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Ensembles
A variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles perform in concerts both on and off-campus and rehearse on a regular basis throughout the year. The ensembles are open to university and community members with appropriate instrumental/choral/vocal experience and commitment to artistic performance. Students may enroll for credit in a maximum of three ensembles per term.
Wind Ensemble
R. Shayne Cofer, Conductor
Brass Ensemble
Travis Heath, Director
Choral Ensembles
Christopher Owen, Director
Guitar Ensemble
Brian Torosian, Director
Jazz Ensembles
Mayo Tiana, Director
Opera and Musical Theater
Sasha Gerritson, Director
String Orchestra
Brian Groner, Conductor
Percussion Ensemble
Owen Clayton Condon, Director
WIND ENSEMBLE
R. Shayne Cofer, Director
The Northeastern Illinois Wind Ensemble performs quality literature representative of all musical styles and performs at least once per semester. The band consists primarily of music majors but includes non-majors as well. Rehearsals are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:00 noon. Membership in the Wind Ensemble provides an opportunity for dedicated wind and percussion students to continue their musical growth in a challenging, yet supportive environment. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester in January and August.
BRASS ENSEMBLE
Travis Heath, Director
The NEIU Brass Ensemble portrays the brilliance of brass instruments by performing repertoire from the Renaissance era through today including original, arranged, and transcribed music. The instrumentation and repertoire reflect that of leading current brass ensembles as well as those of pioneering professional ensembles. The group is comprised of both graduate and advanced undergraduate students by audition.
In addition to Brass Ensemble, students will also participate in non-conducted chamber brass quintets, quartets, and trios of like and mixed brass instruments, and percussion. Students in these ensembles explore the ever-expanding repertoire and learn valuable rehearsal and performance skills.
Follow the links below to access the current audition excerpts:
CHORAL ENSEMBLES
Christopher Owen, Director
The choral program at Northeastern Illinois University offers students the opportunity to study and perform the finest choral music from the Renaissance to the present. Our goal is to present a comprehensive choral experience through study and analysis, performance, and preparation of conductors. There are two choral ensembles at Northeastern: University Chorus and Chamber Singers.
University Chorus, comprised of students, faculty, and community residents, is representative of the diversity of our community. The Chorus rehearses once each week, performing at the end of the semester, and occasionally sings its semester concert off campus. This group has sung a Palestrina mass at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Chicago and Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Service at Temple Sholom of Chicago. University Chorus performs music intended for a larger group and often sings with an orchestra.
Chamber Singers is a smaller, auditioned ensemble which rehearses twice each week and performs with the Chorus. This choir also serves as the recruiting ensemble for the choral program, and its repertoire is comprised mainly of music intended for a smaller group. The smaller size of this ensemble allows the singers to delve more deeply into the study of performance practice and style. Chamber Singers is also open to faculty and community residents by audition.
GUITAR ENSEMBLE
Brian Torosian, Director
The Northeastern Illinois University Guitar Ensemble performs music for classical guitar, lute and other instruments from the Middle Ages to the present day. In addition to performing several annual concerts on campus and other university events, the Guitar Ensemble participates in community outreach and recruiting activities that include hosting high school students that visit the university and traveling to perform at area schools. The Guitar Ensemble is an annual participant in the Midwest America Guitar Ensemble Festival which attracts university guitar ensembles from across the nation. Weekly rehearsals are supplemented with ensemble workshops by leading, soloists and chamber musicians including Fareed Haque, lutenist Jacob Heringman, the Waller and Maxwell Duo and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.
JAZZ ENSEMBLES
Mayo Tiana, Director
Varsity Big Band
Northeastern Illinois University Varsity Big Band is comprised of a select group of approximately 20 musicians. Emphasis is placed upon a varied repertoire of diverse styles by the greatest jazz composers. Students are allowed to develop skills in ensemble performance and improvisation. Clinics are held each spring with professional, world class musicians who work in and out of the Chicago area. The Big Band rehearses twice a week and is open to students through audition.
Jazz Combos
Improvisation and small group interaction are the focus of Northeastern's Jazz Combos. Coached by Mayo Tiana, students are able to develop improvisatory skills through listening and studying the techniques of the great jazz masters.
OPERA and MUSICAL THEATER 
Sasha Gerritson, Director
The Northeastern Illinois University Opera and Musical Theater ensemble presents full productions of opera and musical theater with sets, costumes and orchestra. Students in the ensemble receive coaching in style, acting and movement as well as help with musical preparation.
Opera and Musical Theater productions alternate with each other in spring semster. During the fall semester, the ensemble produces a scene recital or small show.
Operas from a wide range of historical periods and nations have been produced, from Monteverdi's Orfeo to Britten's Albert Herring. In Spring 2011 the ensemble will present Lucy Simon's The Secret Garden. The 2011-12 season's Fall production will feature A Christmas Carol by Ronald Combs. In the Spring the NEIU Opera will present Kurt Weill's Street Scene.
STRING ORCHESTRA
Brian Groner, Conductor
The String Orchestra performs two times each semester. Orchestra members rehearse twice weekly in preparation for the concerts. String students at NEIU study with a distinguished faculty of Chicago artist-teachers who also perform with major Chicago orchestras and chamber ensembles.
PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
Owen Clayton Condon, Director
Percussion Ensemble rehearses three times per week and performs at least one full concert each semester, with miscellaneous smaller performances throughout each semester. Percussion ensemble is open to any percussionist at NEIU with the permission of the director. Each semester the percussion ensemble performs a wide variety of repertoire from trios, quartets, quintets, up to large ensembles (10+).
The instrumentation and style of the repertoire consists of original works or transcriptions for mallet percussion alone, drums alone, and/or any combination of any instruments in the percussion family. Participation in percussion ensemble is expected of percussion majors for as many semesters as possible in order for students to immerse themselves in the vast literature and techniques of the percussion ensemble.
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