Illinois State University Orchestras
Members of the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra are active each semester performing instrumental, choral, and operatic works including Richard Strauss' Death and Transfiguration; Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 "Organ"; Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, Firebird Suite, Apollo Musagette; Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 2, 5, and 9; Copland's Appalachian Spring and Music for Theater; Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana; Mozart’s Requiem, and William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast.
- Any undergraduate or graduate student with orchestral experience is welcome to participate.
- Participation is by audition.
- All orchestras are classes for which you earn credit, pay tuition, and earn a grade.
Symphony Orchestra
(MUS 182, 282, 482)
- 75+ full-time students at Illinois State. Orchestra members are accepted by audition only
- Majority of performers are music education majors.
- More than half the ensemble are receiving financial assistance to continue to play their instrument while attending Illinois State University.
The Illinois State University Symphony performs some of the most challenging music in the orchestral repertoire. The Symphony performs six complete concert cycles each academic year, including the annual choral program in October, the Music for Holidays concerts in December, a concerto-aria concert featuring the School of Music's finest performers chosen from the annual competition, and the annual opera/musical, produced in conjunction with the Illinois State University School of Theater.
Chamber Orchestra
(MUS 139.45, 239.45, 438.45)
- smaller, more select, ensemble
- performs music from the baroque, early classical, and contemporary periods.
The Chamber Orchestra performs four concert programs each year, sometimes in conjunction with choral ensembles of the School of Music. This ensemble also serves as the conducting ensemble for the advanced graduate conducting students in orchestral conducting.
For more information please contact Dr. Glenn Block, Director of Orchestras and Opera
Orchestra Auditions
Fall 2012 string audition music is now available as downloadable parts from the IMSLP website. Be sure to review the String Audition Information Letter for details on the audition, date and times.Wind/percussion students will audition as part of the regular wind/percussion auditions. Contact the ISU Band website for more information.
Upcoming Events
Two distinguished international performers will be in residence at the ISU School of Music at the end of March.
Conductor Maestro Maurizio Colasanti, from Chieti, Italy and trumpet performer Cicero Cordao from Londrina, Brazil, will both be distinguished visiting guest artists performing with the ISU Chamber Orchestra, Concert Choir and faculty voice soloists in a concert on Friday, March 29, 2013. They will be in residence from March 22-29, leading rehearsals and master classes for ISU music students.
The concert program will include the rarely heard, emotional Stabat Mater by Gioachino Rossini, and the AratunianTrumpet Concerto.
