus rehearses Monday evenings, 7:00-9:00 p.m., performing two concerts a year, often with orchestral accompaniment.

THE COLLEGES COMMUNITY WIND ENSEMBLE

William Talley, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Community Wind Ensemble comprises students, faculty and staff at the Colleges, and members from the surrounding community. This relatively new ensemble looks forward to exploring the rich and diverse repertoire composed for wind ensemble. The group rehearses Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

THE COLLEGES JAZZ ENSEMBLE

Mark Olivieri, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Jazz Ensemble is a student group providing a performance opportunity for talented student jazzers. Arrangements are found to accommodate a variety of instrumental combinations. The group rehearses Mondays and Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

THE COLLEGES JAZZ GUITAR ENSEMBLE

Greg Wachala, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Jazz Guitar Ensemble is a student group providing a performance opportunity for talented student jazz guitarists. The group rehearses arrangements for two, three, four, or more guitars on Tuesdays, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

THE COLLEGES PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

Anthony Calabrese, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Percussion Ensemble is a student group providing a performance opportunity for talented student percussionists, although students with minimal experience are encouraged to audition. The group rehearses arrangements for two, three, four, or more percussionists on Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

THE COLLEGES STRING ENSEMBLE

Benjamin Magruder, Director The Hobart and William Smith Colleges String Ensemble is a student chamber group providing a performance opportunity for talented string players. The group rehearses Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

CONTACT

For more information about opportunities for individual instruction in music, please contact the department. Phone: (315) 781-3406