Classical Guitar Ensemble

MUSC 4495
Meets: TuTh 2:00-3:20 PM
Director: Todd Woodbury

To schedule an audition, please contact Todd Woodbury

Audition Requirements:

• 15-minute audition
• One prepared classical guitar piece. Use of sheet music permitted. Provide copy of score.
• Sight-reading from classical guitar chamber music and single-line melody, accompaniment and multi-textured parts.

The school’s two classical guitar ensembles, of 4-6 members each, offer intermediate and advanced classical guitarists the opportunity to explore the major classical guitar chamber repertoire, from the Renaissance period through contemporary South American.

Both ensembles offer students the opportunity to develop their sight-reading, interpretation and ensemble skills, in a challenging and supportive learning environment. Several members compose original works that the ensembles premier, offering a collaborative learning experience for all. In addition to performing two concerts each year, the Classical Guitar Ensembles performs as part of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts Chamber Music Series.

Early Music Ensemble

MUSC 4437 / MUSC 6437
Meets: Mo 4:10-6:00 PM
Director: Lisa Chaufty

No audition required, please contact Lisa Chaufty (801) 587-9786

The Early Music Ensemble, made up of students, professional, and university community musicians, performs Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque literature on period instruments and sometimes modern instruments. String students, for example, can play a modern string instrument while using a Baroque bow and addressing historical performance practice. Student participants gain valuable experience by rehearsing and performing alongside experienced musicians in both solo and ensemble works. If you would like to participate, but have questions, please feel free to contact the Director.

The Early Music Ensemble’s two annual concerts include works by a wide variety of composers from 900-1850. The ensemble is always interested in making new repertoire discoveries in addition to exploring diverse threads within the early music repertoire. A recent ensemble recording can be viewed here.

The ensemble often includes harpsichord, historical recorders, traverso, krumhorn, viola da gamba, and voice.

Electroacoustic Ensemble

MUSC 4436 MUSC 6436
TBD
Director: Dr. Elisabet Curbelo

The students in the Electroacoustic Ensemble are welcome to perform, conduct, improvise and create electroacoustic music using electronic instruments such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, synthesizers, sensors, and controllers. In addition, the EAE includes acoustic instruments; and the performance of interdisciplinary pieces including non-music majors such as dancers, scientists, filmmakers, engineers, poets, and artists is essential to the ensemble. You can bring your instrument and equipment or use the ensemble's newly acquired equipment.

The EAE welcomes students with a background in traditional acoustic instrumental or vocal music who wish to perform experimental music that includes electronic instruments. This Ensemble may be appropriate for students pursuing a Music Technology Minor by providing a valuable experience collaborating and performing with other people as we engage with other artistic departments at the University.

Flute Choir

Director: Tiffany Sedgley

Audition Requirements:

• Flute/Piccolo

AUDITION

Formed in 2001, the 8-12 member Runnin' Fl'UTES' choir offers music and non-music majors the opportunity to play works written for flute choir, as well as arrangements and transcriptions of standard literature taken from the orchestral, opera, ballet, vocal choir and other ensemble and solo repertoire. Students gain varied performance experience from duets, trios and quartets, to solos and conducting.

They have the opportunity to play and perform on multiple instruments in the flute family: piccolo, standard c flute, alto and bass. Students work on skill and technical development in a fun, supportive environment; receiving instruction in ensemble awareness, tuning, tone, vibrato, technique and chamber work, all with the ultimate goal of taking that knowledge into other ensemble playing.

In addition to concerts each semester in Gardner Hall's Dumke Recital Hall, the Runnin' Fl'UTES' perform throughout the community. Performance highlights over the last several years include the Temple Square Concert Series, three National Flute Association conventions and the University of Utah President's home.

Global Music Ensemble

MUSC 4486
Meets: Thursdays from 6:30-8p SPRING Semester ONLY 
Director: Mason Aeschbacher
Contact: Dr. Michael Sammons

The Global Music Ensemble focuses its repertoire on traditional music and dance from non-western cultures, particularly of and through the African Diaspora. While the focus of the ensemble is musical, cultural contexts relevant to the music studied are inherently stressed, giving the students and the audience a deeper understanding of the music’s meaning and a greater personal enjoyment of the music played. Students from across campus disciplines are highly encouraged to join including non-music majors and non-percussionists. 

Harp Ensemble

Director: Dr. Cathy Clayton

Audition

Formed in 2008, the 6-10 member Crimson Harps offer harp majors and minors the opportunity to develop their skills, musicianship and repertoire through a challenging and fun ensemble experience.

Students explore new techniques and affects for the diverse pieces they perform, including music from Latin America, the British Isles, Africa, Asia, as well as traditional classical pieces and modern music from the 20th century. Due to the limited repertoire available for harp ensemble, they also learn to write their own arrangements.

