Upon reaching Ohio University, there are many students who have participated in musical groups throughout middle and high school and are unsure where to turn once they get on campus.
Luckily, from the Marching 110 to different concert bands, orchestras and choirs, there are many options for students who want to continue to perform.
There are the Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, which director of bands at Ohio University Andrew Trachsel calls the “major bands.” Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band select their members through audition, but any student who wants to audition can, even if he or she is not a music major.
In addition to those bands are the University Concert Band and Communiversity Band, which Trachsel said are non-major bands. Anyone who wants to can perform in the bands.
“The music we play in the concert bands is not what you hear on TV,” Trachsel said. “Our music can be classical, jazz or cutting edge. We perform music by the world’s greatest composers of the past as well as contemporary composers.”
Aside from those bands, there are also more specialized ensembles, such as the Jazz Ensemble, the African Music Ensemble and the Percussion Ensemble.
In addition to the variety of bands, there are two orchestras in which strings players can take part.
The first, University Symphony Orchestra, directed by Steven Huang, associate professor of instrumental conducting, is made up generally of music majors in addition to non-majors, who are all auditioned into the group.
The second orchestra, the Campus Orchestra, is directed by Elizabeth Braun and is designed for students who want to continue to play their instruments without a large time commitment, with two-hour practices throughout the week.
Braun said people who participate in the orchestras join because it is something they had wanted to continue upon reaching college.
“For some it’s the social aspect,” Braun said. “Others just really like the break from their heavy academic schedules. … Others just really enjoy playing great music; there is nothing like it.”
For the people who prefer singing, there are a number of choirs to join. There is the Choral Union for men and women; theater performance group Opera Theater; Singing Men Of Ohio; University Singers for men and women; and Women’s Chorale. There are also several a cappella groups, two within the School of Music — Section 8 for men and Title IX for women — and several others off campus.
Trachsel stressed that all the concerts put on by these groups are free, an incentive for students who want to see their peers perform on stage.
ds834910@ohiou.edu
