Instrumental Ensembles
University Symphony Orchestra
The Binghamton University Symphony is a 70-piece symphonic orchestra composed of music majors, minors and dedicated non-majors drawn from throughout the student body. The ensemble presents at least four major concerts each season in a wide range of genres from contemporary works back to the Renaissance.
Auditions for all seats are held during the first week of classes; sign up at this link. Students can fulfill their A designation with 4 credits of ensembles.
Director: Paul McShee
Required weekly rehearsals in FA 111
Monday & Wedesnday 7-9:30 p.m. full rehearsal (1 credit)
University Wind Symphony
The 50+ members of the University Wind Ensemble perform historically significant, standard and important new works for Wind Band in a season of four major concerts. Auditions for all majors are welcome to audition; sign up at this link. Students can fulfill their A designation with 4 credits of ensembles.
Director: Jennifer Greene
Required weekly rehearsals in FA 111
Monday & Wednesday 4:40-6:05 p.m. (1 credit)
Harpur Jazz Ensemble
The Harpur Jazz Ensemble studies and performs big-band repertoire and appears frequently on and off campus. Guests who have appeared in concert with this popular ensemble include, among others, Clark Terry, "Slam" Stewart, Manny Albam, Urbie Green, Frank Wess, Phil Woods, Jimmy Owens, Marian McPartland, Steve Brown, Mel Lewis, Slide Hampton, Peter Appleyard, John Faddis, Rufus Reid, Danny D'Imperio, Houston Person, Rob McConnell, Dave Stryker, Chris Washburne, Ron Vincent, Eddie Allen, Bruce Johnstone, Cynthia Scott, Bill Easley, Tia Fuller, Steve Davis, Harry Allen, Walter White, John McNeil, Sherrie Maricle, and Jennifer Leitham.
Director: Greg Evans
Nukporfe African Dance and Drumming Ensemble
The Nukporfe African Dance-Drumming Ensemble is comprised of 30–40 singers, dancers, and drummers, who have taken introductory courses in African Drumming and Dance in the Department of Music (MUS 143B), Africana Studies (188B, 289J, 389J), and Theatre Dance (289J, 389J), or who have significant previous experience in African music or dance. We give between 4–5 major performances each year at BU as well as throughout the Tri-Cities community, and we often participate in inter-collegiate music festivals and other cultural activities within the area.
Director: James Burns
Required weekly rehearsals in FA 93A
Tuesday 6-8 p.m.
Chamber Music
Qualified students may be placed in a variety of chamber music ensembles (trios, quartets, quintets, etc.) and receive faculty coaching and University credit. Rehearsals are arranged with a faculty coach.
Small Ensembles
The department offers a variety of small ensembles (Percussion, Trumpet, Low Brass, etc.) with faculty directors when students, admitted to the major ensemble program have sufficient numbers and interest. The groups rehearse weekly and present a concert each term. Times are arranged to meet students schedules and credit is available.
Choral Groups
Harpur Chorale
Binghamton University's large inclusive mixed choral ensemble, the HARPUR CHORALE is an auditioned choral ensemble which performs a wide variety of choral music from multiple genres, styles, time periods, and languages, while still rooted in the Western tradition. Membership includes not only music majors but also as many talented and promising non-major singers as possible who come from strong high school choral music programs and want to continue that experience in college. The Harpur Chorale was invite to join the Binghamton Philharmonic in November 2018 for two performances of Video Games Live.
Director: William Culverhouse
Required weekly rehearsals in FA 21
Tuesday & Thursday 4:45-6:25 p.m. (1 credit)
- Recent Repertoire
Lamma bada yatathanna (Abu-Khader), Make Our Garden Grow (Bernstein), O schöne Nacht (Brahms), Ezekul Saw de Wheel (Dawson), Mo Ghile Mear (Earley), Stars (Ešenvalds), All Too Soon (Hatfield), Wana Baraka (Kirchner), Midwinter Songs and Prayer (Lauridsen), Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal (Parker), Augu Nakti (Puce), Priiditye Poklonimsya (Rachmaninoff), Canciones por Las Américas (Robinovitch), Let My Love Be Heard (Runestad), Adonai Roi (Shatin), When Dawn Shines (Surti), Rockin' Jerusalem (Thomas), Every Night when the Sun Goes Down (Walker).
Treble Chorus
Binghamton University's distinctive choral ensemble for upper voices, the TREBLE CHORUS is an auditioned choral ensemble which performs a wide variety of choral music from across the centuries and around the globe. The ensemble has a particular specialization in music by women composers. They explore repertoire of complexity and artistic challenge, while still offering a thorough grounding in healthy vocal technique and musicianship skills.
Director: Megan Burrell
Required weekly rehearsals in FA 21
Tuesday & Wednesday 7-9 p.m. (1 credit)
- Recent Repertoire
Joy (Allen), Warrior (Baryluk), Ave Maria (Biebl), Ain’t No Grave (Caldwell and Ivory), Zion's Walls (Copland), Reel à Bouche (Dalglish), The Dawn Is Not Distant and The Grail Bird (Donkin), At the Edge of Great Quiet (Folio), Tundra (Gjeilo), Moon Goddess (Hagen), Las Amarillas (Hatfield), O Virtus Sapientiae (Hildegard), El Vito (Jensen), Two Sacred Songs (Schleuse), Psalm 23 (Schubert), The Silver Apples of the Moon (Walker), Five Hebrew Love Songs (Whitacre).
Chamber Singers
Binghamton University's most selective choral ensemble, the CHAMBER SINGERS are a highly skilled vocal ensemble whose members are selected based on sight reading ability and vocal quality and versatility. They prepare and present challenging repertoire chosen from multiple styles, time periods, and cultural contexts. The Chamber Singers perform multiple concerts each academic year, both on and off campus. Singing in Chamber Singers is intended to be as pre-professional a choral experience as possible, with a membership of between 16 and 24. These singers work on developing the choral skills that will win professional choral auditions, and they prepare and perform rep that is as close as possible to what they might encounter as professional choral singers in a major metropolitan area. The Chamber Singers served as the demonstration choir for the New York ACDA conducting master class at the 2018 NYSSMA Winter Conference.
- Recent Repertoire
Tal'a min bayt abuha (Abu-Khader), Afternoon on a Hill (Barnum), Jenny Kiss'd Me (Barnum), Im Herbst (Brahms), Non vos relinquam orphanos (Byrd), I Am the Great Sun (Chydenius), Glow (Joyce), Sicut cervus (Palestrina), Salve Regina and Un soir de neige (Poulenc), Entarisi ala benziyor (Sun), Three Flower Songs (Whitacre).
Studio Lessons
Private studio instruction is available to students in voice and for the following instruments: piano, organ, harpsichord, violin, viola, violoncello, string bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, baritone, tuba and percussion (1–2 credits).A fee of $75 (instrumentalists) or $125 (vocalists) is assessed for the semester. Students must audition for private studio lessons during the first week of classes.
Our Facilities
The Department presents nearly 100 concerts yearly including solo recitals and ensemble concerts by students, faculty and guest artists. Many of these events are free for students and take place in the Anderson Center Concert Theater (1170 seats), the Chamber Hall (425 seats), Watters Theater (558 seats), and Casadesus Recital Hall (225 seats).
Please visit the Anderson Center's Theaters page for more information.
