Ensembles

The Colby College Chorale is a large, all-inclusive mixed chorus dedicated to the performance of a wide variety of international choral music – sacred, secular, popular and major masterworks from all over the world, including one performance a year in conjunction with the Colby College Symphony Orchestra. Membership in the Chorale is open to all students at Colby, regardless of class year or major; the most important prerequisite is that you enjoy making music with your peers, and that you are willing to participate in a highly engaging and entertaining environment, resulting in high-quality performances with a dedicated choral community.

REHEARSAL TIMES
Monday 4:00-6:00 PM (sectionals)
Tuesday 7:00-9:30 PM

Rehearsals are held in the Gordon Center Studio 1.

Audition Information:

Choral Auditions take place in director Sydney Mukasa’s office (G40) in the Gordon Center for Creative & Performing Arts by appointment.

Please prepare a 1-2 minute vocal excerpt of your choosing, accompanied or unaccompanied. If accompanied, please link music to the audition sheet. The short meeting will also include a brief vocalization and range test, as well as a few musicianship exercises. 

For more information, please email Sydney Mukasa: [email protected]

Link to Performance

Picture courtesy of  Hannah McGowan

The Colby Jazz Band is open to all student saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, guitar, and drum players on an audition basis. The group plays traditional big band music from the Swing era to contemporary funk and Latin jazz. Rehearsals are on Thursday nights from 7:00pm – 9:30pm.

The Colby Jazz Combos are open to all instrumentalists and vocalists interested in performing jazz and contemporary music in a small group. Jazz combo coachings are scheduled to fit the availability of the members of the group, and jazz combos have opportunities to play for events on and off campus. 

All students who have not performed in the Jazz Band or a Jazz Combo before, including incoming freshmen, must audition to join the Jazz Band or a Jazz Combo. Audition materials for the coming academic year are posted on August 15th.

Auditions for the Jazz Band and Jazz Combos are to help the director better understand the experience level of the students, but not to join the ensembles. All interested students will have an opportunity to perform with a jazz group. 

Audition Info:

Auditions for Jazz Band will be held during the first week of classes. Check the sign up sheet for the most updated audition times. If the posted schedule doesn’t fit your availability, email [email protected]

Click here to sign up for a time, review audition requirements, and find music for auditions. Audition materials will be posted by August 15th, 2026.

For more information, please email Brendon Wilkins: [email protected]

Link to Performance

Picture courtesy of  Yuito Watanabe ’28

1.  Master Classes and Workshops provide students with informal settings where they can play pieces they have been working on and receive comments from their instructors and peers. Master classes and workshops are scheduled at the discretion of the individual applied music instructors. In some semesters, the department may also offer master classes given by visiting artists.

2.  Studio Recitals are presented by applied music instructors to give all members of their studio the opportunity to perform at the end of the semester. Participation in the studio recital is discussed individually between each student and their instructor, and there are typically no formal auditions.

3.  Departmental Recitals provide students with the opportunity to present polished performances of works in a recital publicized campus-wide. One or two department recitals are held at the end of each semester. Students wishing to perform on a department recital are required to audition for the music faculty prior to the recital date. (Pieces that will be performed from memory in the recital must be auditioned from memory.)

4.  Half and Full Recitals by individual students, typically in their senior year, represent the culmination of a significant period of study and are focal events within the department’s yearly performance offerings. Students wishing to give either a half or a full recital must have the approval of their applied music instructor and must complete a written application for a recital date, time, and location a minimum of 6 weeks prior to the performance.

5.  Performances with Departmental Ensembles (Chorale, Collegium, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, etc.) allow students to perform the solo parts of either complete works or individual movements with large ensemble accompaniment. These performances are scheduled at the discretion of the individual ensemble directors.

6.  Annual Concerto Competition  is held in the first half of the spring semester to select a concerto soloist to perform in the final spring orchestra concerts. The concerto selection must be approved by both the instructor and the orchestra director prior to the auditions. Students may perform up to two times as concerto soloist with the orchestra.