Ensembles

2023 Audition Info:

o   DAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and DAL WIND ENSEMBLE

Please complete this form to sign up for your audition to the Dalhousie Wind Ensemble and/or Dalhousie Orchestra. Auditions take place Wednesday September 6th on the Strug Hall stage in the new wing of the Dalhousie Arts Centre.

Questions:  jacob.caines@dal.caThe Dalhousie University Wind Ensemble draws its membership primarily from students in the Fountain School of Performing Arts.  It is open to the entire student body regardless of their major field of study, to students of other universities and colleges, and to musicians from the community, by audition.  

The FSPAWE performs music from the extensive array of standard and contemporary works for wind ensemble while focusing on creating innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to contemporary and classic wind music. Concerts strive to be unlike any traditional wind ensemble concert and include performance elements from not only the discipline of music, but also dance, theatre, and visual art. 

The Wind Ensemble rehearses Wednesdays 4:30 to 6:30 pm in Room 121 of the Dalhousie Arts Centre, plus Friday sectionals from 4:30-5:30. The Wind Ensemble is directed by Jacob Caines. Auditions are held in September. For more details contact  jacob.caines@dal.ca

Dalhousie University Chorus The Dalhousie University Chorus is a choir of 40-50 voices and comprises music students from all idioms as well as experienced choral singers from Dalhousie and the Halifax community at large. Excellence, innovation, and collaboration are the hallmarks of the Chorus. Repertoire is selected from compositions across many eras and styles, with special attention paid to the work of Canadian composers. The choir normally gives two public performances per year.  Students can register for DalChorus as part of an ensembles credit or can be involved purely for their own enjoyment. Rehearsals are Mondays (Arts Centre Rm 121) and Wednesdays (Arts Centre Rm 406) from 4:30-6:00 pm. 2023 auditions will be held Tuesday, September 5th and Friday, September 8th.  Questions, please contact Dr. Nicole Jordan for more information.

Dalhousie Collegium Cantorum This auditioned choir, directed by Gary Ewer, provides an enjoyable and challenging choral and musical experience for the greater Dalhousie and Halifax singing community. A collaborative venture with the Fountain School of Performing Arts, the choir rehearses and performs major choral works.  Rehearsals are held on Mondays from 7:00-9:00 in Room 121 of the Dalhousie Arts Centre.  For more information please contact Laurie Ewer.

The Dalhousie Guitar Ensemble provides opportunities for guitar majors to refine their ensemble skills. As well as performing in the guitar orchestra, students work in smaller guitar ensembles (occasionally mixing electric and acoustic guitars) and work with other instruments. An extensive repertoire is covered from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

The ensemble meets weekly throughout the academic year and performs on campus and in the community.

The Guitar Ensemble is under the direction of Scott Macmillan.

Dalhousie University Jazz Ensemble Directed by Chris Mitchell, the Dalhousie University Jazz Ensemble is made up of between 12 and 18 musicians. Repertoire is extensive and students receive opportunities to refine their ensemble and improvisational skills in a variety of jazz styles. The band meets weekly on Thursdays from 4:30-7:30 pm in Room 121 of the Dalhousie Arts Centre. For more information please contact Chris Mitchell.

Saxophone Quartets The Dalhousie Music Department also features several saxophone quartets: Junior, Intermediate and Senior. With repertoire ranging from rags, to jazz standards to classical transcriptions, these quartets explore a variety of musical disciplines, and offer students ensemble experience not otherwise available to the saxophone player. The senior quartet has performed at official University functions, in concerts, and on tour. The saxophone quartets are under the direction of Chris Mitchell.

See the events calendar for scheduled performances.

The Dal Opera maintains a long tradition of excellence in opera education while providing a unique opportunity for voice majors to study and perform masterpieces from the operatic literature in fully mounted productions.

Operas are produced annually featuring the talents of faculty, alumni, students and community artists.

Productions have included L'Etoile, The Magic Flute, Kabarett, Sweeney Todd, Dido and Aeneas, Comedy on the Bridge, The Face on the Barroom Floor, Gianni Schicchi, Orpheus in the Underworld, Act II of Die Fledermaus, The Telephone, A Hand of Bridge, The Old Maid and the Thief, A Dinner Engagement, La Serva Padrona, The King and The Wise Woman, Ten Belles Without a Ring, The Impresario, The Medium, La Voix Humaine, Riders to the Sea, Street Scene, Albert Herring, Eugene Onegin, Suor Angelica, The Tender Land, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Trouble in Tahiti, Rigoletto, Il Tabarro, L'Heure Espagnole, and Dialogues des Carmelites.

