Wellesley College Music Department
Ensembles
Our performing music ensembles are vital extensions of the Wellesley Music Department's academic program. They are faculty-led, and student-driven. We hope you'll find your place in one of our nine ensembles, where you can truly feel at home, make a meaningful contribution, and forge lasting friendships with fellow musicians.
The Ensemble performance program at Wellesley College offers students a rich opportunity to collaborate creatively across disciplines and showcase their talents through diverse artistic expressions. Participation in many of the Ensembles will require an audition, which is held during Orientation Week and/or the first week of classes. Sign-up forms will be posted in the Music Department at the beginning of Orientation Week. Students should make a point to sign up at that time.
Students may elect to take an Ensemble for 0.5 credit per year if they wish. Students who participate in the ensemble during the Fall semester can register for it in the Spring with the director's approval. MUS 260 is for the first two years of participation, and MUS 270 is for the second two years of participation (prerequisite: MUS 260). Ensembles can also be taken for no credit. Students seeking credit must participate in the Ensemble all year.
Guidelines for MUS 260, Performing Ensembles for Credit:- One-half (.5) unit of credit is given for a full year (two consecutive semesters) of participation in Ensemble. No credit will be given unless both semesters are completed satisfactorily.
- A maximum of 1 unit of credit toward the degree can be accumulated through MUS 260. 1 additional unit of credit can be accumulated through MUS 270 (prerequisite: MUS 260). Of the 32 units required for graduation, no more than 4 units in performing music may be counted toward the degree; thus students taking music lessons for credit during all four years at Wellesley cannot also receive degree credit via MUS 260/270.
The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, directed by Neal Hampton, comprises students, faculty, staff, and associates of Wellesley College and Brandeis University. By sharing talents and resources, the orchestra provides unique creative opportunities for the communities at both institutions and specifically for students within the context of a liberal arts education.
Founded in 1958, The Chamber Music Society of Wellesley College provides an opportunity for interested instrumentalists and vocalists to prepare and perform works for small ensembles. Each chamber group receives weekly coaching from a member of the Music Department Performance Faculty and performs in one of several concerts held at the end of each semester. Co-directed by faculty members Jenny Tang and David Russell.
The Collegium Musicum is an ensemble of singers and instrumentalists open to Wellesley College students, faculty, staff, and the local community. The Collegium specializes in the performance of Western music from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. The Collegium is often joined by faculty and outside guest artists who enrich the ensemble for special projects. Directed by faculty member Laura Jeppesen.
Since 1931 the members of the student organization Wellesley College Guild of Carillonneurs have played the beautiful 32-bell carillon in Galen Stone Tower above Green Hall. They sit at a large keyboard near the top of the tower and play the music of the bells that have become an integral part of life here at Wellesley. Directed by faculty member Margaret Angelini.
The Organ Club is a group of organists, calcants (those who pump the historical wind system of the C.B. Fisk organ in Houghton Chapel), and organ enthusiasts. The club brings together students, faculty, and staff with similar interests in this unique and beautiful instrument. The faculty advisor is the College Organist, Erica Johnson.
The Wellesley BlueJazz Ensemble Program includes Wellesley BlueJazz Big Band, directed by Cercie Miller, and BlueJazz Combos, directed by Mark Hamilton. Students are immersed in a rich jazz repertoire, from classic to contemporary. Faculty-directed rehearsals encourage the development of fluency in jazz improvisation. The ensembles perform throughout the year on campus and with other colleges in the Boston area.
The Wellesley College Choir, directed by Lisa Graham, is devoted to the performance of choral music from the Renaissance through the present day. Consisting of approximately 70 singers, the Wellesley College Choir has a hundred-year history of dedication to the performance of great choral literature.
The Wellesley College Chamber Singers, directed by Lisa Graham, is an auditioned ensemble of approximately twelve to sixteen singers. They actively perform on campus and also appear by invitation in Boston-area concert series and festivals. In 2008, they performed at the National Collegiate Choral Organization conference in Cincinnati as part of a lecture recital. They are also featured in the 2003 motion picture, Mona Lisa Smile.
The Yanvalou Drum and Dance Ensemble, directed by faculty member Kera Washington, performs the folkloric music and dance of Africa as it exists today throughout the African Diaspora, particularly in Haiti, Ghana, and Brazil. Students perform on authentic instruments, experience a variety of cultures through their music, work with master choreographers Peniel Guerrier and Harrison Tei, and present several concerts during the academic year.
