Ensembles

2024 Audition Info:

Auditions take place Wednesday September 4th 2024  4:30-10:00pm on the Strug Concert Hall stage, 1385 Seymour Street.  

The Dalhousie Wind Ensemble draws its membership primarily from students in the Fountain School of Performing Arts.  It is also open to Dalhousie’s 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.  

DalWind 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. Our 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. 

Questions? Contact ensemble director jacob.caines@dal.ca

Dalhousie University Chorus is a choir for all Dal students comprising approximately of 40 auditioned voices. Members include students from Fountain School, experienced choristers from many other faculties, and even members from the Halifax community at large. Excellence, innovation, and collaboration are the hallmarks of DalChorus. The chorus normally gives two public performances per year, and repertoire is selected from compositions across many eras and styles, with special attention paid to the work of Canadian composers.  Students are encouraged to register for DalChorus as part of an ensembles credit or they can be involved purely for enjoyment. If you wish to join the chorus for credit you will be able to register following your successful audition.   Rehearsals: Dalhousie Arts Centre on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30-6:00 pm. Room TBC. Regular attendance at rehearsals is a requirement for success in the chorus.  Auditions: Come prepared to sing a short acapella piece of your choosing. You’ll also be provided with a short piece to sight read. The director may take you through a series of vocal exercises to further assess your range and voice part. Singers are selected based on choral experience, intonation, and voice part need. Applied voice majors and minors audition separately and must present an accompanied song of their choice.  Auditions for applied voice students will be on September 3, 2024 from 2:00 – 5:30 in the Joseph Strug Hall. Auditions for non-voice students and community members are on September 6, 2024 from 3:00 – 7:00 in Room 121. Check back here in August for a link to sign-up for your 2024/2025 audition. Questions? Contact ensemble director 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.  New members are always welcome to join the choir.    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.

DalGuitar provides opportunities for guitar majors to refine their ensemble skills. In addition to 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, DalJazz 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. Questions? Contact Chris Mitchell.

Saxophone Quartets Directed by Chris Mitchell, our music department also features junior, intermediate and advanced saxophone quartets. 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 saxophone players. Our senior quartet has performed at official University functions, in concerts, and on tour.

DalOpera offers a rare undergraduate experience in opera education. This intimate program allows Voice students to build their vocal technique while exploring a variety of performance opportunities. Through learning, rehearsing, and performing opera scenes and full-length operas, voice students fully immerse themselves in the highly disciplined and creative process of being a singing-actor. You’ll have the opportunity to develop and apply your individual skills in a larger cohesive group. Collectively, you’ll create a dynamic, semi-professional environment that builds broad transferable skills such as collaboration, agency, and accountability.

Most importantly, the Fountain School’s DalOpera offers a unique opportunity for voice students to collaborate with peer colleagues from the Stage Design and Technical Theatre, and Costume Studies programs.

DalOpera is only open to voice majors, and minors with special permission. Want to become a music major? Contact performingarts@dal.ca  

Check out Our Season each fall for our season's stage productions and music concerts.    

Recent Past Productions have included Mese Mariano, Giordano (2023); La Chanson de Fortunio, (2023);The Cunning Little Vixen, Janáček (2023); A Northern Lights Dream, Rose (2022); Die Fledermaus, J Strauss (2021) Dido and Aeneas, Purcell (2020); Aeneas and Dido, James Rolfe (2020); L'Etoile, Chabrier (2019); The Magic Flute, Mozart (2018); Sweeney Todd, Sondheim (2012); Comedy on the Bridge, Martinů (2011); The Face on the Barroom Floor, Mollicone (2011); Gianni Schicchi, Puccini (2010); Orpheus in the Underworld, Offenbach (2009); and many more!

Conducted by Dr. Leonardo Perez, the Dalhousie Symphony Orchestra 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.

DalSymphony performs as a full symphonic ensemble and takes the role of accompaniment for fellow student concerto performances and choral concerts.  Concerts take place on Dal campus and other Halifax venues.

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

Auditions for Dal Symphony 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'll 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. Be sure to read requirements carefully for your instrument so you prepare the correct music. You are expected to know the tempos for the orchestral excerpts by listening to recordings of the works they are from.

Questions? 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.