The Opera ensemble director is Dr. Betty Allison.  The director of this years opera "The Cunning Little Vixen" is Roberta Barker.   

Check the Our Season page in the fall for information about this season's production.   

The Dalhousie Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is the only university orchestra in the Atlantic provinces. Primarily a training orchestra, this student ensemble performs approximately three concerts per year with varied repertoire from the Baroque to Contemporary periods. It performs as a full symphonic ensemble and also takes the role of accompaniment for student concerto performances and choral concerts.  

The Orchestra rehearses weekly (Tuesdays, 7:00-10:00 p.m.) in Room 121 of the Dal Arts Centre.

Concerts take place on the Dalhousie campus and other venues around Halifax. The orchestra is conducted by Leonardo Perez. For more information please contact Dr. Leonardo Perez.

Auditions for the Dal Symphony Orchestra will be held in the Fountain School of Performing Arts building in the Joseph Strug Concert Hall (1385 Seymour St.) on September 5^th (Strings) and September 6^th (Winds, Brass, Percussion).

You will be required to prepare selected orchestral excerpts as well as your most recent solo piece for the audition. You can find all music for the required excerpts at this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15rd4wS19NQSKIE6uYZeavyDQXs3mu9hb?usp=sharing

DSO Strings Audition Repertoire

September 5, 2023, 6pm-9pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall

All strings will play a 10 minute audition consisting of a solo work(approx. 5 minutes in length) and selected orchestral excerpts. Please be sure to read the requirements carefully for your instrument so that the correct music is prepared. You are expected to know the tempos for the orchestral excerpts by listening to recordings of the works they are from. Should you have any questions about these requirements, please email me at Leonardo.perez@dal.ca.

Happy Practicing!

-Leo Perez

Violin

One solo work, preferably a movement of a solo concerto(such as Mozart, Bruch, Wieniawski, etc.), or a movement from the Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.

Two Orchestral Excerpts (play only the bracketed sections):

●      Dvorak Symphony no. 8 (2-bracketed excerpts from 1st  and 4th movements)

If you are interested in auditioning for Concertmaster, please also prepare the following:

●      Dvorak Symphony no. 8-2nd mvt Solo

Viola

One solo work, such as a solo concerto movement or a movement from the Bach Suites for solo viola.

Two Orchestral Excerpts(play only bracketed sections):

●      Dvorak Symphony no. 8-2 excerpts from 1st and 4th mvt

Cello

One solo work, such as a solo concerto movement or a movement from the Bach Suites for solo cello.

Two Orchestral Excerpts:

●      Dvorak Symphony no. 8- 2 excerpts from 1st and 4th mvts

Bass

One solo work, such as a solo concerto movement or a movement from the Bach Suites for solo cello.

Excerpts:

●      Dvorak Symphony no. 8- 2 excerpts from 1st and 4th mvts

DSO Winds and Brass Repertoire

September 6, 2023, 6pm-9pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall
Questions: contact Jacob Caines

Please prepare the selected excerpts for your instrument, which are all from Dvorak's Symphony no. 8 and are located in the above link. In addition, please present 5 minutes from a solo work of your choice:

Flute- Excerpts from mvts 1 and 4

Oboe- Excerpts from mvts 1 and 4

Clarinet- Excerpts from mvts 2 and 4

Bassoon- Excerpts from mvts 1 and 4

Horn- Excerpts from mvts 1 and 4

Trumpet- Excerpts from mvts 2 and 4

Trombone- Excerpts from mvts 1 and 4

Tuba- Excerpt from mvt 4

For Percussion requirements, please contact our percussion instructor Mark Morton
mark.morton@dal.ca

To sign up for an audition time, please use the following links:

Strings: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_07cWwLS5P7D5vP3o8U0vC6DdC6NDBHz5kZy9Rws4lg/edit#gid=0

Winds, Brass, Percussion: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebhzaUkFkzWLJLnYpiWzLLePJ-iPYY00H9D9jiA3rAoT7gMw/viewform

Repertoire for the fall concert is the following:

Egmont Overture- Ludwig van Beethoven

Andante Moderato for String Orchestra- Florence Price

My Name is Amanda Todd- Jocelyn Morlock

Symphony no. 8 in D Major- Antonin Dvorak

Our percussion ensemble is conducted by Mark Morton.
mark.morton@dal.ca

With repertoire ranging from classical transcriptions  to contemporary music, from traditional pieces to repertoire with a more modern flavor, this ensemble explores a variety of musical disciplines. It offers students ensemble experience not otherwise available to the percussionist.

The Dalhousie Percussion Ensemble has performed at official university functions, in concerts, and on tour.