Students gain performance experience as soloists and members of an ensemble, as well as training in professionalism, stagecraft, and pubic speaking as they serve as musical ambassadors for the U. Each spring, the ensemble takes a western tour and engages in local performance opportunities through the academic year, such as performing at the State Capitol, playing at University events and introducing elementary school audiences to the harp.

New Music Ensemble

MUSC 4435 / MUSC 6435 / MUSC 7435
Meets: TBA
Director: Dr. Devin Maxwell
Audition: Yes

To set up an audition time, please contact Dr. Devin Maxwell

The 10-16 member New Music Ensemble offers freshman through doctoral students the opportunity to perform a wide variety of twentieth century music, from masterworks to new, exploratory compositions. Students acquire the necessary skills to play modern works, learning how to present this genre in a clear and expressive manner. Members of the New Music Ensemble often have the opportunity to perform with the Salt Lake-based professional ensemble Canyonlands.

Recent concerts have included works by Steve Reich, Olivier Messiaen, Igor Stravinsky, Mario Davidovsky, Shulamit Ran, György Ligeti and Morton Feldman. The ensemble puts equal emphasis on programming music by emerging composers.  During 2012-13, it will perform compositions by the eight winners of the first International University of Utah New Music Ensemble Composition Competition, which attracted 220 entries.

The ensemble performs off, as well as on, campus, including periodic tours, and has recorded on the New World/CRI label.

Percussion Ensemble

MUSC 4485 / MUSC 6485
Meets: Fall semester Mo 6:00-8:00 PM; Spring semester Mo 4:35-9:00 PM
Director: Dr. Michael Sammons

Audition Materials

The internationally acclaimed U of U Percussion Ensemble performs a wide-range of percussive repertoire, from classical to contemporary, to non-western styles and jazz influenced works. The ensemble has won the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Contest on multiple occasions, and as also appeared at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Most recently, the percussion ensemble performed at the 2019 Northwest Percussion Festival and participated in the Chamber Percussion Competition at PASIC 2019, placing 5th overall.

The Chamber Percussion Group is a select group of percussionists within the larger Percussion Ensemble that focuses its repertoire on a classics of new music (Cage, Reich, Harrison) as well as new music. Recent commissions of composers include Anders Koppel, Christopher Deane and Dwayne Rice.

String Chamber Music Ensemble

MUSC 4430 / MUSC 6430 / MUSC 7430
Meets: TBA
Director: Dr. Hasse Borup

Audition

Audition Requirements: 

• Violin
• Viola
• Cello
  • Honors Quartet Auditions will be (an optional) segment of regular Orchestra Auditions.

The school’s string chamber music program provides students with a thorough education in ensemble playing through instruction with experienced, world-class faculty along with an active schedule of chamber music and soloist master classes. Past groups have included Emerson String Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Trio Con Brio and Pacifica Quartet, as well as renowned soloists such as Cho Lian Lin, David Kim and Leila Josefowicz. 

The school’s Graduate String Quartet, whose members receive assistantship awards, serve as musical ambassadors for the U, as well as Outreach Ambassadors, along with the members of two endowed undergraduate honors quartets, Mount Olympus Waters and O. C. Tanner. All three offer motivated, dedicated string players serious quartet experience and the chance to log extensive performance experience on and off campus.

Through the Chamber Music Outreach Program, the Graduate, Mount Olympus Waters and O. C. Tanner String Quartets visit 5-6 area high schools each fall to deliver 45-minute presentations on the Art of String Quartet playing.

During the summer, the U Chamber Music Workshop brings students and professional performers to campus for an intensive week of chamber music studies and performances. The program gives current and prospective students a chance to immerse themselves in chamber music with talented players from across the country.

Trumpet Ensemble

Director: Dr. Peyden Shelton

Please contact Dr. Peyden Shelton for more information.

The University of Utah Trumpet Studio is comprised of a diverse group of undergraduate to doctoral level performers. Lead by Dr. J. Peyden Shelton, including additional instruction by Travis Petersen, principal trumpet of the Utah Symphony, the Trumpet Studio aims to shape the next generation of musicians in a way that enables them to excel in every musical style and setting in an ever-changing musical world.  

It is through the diverse specialties of this trumpet faculty that the University of Utah can provide performers with an all-encompassing education that will enable them to be active members of the performance community, as well as engaging pedagogues for the next generation of trumpet performers.  

In addition to private instruction, the University of Utah Trumpet Studio offers a wide variety of performance outlets to refine each player’s specific needs. The Utah Trumpet Ensemble is comprised of students of all levels, and competes at both a national and international level ranging from the National Trumpet Competition, to the International Trumpet Guild. Various chamber ensembles such as brass quintets, brass ensembles, and more offer students a more traditional chamber performance setting. Studio members also participate in the various large ensembles on campus, such as the Wind Ensemble, Utah Philharmonia, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, and the Marching Utes.  

Please consider joining the University of Utah Trumpet Studio, and becoming a member of the Utes Family. If you have any questions regarding applying, auditions, or even to set up a free trial lesson with Dr. Shelton, please feel free to contact him.