Instrumental Studies Ensembles
Students in the Department of Instrumental Studies have the opportunity to perform in the following ensembles:
Congratulations to the Temple University Symphony Orchestra for two 2013 Grammy nominations - "Best Instrumental Composition" category.
The Temple University Symphony Orchestra rehearses two days per week and is conducted by Professor Luis Biava. The Temple University Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Professor Luis Biava. Comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, the Symphony Orchestra's performances in recent years have featured a large representation of orchestral repertoire, as well as faculty and student soloists. In addition to annual performances with the combined choirs at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, the TUSO performed at Carnegie Hall in 2007 and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 2010. The TUSO will return to Lincoln Center on April 5, 2013, with the New York premiere of Michael Daugherty’s Reflections on the Mississippi for Tuba and Orchestra. Carol Jantsch, a faculty member at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple and principal tuba with The Philadelphia Orchestra, will be the soloist. This is the third major work to be commissioned by the Boyer College to be performed in New York. Previous commissions include Bill Cunliffe's fourth stream...La Banda, which was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award in the "Best Instrumental Composition" category and Music of Ansel Adams: America, composed by Dave and Chris Brubeck.
The TUSO has premiered several major commissions, including Music of Ansel Adams: America, composed by Dave and Chris Brubeck; and, Overture, Waltz and Rondo by Bill Cunliffe -- both of which were nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award in "Best Instrumental Composition" category. Reflections on the Mississippi for Tuba and Orchestra, by Grammy-winning composer, Michael Daugherty, will be performed on April 5, 2013 at Alice Tully Hall. Bill Cunliffe's fourth stream...La Banda, also premiered by the TUSO, was nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award in the "Best Instrumental Composition" category;
Several recordings by the TUSO have been released on the college's record label, BCM&D Records and are available for purchase and download:
Temple University Symphony Orchestra performs Mozart
fourth stream...La Banda, Bill Cunliffe
Overture, Waltz and Rondo, Bill Cunliffe
Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, Richard Strauss
Music of Ansel Adams: America, Chris and Dave Brubeck
Overture to Coriolanus, Op. 62, Beethoven
The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote of “robust middle-voice strings." The review also noted “...the concentration of energy represented gives the students a taste for how excellence feels firsthand…conductor Luis Biava delivered long, clearly delineated arcs.” In 2008, the Orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall. The Symphony Orchestra has also performed for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, for the North Penn and Upper Darby Community Concert Series, and in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the Forum in the State Capitol.
The Symphony Orchestra's repertoire from the last several seasons includes:
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The Chamber Orchestra provides a performance opportunity of larger chamber works in a true chamber music setting. The Chamber Orchestra generally performs one concert per semester and on occasion has joined with the Temple University Concert Choir in a combined performance.
Chamber Orchestra repertoire from the last several seasons has included:
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The Opera Orchestra accompanies Opera Theater each semester in a fully staged production. Temple Opera Theater's repertoire includes:
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Conducted by Dr. Emily Threinen, the Wind Symphony is the premier wind band of the Boyer College of Music and Dance. The ensemble comprises advanced musicians (graduate and undergraduate) and performs at least six formal concerts throughout the academic year. The ensemble meets two days per week, totaling five hours of rehearsal. Repertory performed is representative of the finest in wind literature, spanning musical styles from the Renaissance through today. Concert programs include pieces for varied instrumentation as few as eight players to pieces for large symphonic wind band. During the year, concerts feature internationally respected guest soloists, award winning composers-in-residence, and student wind-concerto winners.
The Wind Symphony was selected to be one of six university concert bands in the United States to record a CD for the Masterpiece Series of recordings released on the Toshiba-EMI label. The first CD recording of the Wind Symphony, under the baton of Professor Emeritus, Arthur Chodoroff and guest conductor Karel Husa, is produced on the Albany Records label © 1997, Temple University Wind Symphony. The Celebrations CD, commemorating Professor Chodoroff's tenure at Temple University, is produced on the BCM+D Records label © 2011.
The Wind Symphony has performed, by invitation, for the Eastern Division of the Music Educators National Conference, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and the Eastern Division Conference of the College Band Directors National Association. Membership in the Wind Symphony requires an audition and faculty approval for participation; auditions are held the first week of the fall semester.
For more information about the Wind Symphony, repertory programmed since 2000, and auditions, please see the Temple Bands website.
Conducted by Dr. Matthew Brunner and assisted by Dr. Emily Threinen, the Symphonic Band is a select wind band of the Boyer College of Music and Dance. The ensemble comprises undergraduate music and non-music majors and performs two formal concerts a semester. The ensemble meets two days per week, totaling four hours of rehearsal. Repertory performed is representative of core wind literature of high artistic merit of the past and present, including works for varied instrumentation. Membership in the Symphonic Band requires an audition and faculty approval for participation.
For more information about the Symphonic Band, repertory programmed since 2000, and auditions, please see the Temple Bands website.
