The Brass Choir rehearses twice a week and performs 2-4 times per year, both in Ford Hall and for campus events such as the annual Veteran’s Day Celebration. Their focus is music for brass (sometimes with percussion), including some repertoire from the British Brass Band tradition.
The ensemble was founded in 1971 by Herbert C. Mueller. A renowned trumpet performer and brass pedagogy specialist, Mueller was Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College from 1971-1985. Throughout the three decades of its existence, the Ithaca College Brass Choir has developed a focus on brass performance excellence and education. In learning and performing a wide variety of brass ensemble literature, brass performance and education majors have the opportunity to develop their playing and teaching skills. Recent performances have included Dukas' Fanfare pour précéder “La Peri" Dahl's Music for Brass Instruments, Hazell's Three Brass Cats, Tomasi's Fanfares Liturgiques, Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, and the New York premiere of Dana Wilson's Last Ride to Solutré. With frequent off-campus performances and clinics, the Ithaca College Brass Choir endeavors to share their music with public school students, area churches, and the community at-large. Recent appearances included clinics at the New York State (NYSSMA) Conference and the MENC Eastern Conference and performances at the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble Brass Festival.
Listen to the Brass Choir.
Led by a graduate student in flute, this group performs duet, trios, quartets, and larger ensemble works for flute. They give a concert each semester.
Guitar Ensemble, under Pablo Cohen's direction, meets weekly to perfect a variety of repertoire written for guitar duos, trios, and quartets. Chamber ensemble and contemporary chamber ensemble also give guitar students the valuable opportunity to work with a variety of different instrumentalists. These ensembles give numerous concerts each semester and there is often a crossover between ensembles (a flute and guitar duo can often be found programmed on a Guitar Ensemble concert). Many guitar students choose to accompany other instrumentalists in their recitals, giving themselves the benefit of additional performances and coaching from diverse faculty members.
Ithaca College has two percussion ensembles, one comprised of underclassmen and one comprised of upperclassmen. These ensembles are directed by Conrad Alexander and Mike Truesdell respectively. The professors pride themselves on exposing performers in the two ensembles to high quality percussion literature, both classic and new. Both ensembles often perform with guest artists who have distinguished careers in percussion.
The purpose of the Steel Band is to allow those students already in Percussion Ensemble the opportunity to experience and learn about Latin American and Caribbean music in an organized ensemble setting. The steel bands rehearse during percussion ensemble rehearsals and are directed by Mike Truesdell and Conrad Alexander. In addition to performing in these steel bands, some students choose to become members of the IC Steel Band Club, a Student Government Association sponsored student organization. Members of this club often belong to the touring steel band that performs gigs in and around the Ithaca area
Pianists can participate in piano ensembles in a variety of ways, each with a performance each semester:
The Ithaca College Trombone Troupe has been a Student Government Association Club since 1982. The alliterative name of the ensemble was coined by then Assistant Professor of Trombone, Dr. Paul Hunt. Although Tom Everett (’65) has noted that a trombone choir was formed during his student days at IC in the 60’s called the Finger Lakes Trombone Choir, it apparently had no official connection with the College, some members being non-students from the area. Nonetheless, it appears there is historical evidence of a trombone ensemble in existence at Ithaca College for over forty years.
The Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is proud to present our concerts outside the concert hall through our webcasting program. Each year the Center for Music streams more than 60 concerts to viewers all over the world!
To view the archive of concerts, please click here.