Student Ensembles
OVERVIEW
The primary focus of Performance Music at The °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï is upon our student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no major in music at The °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University Bands, University Performance Choirs, University String Orchestra & Ensembles, and Steel Drum Ensemble. Neither an audition nor enrollment fee is required for membership. A number of members of the faculty and staff, as well as alumni from the region, also perform with the groups. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Large ensembles include Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble (big band format), and Steel Drum Ensemble. Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and vary by semester, including groups such as String Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Low Brass Sextet, Trumpet Choir, Clarinet Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Percussion Ensemble, and small vocal groups in various formats. Solo, duo, trio, and quartet performance opportunities are available to members of the ensembles through the semesterly General Recitals.
Other programs within the department - such as our Guest Artist Series concert programming, World Premiere Composition Series, The Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra - closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with a variety of world class musicians and artist-teachers.
High school juniors and seniors considering application to Scranton for future years are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert or masterclass/clinic, or tour the building.
HERE'S SOME REPERTOIRE THE LARGE ENSEMBLES ARE WORKING ON FOR PERFORMANCES IN SPRING 2026!
SYMPHONIC BAND: "Ave Maria" (Franz Biebl, arr. Cameron),"Carnaval in São Paulo" (James Barnes), "España Cañi" (Pascual Marquina, arr. Longfield), "Heart Songs" (David Maslanka), "An Introduction to the Moon" (Libby Larsen), "La Fiesta Mexicana" (H. Owen Reed), "Man of La Mancha" (Frank Erickson & Mitch Leigh), "Shenandoah" (Frank Ticheli), "Simple Gifts (Four Shaker Songs)" (Frank Ticheli), "The Symphonic Gershwin" (George Gershwin, arr. Barker), "Symphony No. IV: Bookmarks from Japan" (Julie Giroux),
JAZZ BAND: "Big Swing Face" (Bill Potts), "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon and Ray Henderson/ arr. Berg), "Cute" (Neal Hefti/ arr. Nestico), "Dindi" (Antonio Carlos Jobim & Ray Gilbert / arr. Stitzel), "The Girl From Ipanema" (Antonio Carlos Jobim and Norman Gimbel/ arr. Osser), "I’m In The Mood For Swing" (Benny Carter/ arr. Wolpe), "I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" from Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book (Richard Sherman and Robert Sherman/ arr. Wasson), "Splanky" (Neal Hefti/ arr. Nestico), "Sway" (Norman Gimbel and Pablo Beltran Ruiz/ arr. Taylor)
CONCERT CHOIR: "All Is Well" (Michael W. Smith & Wayne Kirkpatrick, arr. Graham), "A Gospel Alleluia" (Fred Pratt Green & Joel Raney), "Hallelujah, Amen" from Judas Maccabaeus (George Frideric Handel, ed. Neuen), "Hymn to St. Cecilia" (Benjamin Britten), "If I Fell" (John Lennon & Paul McCartney, arr. Chilcott), "If Music Be the Food of Love" (René Clausen), "Immortal Love" (Mark Sirett), "Poor Man Lazrus" (arr. Hairston), "Set Me As a Seal" (René Clausen), "Tu Es Petrus" (Giovanni Palestrina), "Vamudara" (Traditional, arr. Maraire), "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)" (Don McLean, arr. Emerson),
STRING ORCHESTRA: "Beside The Still Waters" (James Leith Macbeth Bain, arr. Gruselle), "Bohemian Suite" (Vaclav Nelhybel), "Coronation March" from The Prophet (Giacomo Meyerbeer, arr. Fishburn), "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" (W.A. Mozart), "Hebrides Overture" (Felix Mendelssohn, arr. Librande), "Largo" from the New World Symphony (Antonin Dvorak, arr. Hall), "Palladio" (Karl Jenkins), "Waltz No. 2" (Dmitri Shostakovich, arr. Lavender)