Conducted by Dr. Matthew Brunner, the Collegiate Band is a large concert wind band of Temple University. The ensemble comprises primarily non-music major students and performs one formal concert in the spring semester. The ensemble meets one day per week, totaling two hours of rehearsal. Many members of the Diamond Marching Band participate in Collegiate Band as a performance outlet during the spring semester. Repertory performed includes standard wind literature and pieces to broaden musical expectations of its members. Membership in the Collegiate Band requires faculty approval for participation.
For more information about the Collegiate Band and repertory programmed since 2000, please see the Temple Bands website.
Directed by Dr. Matthew Brunner, the Temple University Diamond Marching Band presents exciting and innovative contemporary shows during the fall semester. The Marching Band performs a traditional pre-game show with varied half-time shows throughout the season. In addition to six hours of rehearsal per week, activities are arranged to be compatible with student schedules. The “Pride of The Cherry and White” Marching Band performs at all home games and also travels to select away games.
The Diamond Marching Band participated in the first Sugar Bowl in 1935 (Temple vs. Tulane), the Mirage Bowl held in Tokyo, Japan, the Garden State Bowl at the Giants Stadium, and the “We the People 200 Parade”, celebrating the bicentennial of the United States Constitution. The Diamond Marching Band is regularly invited to perform at high school exhibitions. In fall of 2002, the Diamond Marching Band also appeared on The Plaza in New York for the Today Show.
The Diamond Marching Band’s large and diverse membership provides exciting opportunities for instrumentalists and color guard performers. Membership within an ensemble requires an audition and faculty approval for participation.
For more information about the Diamond Marching Band, shows performed since 2008, and auditions, please see the Temple Bands website.
Directed by Dr. Matthew Brunner, the Diamond Basketball Band performs for Temple University Men's and Women's basketball games. The Diamond Basketball Band is cherished by fans for its spirit, support for the teams, and entertainment at games. In addition to performing for home games, the “Pride of The Cherry and White” Basketball Band has traveled with the Owls to games representing Atlantic 10 Conference and NCAA match-ups throughout the country.
Participation in the Diamond Basketball Band is competitive and is limited to a select number of members. All members of the Diamond Basketball Band must also register and participate in the Diamond Marching Band (fall semester). Membership within Basketball Band requires faculty approval for participation.
For more information about the Diamond Basketball Band, please see the Temple Bands website.
Night Owls Campus/Community Band
Directed by Dr. Deborah Sheldon and assisted by Dr. Emily Threinen, the Night Owls Campus/Community Band is a large concert wind band that comprises community members from the Greater Philadelphia area with Temple University students. The ensemble performs one concert at the end of each semester and meets one evening per week, totaling two hours of rehearsal. Repertory performed includes standard wind literature and crowd-pleasing favorites. Membership in the Night Owl Campus/Community Band requires no audition and members may elect to participate for academic credit or Continuing Education credit. To register for TUNO, please click here.
For more information about the Night Owls Campus/Community Band, please see the Temple Bands website.
The Contemporary Music Ensemble is under the primary direction of Jay Krush and focuses on important music of the 20th and 21st centuries for various instrumentations. The ensemble generally performs one concert per semester.
In recent years, repertoire performed by the Contemporary Ensemble has included the following:
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The Temple University Percussion Ensemble provides a high-quality artistic and educational experience in chamber music for percussion students; celebrates and promotes the performance of percussion literature; and encourages the composition of new works for the medium.
Formed by Charles Owen in 1967 from a small group of three members, the ensemble grew to include as many as eighteen performers by 1972 with the help of associate conductor Jack Moore. From 1973 to 1978, Alan Abel and Professor emeritus Glenn Steele co-directed the percussion ensemble. Professor Steele subsequently served as director from 1978 to 2011. During his tenure the ensemble performed at many local and regional music conferences, gave premieres by composers such as William Kraft, Paul Epstein, Claudio Tripputi, and Tim Clark, and released the ensemble’s first commercial recording, ‘Forests of the Sun.’
The Temple University Percussion Ensemble is directed by Phillip O’Banion, Assistant Professor and Artistic Director of Percussion Studies. This past year, ensemble members worked with composers John Mackey and Michael Daugherty, and in October of 2012 will host Dr. Russell Hartenberger for a week-long residency. During that week students will perform the newly commissioned ‘Cadence’ by Prof. Hartenberger, and begin preparations to perform Steve Reich’s concert length work ‘Drumming.’ TUPE will be featured as guests on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Chamber Music series on April 14, 2013.
Chamber ensembles of all varieties are formed each semester. Ensembles rehearse twice per week, once with a coach and once without a coach. This approach provides an opportunity for essential skill development for each member of the ensemble. Chamber ensembles are expected to perform at least once per semester.
In addition to numerous woodwind, brass, string, and mixed chamber ensembles, the select New School String Quartet, Woodwind Quintet, and Brass Quintet are created. These select chamber ensembles receive a greater level of instruction and have more performance opportunities throughout the semester.
For more information about the Chamber Ensembles, please see Coordinators or the Department Chair.
