Perform in one or many of the UWG Music Ensembles - Open to all students!
UWG ensembles are for any student wishing to continue performing at the collegiate
level - regardless of major! Some ensembles require an audition for part placement,
while our more competitive ensembles require one for admission. Don't be afraid to
audition - there's an ensemble for you!
Fall auditions typically take place prior to the beginning of the semester and during
the few days of classes. All auditions are completed prior to the close of the drop/add
period. Please contact the appropriate ensemble director for information regarding
membership in a performing group.
Here are some important features of the music ensembles at UWG:
- Participation is open to all students. Membership is not limited to music majors. In fact, many of our members represent majors from the entire University, ranging from business to criminology, computer science to social sciences, education to nursing, physical education to biology, and virtually every other major field.
- Ensembles take a small amount of time. Our schedule is frequently less time-consuming than most high school programs. The ensembles meet on a regular class schedule, and we understand the student's need to concentrate on academics. We are seeking students who enjoy music and wish to continue performing.
- Ensembles include students with advanced and average musical abilities. Students are sometimes overly concerned about their talent level. Most students who successfully complete their high school program will find a place available for them in one of the UWG ensembles.
- All University ensembles are college-credit courses. Each ensemble offers one hour of credit through the Department of Music. Students may elect to participate for the entire year or during one semester only.
Check out some of our ensembles:
Chamber Singers
Chamber Singers is a select ensemble of 16-20 voices. They perform choral chamber
music and popular music. Auditions for the group are held prior to the beginning of
the semester.
The Chamber Singers are directed by Dr. Kevin Hibbard
Concert Choir
Concert Choir is a traditional choir of 40-60 voices. The choir performs standard
choral repertoire of classics, spirituals, and major works with orchestra. Placement
auditions for new members are scheduled prior to the start of classes. Performances
have featured student concerto competition winners performing the Allegro from Mozart's
Horn Concerto No 1, K. 412 and "Verdi prati" from Handel's Alcina. The Concert Choir
has also performed works with singers from Atlanta's Collegium Vocale and the Carroll
Symphony Orchestra including Luigi Cherubini's Requiem in C minor and Franz Shubert's
Mass in G.
The Concert Choir is directed by Dr. Kevin Hibbard
Opera Workshop
The UWG Opera Workshop is an ensemble open to both music majors and non-music majors.
It offers a variety of activities throughout the year to help students develop and
refine their singing and acting skills:
* Spring Mainstage Opera Production
* Fall Scenes Production
* Student Directing
* Community Opera Outreach Performances
* Acting/Improvisation
* Backstage Theater Experience
* Marketing/Public Relations opportunities are also available for interested students!
Some of the more recent productions include Marriage of Figaro with the UWG Wind Ensemble (Mozart), Ruddigore (Gilbert & Sullivan), Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach), and Talk Opera (Granger). You can find the Opera Workshop on facebook.com/uwgoperaworkshop or follow UWGOpera on Twitter!
The Opera Workshop is directed by Dr. Dawn Neely
Jazz Ensemble
The Jazz Ensemble is a big band setup consisting of saxophone, trombone, trumpet,
and rythm players, as well as vocalists. For over thirty years, UWG Jazz has presented
the Sunbelt Jazz Festival with has seen guest artists such as Bobby Shew, Chris Vadala,
Jerry Coker, Steve Wiest, Rob McConnell, Gary Foster, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Giacomo
Gates, Ken Trimmins, and T.S. Monk. The ensemble performs many big band arrangements
of popular jazz and hot latin charts. All students with a background in music are
invited to audition.
The Jazz Ensemble is directed by Dr. Daniel Bakos
Marching Band "The Sound that Lights the South"
If you hear the music from the Wolves staduim, chances are it's from "The Sound that
Lights the South"! The marching band is open to all students with a background in
music and is offered for course credit.
The Marching Band is directed by Dr. Cale Self
Basketball Pep Band "The Wolfgang"
The basketball Pep Band—The Wolfgang—performs for the men’s and women’s home basketball games. The ensemble is open to all qualified students at UWG but seating is limited to 36 members (preference will be given to current members of the Marching Band). Instrumentation includes woodwinds, brass, percussion, and electric bass.
