Every music student registered for Undergraduate Applied Music instruction (except Music 1925, 2925, 3925 or 4925) must participate in a Large Ensemble in each year of registration. Students registered in Graduate Applied Music instruction need only register in for one of their two years (9528). Graduate students studying an orchestral instrument must also do an additional half course in Chamber Orchestra unless they are participating in the Early Music Studio.
Students must be able to attend every weekly rehearsal in order to be placed in a choir/ensemble. Choristers and instrumental brass, woodwind and percussion players are advised to keep Mon-Thurs 3:30-5:30pm available in their schedules until their ensemble is assigned.
If wind, brass, percussion, or string majors do not audition at an appropriate level, or skip the audition process, the ensemble directors may choose to refuse them instrumental ensemble placement. The instrumental ensemble directors will notify the appropriate students of non-placement by the Sunday following auditions. In such cases, it will be the responsibility of the student to arrange a choral audition either at the regularly scheduled times, or with Jennifer Moir (jmoir@uwo.ca; MB 323) at least a half hour prior to the first choral rehearsals, Monday, September 10 at 3 pm. Placement in any ensemble is not guaranteed.
Please note, the audition is one step among several in determining Large Ensemble assignments. Other factors, such as course requirement levels and ensemble assignments in previous years, will also be taken into account. The final decision on assignments rests with the Dean’s Office on the advice of the auditioners.
*Admission to these ensembles is by audition and studio teacher permission. Also note that Opera Workshop does not fulfil the Large Ensemble Requirement for Undergraduate Programs; a separate course credit is offered.
Keyboard majors, guitarists: A few pianists will be able to elect Accompanying for Large Ensemble credit (see below), but most keyboard players and guitarists will audition on a secondary instrument or sing in a choir. They should therefore follow the audition instructions for voice or orchestral instruments.
Woodwind, Brass and percussion majors are eligible to audition for the Symphony Orchestra, any Band or the Jazz Ensemble.
All string players, other than guitar, must play in the Symphony Orchestra unless by permission of the department.
Students may be off instrument for their Large Ensemble credit for a maximum of two out of four years.
Large Ensemble rehearsals are not like other classes or labs, but rather like a professional service; attendance is mandatory. Instrumental rehearsals are normally held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. two days per week. Choirs rehearse for one hour, four days per week. Extra dress rehearsals are scheduled before each concert and performances are generally held outside of the normal rehearsal times.
|
Ensemble |
Conductor/Coordinator |
Rehearsal Day |
Rehearsal Time |
Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orchestra | A. Trudel | Tues, Thurs | 3:30-5:30 | MB 104 |
| Wind Ensemble | C. Richardson | Mon, Wed | 3:30-5:30 | MB 104 |
| Symphonic Band | G. McCumber | Tues, Thurs | 3:30-5:30 | TC 101 |
| Flute Choir | Kathleen Rudolph | Tues, Thurs | 3:30-5:30 | TC 131a |
|
Trumpet Choir |
Aaron Hodgson | Tues, Thurs | 3:30-5:30 | MB 345 |
| Saxophone Choir | Bobbi Thompson | Tues, Thurs | 3:30-5:30 | MB 344 |
| Jazz Ensemble | K. Watson | Tues, Thurs | 7:00-9:00 7:00-9:00 |
MB 345 MB 104 |
| EMS | R. Semmens, J. Lanza, S. Latta | Mon, Wed | 3:30-5:30 | MB 236 |
| Accompanying for Credit | J. Hess | N/A |
|
|
| UWO Singers | V. Meredith | Mon-Thurs | 3:30-4:30 | MB 102 |
| Les Choristes | J. Moir | Mon-Thurs | 3:30-4:30 | TC 100 |
| St. Cecilia Singers | G. Gassi | Mon-Thurs | 4:30-5:30 | MB 102 |
| Chorale | J. Moir | Mon-Thurs | 4:30-5:30 | TC 100 |
| Opera & Music Theatre | T. Baerg, M. Cavanagh | Tues, Fri | 5:30-9:00 4:00-9:00 |
MB 104 & TC 131a |
| Chamber Music | T. Wiebe, F. Wilkinson | N/A |
Early Music Studio - Monday, Sept. 10: 3:30-5:30 (MB 236)
Symphony Orchestra - Tuesday, Sept. 11: 3:30-6:00 (MB 104)
Wind Ensemble - Wednesday, Sept 12: 3:30-5:30 (MB 104)
Symphonic Band - TBA-general meeting, TBA- first rehearsal
Jazz Ensemble - Thursday, Sept. 13: 7:00-9:00 (MB 104)
UWOpera - Tuesday, Sept. 18: 7:30-9:00 (MB 104)
Men: black tuxedo, white shirt, black bow tie, black dress shoes, black socks.
