All UO students are invited to audition for any of our ensembles during Week of Welcome
Click here for information regarding the audition process.
CHORAL ENSEMBLE AUDITIONS
CHAMBER CHOIR, UNIVERSITY SINGERS, REPERTOIRE SINGERS
All UO students are welcome in any of our choirs. We have choirs appropriate for all experience levels, from people who have sung in a choir for many years, to people who would like to join a choir for the first time.
Please note that Chamber Choir (M/W 2:00-2:50 & T/TH 12:00-1:20) and University Singers (MWF 11:00-11:50) audition in the fall only, and members commit for the entire year. Repertoire Singers (T/TH 3:00-3:50) will accept new members each term.
QUESTIONS
For questions about Chamber Choir or Repertoire Singers please contact Dr. Sharon J. Paul at sjpaul@uoregon.edu, and if you have questions about University Singers please contact Dr. Melissa Brunkan at mbrunkan@uoregon.edu. If you have general questions about the choirs, please feel free to contact either of us!
GOSPEL ENSEMBLES
GOSPEL CHOIR
The UO Gospel Choir is a large, all-comers choir, open to any student who wishes to learn and sing gospel music. No audition is required but a vocal placement exam is mandatory before joining.
GOSPEL ENSEMBLE
The UO Gospel Ensemble is an advanced choir of singers with a moderate background in the tradition of Black gospel music. Audition required.
GOSPEL SINGERS
The UO Gospel Singers is an elite group of singers from Choir and Ensemble with a strong background in the tradition of Black gospel music. The Gospel Singers are back-to-back, two-time national champions (2010 and 2011) at the Disney Gospel Choir Fest. Audition required.
QUESTIONS
For questions about the Gospel Ensembles please contact Andiel Brown, Director of all gospel ensembles
UNIVERSITY OPERA ENSEMBLE AUDITIONS
The University Opera Ensemble is open to all members of the university community by audition only. ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST HAVE THEIR STUDIO TEACHER'S PERMISSION TO PARTICIPATE!
PLANNED REPERTOIRE FOR THE 2022-23 ACADEMIC YEAR Coming Soon
Auditions for the Fall 2022 UO Opera Ensemble will take place in person in Beall Hall during Week of Welcome.
QUESTIONS
Please contact Dr. Esquivel at esquivel@uoregon.edu.
LARGE INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, CAMPUS ORCHESTRA, OREGON WIND ENSEMBLE, OREGON WIND SYMPHONY, CAMPUS BAND
Open to students from all majors. Personnel for the various orchestras, bands, and wind ensembles will be formed from auditions during Week of Welcome. Participation in Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band require in-person auditions. Participation in Campus Band and Campus Orchestra does not require an audition.
QUESTIONS
Dr. David Jacobs at djacobs@uoregon.edu for Symphony Orchestra and Campus Orchestra; Dr. Dennis Llinas at dllinas@uoregon.edu for Oregon Wind Ensemble; Dr. Jason Silveira at jsilveir@uoregon.edu for Oregon Wind Symphony; Dr. Eric Wiltshire esw@uoregon.edu for Campus Band.
JAZZ ENSEMBLES
BIG BANDS, COMBOS, LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE, JAZZ GUITAR ENSEMBLE
Fall Term - Auditions for the UO jazz ensembles are held during the week PRIOR to the first full week of classes each Fall term. A single audition is used to place students in Big Bands, Combos, Latin and Guitar ensembles. Students auditioning for these ensembles in the fall need not re-audition in Winter or Spring terms.
Winter and Spring Terms – Prior to the beginning of both Winter and Spring terms, Open Chair Auditions are announced to fill ensemble vacancies. Open Chair Auditions are held the term before the vacancies occur during Dead Week.
JAZZARTS OREGON COMBO
The JazzArts Oregon Combo is a small group of student musicians representing the University of Oregon’s Jazz Studies Program in concerts throughout the region. Ensemble members are chosen annually in a talent-based audition prior to the beginning of each school year. The auditions will be judged by a panel led by the Director of the Jazz Studies Program.
The Herbert T. Merker Scholarship Endowment
A scholarship fund has generously been established by Herb Merker to support the JazzArts Oregon Combo. Herbert T. Merker Jazz Combo Scholarship recipients will comprise the group for the duration of their award year with each receiving a scholarship of approximately $1000 for the academic year.
AUDITIONS
Selection of ensemble members for the JazzArts Oregon Combo are based upon an additional live audition. This audition is held in a small group format.
QUESTIONS
Please contact Paul Krueger at kruegerp@uoregon.edu.
HIP HOP & POPULAR MUSIC ENSEMBLE
FAQs
Q: I don’t freestyle/improvise/harmonize/I’ve never played in a band before, should I still audition?
A: Yes! These auditions are just to see where you are at right now.
Q: I don’t like hip hop but I like metal/indie/R&B/ska can I audition?
A: Yes! Because of the bureaucracy involved in getting classes listed, every popular music ensemble is listed as Hip Hop Ensemble at this moment. However, this doesn’t mean that they exclusively play hip hop. One group does focus on mainly hip hop, and the others are created based on the styles and personalities of other musicians that audition. The more people that audition and want to play a certain style, the more likely we are to be able to put that kind of band together.
QUESTIONS
Please contact program director Toby Koenigsberg at tobyk@uoregon.edu.