The Basketball Pep Band is directed by Dr. Cale Self
Wind Ensemble
The University of West Georgia Wind Ensemble is a select instrumental wind and percussion
ensemble open to all UWG students by audition. As the premier wind band at UWG, the
ensemble is comprised of the most advanced woodwind, brass, and percussion players
at the university. This ensemble performs a wide range of literature and regularly
features some of the finest guest soloists and composers in the southeast. The Wind
Ensemble meets and performs multiple concerts during the Fall and Spring semesters.
The Wind Ensemble is directed by Dr. Josh Byrd
Symphonic Band
The Symphonic Band serves as a non-auditioned concert band open to all students, faculty,
and staff at UWG. The Symphonic Band meets during the Spring and performs two concerts
over the course of the semester.
The Symphonic Band is directed by Dr. Cale Self
Saxophone Ensemble
The University of West Georgia Saxophone Ensemble is recognized as a national leader
in performance and repertoire for large saxophone group. It has performed by invitation
at national and regional meetings of the North American Saxophone Alliance, the AXPONA
International Conference of Audio Engineers, the UWG Saxophone Symposium, and performs
regular concerts on campus. In further recognition of its musical excellence, the
Ensemble has received an invitation from MidAmerica Productions to perform a concert
in Zankel Auditorium of Carnegie Hall in the Spring of 2013. The Ensemble has a wide
repertoire, from the Renaissance to today, and performs a balance of original works
for large saxophone group and arrangements/transcriptions. The Ensemble is populated
by music majors, non-majors, and UWG alumni who are now distinguished music educators
in the West Georgia region. Membership in the UWG Saxophone Ensemble is open to all
UWG saxophonists regardless of major by audition.
The Saxophone Ensemble is directed by Dr. John Bleuel
Percussion Ensemble
The University of West Georgia Percussion Ensemble performs advanced literature in
the standard repertoire for the modern percussion ensemble. The group is comprised
of 8 to 15 players, including music majors studying percussion as well as non-majors
who have a percussive background.
The Percussion Ensemble is directed by Katie Byrd
Brass Ensemble
The Brass Ensemble at UWG is a symphonic brass ensemble comprised of select student instrumentalists. The brass ensemble also serves as the umbrella program for all brass chamber music at UWG, including brass quintet, horn quartet, trombone choir & quartet, and tuba ensemble & quartet. Presenting one on-campus concert per semester, the brass ensemble also plays host to some of the best brass soloists in the region and in the world. Recent guests include Matthew Murchison (euphonium), Daniel Clouse (tuba), Anna Dodd (horn), Bruce Faske (trombone), Dennis AsKew (tuba), and Patrick Sheridan (tuba).
Please contact Dr. Self for more information on the brass ensemble membership, performances, or tour possibilities.
The Brass Ensemble is directed by Dr. Cale Self
Woodwind Ensemble
The UWG woodwind ensemble is comprised of flutes, clarinets, oboes, bass clarinets and bassoons who wish to work on chamber music during the school year. Instrumentation is flexible; non-majors who wish to join should contact Dr. Byrd (jbyrd@westga.edu) at the beginning of each semester for performance requirements.
The Woodwind Ensemble is conducted by Dr. Josh Byrd
Tuba Ensemble
The UWG Tuba Ensemble is comprised of music majors, non-majors, alumni, and select
local high school students. First formed under the direction of Eric Bradshaw in 2003,
the ensemble has also played under Martin Cochran and Betsy Jones during their tenures
at UWG. After being dormant for several years, the ensemble was reconstituted in 2013
under the umbrella of the UWG Brass Ensemble program. Now a separate ensemble that
meets weekly during the fall and spring semesters, the Tuba Ensemble is 15 members
strong and has performed at area schools and at the 2015 Southeast Regional Tuba Euphonium
Conference in Knoxville, TN. The Tuba Ensemble has also performed at the 2016 International
Tuba Euphonium Conference.
The Brass Ensemble is directed by Dr. Cale Self