Ensembles

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Cappella Nova Egypt Tour

Follow updates on our tour preparations, read about our exciting travel plans, and support students by giving to the scholarship fund.

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Lewis & Clark College Choirs	Orchestra	Wind Symphony
Gamelan Music	African Rhythm & Dance	African Marimba Ensemble
West African Rhythm	Jazz Ensemble	Percussion Ensemble
Friends of Rain	Pep Band	Guitar Ensemble

Large Ensembles

        Lewis & Clark College Choirs

 

The choral music program at Lewis & Clark seeks to provide students with high-level choral singing experiences that enhance their understanding of vocal technique, choral methods, and music history through performing literature from many stylistic periods and countries. Best of all, the students who comprise the choral program are energetic, dedicated, and enthusiastic, and have a wonderful time singing together.

During the 2011-2012 school year, under the direction of Director of Choral Activities Katherine FitzGibbon and Women’s Chorus Conductor Margaret Green, the choirs will perform repertoire ranging from the music of southeast Asia to Bach’s Magnificat to newly composed music.

There are several different choirs available at Lewis & Clark. Cappella Nova is Lewis & Clark’s premier mixed choir, performing music from all eras and major choral works with orchestra. Advanced students in Cappella Nova may opt to audition for the select Chamber Vocal Ensemble. The Women’s Chorus performs some of the exceptional music available for treble voices, from powerful world music to Classical music to newly composed works. Finally, the Community Chorale is open to undergraduates, graduate and law students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. All choirs are single-credit courses with no prerequisites other than a (painless!) audition with the director.

Student vocalists have the opportunity to study voice privately, take part in opera and musical theater workshops and performances, and take courses in vocal pedagogy and vocal literature. Students may major in vocal performance or participate actively in these opportunities while majoring in other areas of study. Regardless of whether they plan to major in music, there are music scholarships available for singers. Please see the scholarship page for more information.

        Orchestra

Full orchestra of strings, winds, brass, and percussion performing works from the standard orchestral and concerto literature, with concert programs including large-scale works for orchestra and choir. Two local performances per semester, with the possibility of touring. Principal positions assigned by audition. Student concerto soloist chosen from orchestra ranks or piano studios by competition late in fall semester.

Instructor: Jeffrey Specht
Prerequisite: None.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

        Wind Symphony

Diverse traditional and contemporary band literature, including occasional works for reduced instrumentation. Pursuit of high standards in preparation, performance, promotion of quality compositions and transcriptions from the wind band repertoire.

Instructor: Brett Paschal
Prerequisite: None
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

Small Ensembles

African Marimba Ensemble

Introduction to playing techniques of African marimba.

Instructor: Nathan Beck
Prerequisite: None. Fee.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

 African Rhythm & Dance

Introduction to both hand drumming and dance of Ghana, West Africa.

Instructor: Alex Addy
Prerequisite: None.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

 Gamelan Music

Gamelan music is rooted in traditional Indonesian performance arts. The core of the orchestra, or gamelan, is a group of bronze percussion instruments that are forged and tuned together. Gamelan performance is often combined with dance and with shadow puppet plays (wayang).

Many of the instruments are played by striking with a mallet, and so the gamelan gets its name from the Javanese word for a type of hammer (gamel). Other musical elements include drums, bamboo flutes, stringed instruments, wooden percussion, male and female vocals, and a variety of noisemakers to punctuate the action of shadow puppet plays.

The various moods and tones of gamelan music are specifically associated with particular emotions and intellectual states. The music is composed of complex layers of melodic variants and interlocking parts moving semi-independently.

Lewis & Clark Gamelan
“The Venerable Showers of Beauty”

The core set arrived at Lewis & Clark College in 1980 after a two-year search in Indonesia by Vincent McDermott and Loraine Fenwick, the major donor of gamelan instruments to the College. The oldest instruments in this ensemble are likely to have been made in the late 19th century.

The ensemble draws its members from the Portland area community and from students at Lewis & Clark College.

For more information, contact the Department of Music: 503-768-7460.

Instructor: Mindy Johnston
Prerequisite: Music Performance 121, 122, or 123. Fee.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

Guitar Ensemble

Instructor: John Mery
Prerequisite: None.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

Jazz Ensemble

Sight-reading, study, and performance of music representing diverse jazz styles arranged for big-band instrumentation. Styles of specific big bands, past and present. Ensemble rehearses and performs quality big-band jazz compositions and arrangements. Opportunities for solo improvisation, development of ensemble skills.

Instructor: Dan Balmer
Prerequisite: Audition.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

Opera and Musical Theater Workshop

This course alternates between opera one semester and musical theater
the next, offering students training in acting, stage movement,
character development, and scene studies. It provides exposure to
standard operatic and musical theatre literature; development of
singing and acting abilities in performing arias and ensembles.

Instructor: Susan McBerry
Prerequisite: Audition.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.

Pep Band

The Lewis & Clark Pep Band was founded in 2010 and is a student-run group which performs at Pioneer basketball and football games. They practice Thursday evenings in Evans Music Building. For information, including how to join, please click here to visit their webpage.

Percussion Ensemble

The Lewis & Clark Percussion Ensemble, directed by Brett E.E. Paschal, is an exciting and entertaining group that performs in venues as varied as concert halls, construction sites, and swimming pools.

The music performed ranges from traditional percussion literature to Baroque transcriptions, cutting edge contemporary works, rock and Latin arrangements, comedic musical excursions, and unique improvisations.

The Percussion Ensemble is a regular performer the yearly Northwest Percussion Festival, and is renown for its energetic, musical, creative, and precise execution.

Practice Space: The Music Department has practice space for students studying percussion privately or playing in one of the school ensembles. The instruments available include two marimbas (one five-octave and one four and one-third octave), two vibraphones, two sets of timpani, and two drumsets.

 West African Rhythm

Music of West Africa. Introduction of performance of Ghanaian drums. Singing in traditional styles.

Instructor: Alex Addy
Prerequisite: None. Fee.
Taught: Each semester, 1 semester credit.