Music

The W&J Choir performs three concerts each year - a fall concert, a holiday concert, and a masterworks concert in the spring. Recent masterworks performances include Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Theresienmesse and Handel's Coronation Anthems. The W&J Choir also sings at campus events throughout the year. The ensemble is open to all students. Students who would like to participate must register and take the course for credit (1/4 course per semester).

The Camerata Singers is a select chamber ensemble drawn from the W&J Choir. This versatile group's wide-ranging repertoire spans the decades between madrigals and contemporary jazz. The Camerata Singers maintain an active performance schedule, singing at W&J Choir concerts, campus functions, and community events. They have sung by special invitation at Carnegie Hall and The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City and at PNC Park at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Membership is by audition, and students must register and take the course for credit (1/4 course per semester.)

The W&J Wind Ensemble is open without audition to all students, regardless of skill level. The ensemble gives two concerts each semester in the Olin Fine Arts Center auditorium, including the popular holiday concert. The group of 25 to 35 students performs a variety of music, from arrangements of classical masterpieces and staples of the band repertory to distinctive film music and pops. Students who would like to participate must register and take the course for credit (1/4 course per semester).

The W&J Jazz Ensemble is an elite group of student musicians that performs frequently at events on campus, in formal concerts at Olin Fine Arts Center , and at jazz festivals and community events. The group of 14 to 18 students plays all styles of jazz including Latin, rock, funk, and swing, and collaborate often with W&J faculty and prominent guest vocalists and musicians from Pittsburgh and New York City. Students who would like to participate must register and take the course for credit (1/4 course per semester), as well as obtain permission from Jazz Ensemble director Kyle Simpson. Listen to the W&J Jazz Ensemble on SoundCloud.

The Chamber Music Ensemble provides students the opportunity to study and perform music from the chamber music repertory, including duos, trios, quartets, quintets for instrumentalists, and art song cycles for singers. Rehearsing twice weekly, students learn the principles and techniques of ensemble playing in a variety of musical styles. Students interested in enrolling should contact Dr. Susan Woodard for entrance requirements. Since basic solo proficiency and sight reading skills are necessary for playing chamber music, applied study (private lessons) are strongly recommended. Students who would like to participate must register and take the course for credit (1/4 course per semester).