University Chamber Orchestra
Giang Vo, director
The University Chamber Orchestra is a 30- to 40-member ensemble of strings, woodwinds, and horns specializing in Baroque, Classical, and 20th-century repertoire for smaller orchestra. The group presents three concerts each year, often pairing a major symphony by a Classical composer with an overture, suite, or concerto for similar forces.
South Asian Music Ensemble
Minu Pasupathi, director
Pramantha Tagore, co-director
The South Asian Music Ensemble (SAME) is a special repertory ensemble that explores a wide range of music with roots in South Asia (specifically, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and their diasporas), be they classical, popular, regional/local/vernacular, folk, primarily diasporic, or not so easily classifiable.
Piano Program
Lam Wong, director
Student pianists, both undergraduate and graduate, can enhance their musical skills and experience through master classes, quarterly Piano Showcase concerts, and numerous other opportunities offered by the Department of Music’s Piano Program. Students in the program receive regular coaching sessions with the Director of Piano Studies and opportunities to participate in master classes with visiting guest artists and local professional pianists.
Percussion Ensemble
John Corkill, director
The Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of John Corkill, consists of skilled undergraduate and graduate student percussionists who specialize in mallets, drums, mixed, and world percussion. Members of the Percussion Ensemble are regularly play with the University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble, as needed.
Middle East Music Ensemble
Wanees Zarour, director
The Middle East Music Ensemble explores a variety of classical, neoclassical, and popular musical forms from throughout the Middle East and embraces compositional and improvisational techniques unique to non-Western musical cultures. Members perform on traditional instruments, often in the company of noted guest artists. No previous experience in the genre is required, but the ability to read music is necessary.
Jazz Ensemble
Michael Allemana, director
Known for its boldness in showcasing cutting-edge works, the UChicago Jazz Ensemble is a versatile collection of musicians, frequently joined in performance by noted Chicago-area professionals. The Ensemble's three-concert season offers a variety of music ranging from jazz standards to hip-hop, often in custom arrangements by the ensemble’s own members.
Early Music Ensemble
Liza Malamut, director
The Early Music Ensemble, under the direction of Liza Malamut, is a historically-oriented performance group encompassing vocalists and instrumentalists. Ensemble repertoire is drawn from 15th- to 17th-century sources, emphasizing historically-informed performance practices, including reading from original notation, improvisation, and ornamentation.
Chamber Music Program
Heather Wittels, director
The wide-ranging and inclusive Chamber Music Program provides numerous performance opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student musicians and University of Chicago community members. Chamber music groups are organized at the beginning of the year, guided in repertoire selection, and coached regularly by the Chamber Music Program Director and the Department's artists-in-residence, with opportunities for workshops and master classes with visiting guest artists and other Chicago-area musicians.
Performance Opportunities
The Performance Program encompasses a wide range of musical opportunities for talented musicians throughout the campus and community. The program is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all majors and areas of study, as well as faculty, staff, and community members. The Performance Program involves hundreds of musicians across campus in a full schedule of concerts, master classes, and workshops each year. Performances regularly include special guest soloists, multi-arts collaborations, and world premieres, along with both masterworks and unusual treasures of the repertoire.
History and Theory of Music
The Music History & Theory program emphasizes a wide range of methodologies and musical repertories, preparing students for careers as leading music scholars. Studies in music history may encompass cultural history, textual criticism, institutional history, hermeneutics, anthropology, race and gender studies, critical theory as well as film and media, and they often reflect a dynamic interplay between these disciplines.