Women: full-length black skirt, long-sleeved black blouse, flat or low-heeled black dress shoes.
Note: All choir members are required to provide their own black folder.
Men: Black tuxedo, white shirt, and black bow tie, black dress shoes and black socks.
Women: Full-length black skirt or black pants, long-sleeved black blouse, and black dress shoes.
Admission to all Ensembles is by audition. Auditions are held during the first week following Labour Day, and, if necessary, during the first week of classes. Accompanists are only required for the UWOpera Workshop auditions. The Ensembles bulletin board on the second floor of the Music Building carries news about Ensembles, including auditions, sign-up sheets, etc.
Accompanying for Credit
Accompanying for Credit is permitted as an alternative to participation in a choir for piano students in second, third or fourth year, and in first year with permission of the instructor and the Performance Department Chair. To obtain this credit, accompanists must accompany for all lessons, rehearsals, juries, and/or recitals, one Performance major or two non-performance majors. Students wishing to be considered for Accompanying for Credit must see the Accompanying Coordinator no later than the first week of classes. All piano performance majors are required to accompany for credit for at least one year.
Students auditioning for Accompanying for Credit should be aware that this is not generally available for first year students. Also, students registering for accompanying for credit should audition for a choir or other ensemble in the event that they are not required for accompanying for credit.
Choirs
2012-2013 Choral auditions will be held in Music Building 18 on:
Voice auditions are 5 minutes in length. There will be a range test, scales, arpeggios and sightsinging. Please sign up for an audition early in the week because there are too many singers to be heard near the end of the week. Sign-up sheets for choirs will be on the Choirs' Bulletin Board on the second floor of Music Building.
Early Music Studio
Please note that the Early Music Studio (EMS) is available either as a large ensemble credit or as a course credit (course 2971a/2972b, 3971a/3972b, 4971a/4972b).
2012-2013 Auditions for Early Music Studio will be held in Music Building 236 on:
Sign-up sheets for EMS will be on the EMS bulletin board on the second floor of Music Building.
Instrumentalists in the Early Music Studio focus on music of the 17th and 18th centuries, performing on copies of period instruments with attention to historical performance practices, usually at A-415 or A-430 Hz.
While candidates with experience on period instruments are preferred, students may audition on either a period instrument or on its modern equivalent. You must, however, be prepared to play music from the baroque or classical periods (composed 1600-1800) at the audition. Keyboard players will be expected to play harpsichord, fortepiano and continuo organ in the ensemble; playing from figured bass will be encouraged and expected by the second term of participation..
Strings
2012-2013 String auditions are held for the Western Symphony Orchestra and the Western Chamber Orchestra. All string majors will audition for placement in The Western Symphony Orchestra for their Large Ensemble credit. Sign up sheets for Strings will be on the Ensembles bulletin board.
Auditions will take place in von Kuster Hall on:
Winds, Brass and Percussion
All wind, brass and percussion students will audition for the Western Symphony Orchestra, the Western Wind Ensemble, the Western Symphonic Band, the Western Chamber Orchestra and the Western Jazz Ensemble (Winds and Brass only for Jazz Ensemble) on the following 2012-2013 dates. Students wishing to audition for the Jazz Ensemble must audition during the regular audition times listed for all Winds and Brass, plus play an additional Jazz piece for the Director of the Jazz Ensemble. The additional audition for Jazz Ensemble will take place on Thurs., Sept. 6 in room MB345 beginning at 6:45 on Sept. 7 and the sign-up sheet will be posted on the door of that room.
Sign up sheets for Winds, Brass and Percussion will be posted on the Ensembles Bulletin Board on the second floor of the Music Building. All excerpts can be found in the Music Library(on reserve), from studio teachers and online at https://www.uwo.ca/music/restricted.
All wind and brass students auditioning for Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble shall prepare all excerpts listed below. Percussionists should prepare all percussion excerpts listed below.
Large Ensemble Audition Excerpts for Instrumentalists
All string audition repertoire can be downloaded from the secure page on our website
https://www.uwo.ca/music/restricted/ (use the below username and password for access)
username: excerpts
password: 2012
Western Opera
A sign-up sheet will be posted outside Prof. Baerg's studio (Music Building 127) after Sept. 1, 2012. The auditions for UWOPERA (Opera Workshop) will be held on:
Have one aria or song prepared. Please bring your own accompanist to the audition and arrive at least 15 minutes early.
