The Blues/Rock Ensemble is an intermediate/advanced level performance group that consists of 2 guitars, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, keyboard, bass, and drum set.

Repertoire includes instrumental jazz-rock, blues-rock, and funk-rock styles by groups like Jeff Beck, The Meters, and Soulive. Auditions are mandatory to participate.

Information about the audition will be discussed during the first class meeting. The audition will take place during the 2nd class meeting. Melodic instruments are required to learn the instrumental melody and then improvise over the song form. Chordal instruments are required to accompany the soloists. Bass players need to learn the bass line and may be asked to improvise over the song form as well. Drummers need to learn their parts and demonstrate the ability to play with the ensemble.

Contact

Junauro Land­grebe, Direc­tor
j.landgrebe@northeastern.edu
617.373.4131
367 Ryder Hall

Meeting Times

Thursdays, 4:35-5:35pm
Ryder 354

The Concert Band performs music of all levels and genres, including composers old and young, living and non-living, movie themes, jazz inspired music, and the great classic works in the wind band repertoire. Recent guest artists have included Boston Symphony Orchestra members Michael Martin (trumpet), Jason Snider (French horn), Stephen Lange (trombone), Mike Roylance (tuba), and Cynthia Meyers (piccolo) as well as composers Frank Ticheli and John Mackey.

The ensemble rehearses and performs during both the fall and spring semesters, usually performing one concert each term.

Participants are expected to be able to read music, play one of the standard concert band woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments, and have some level of prior experience in such an ensemble. All members who meet these prerequisites are eligible to participate in the Concert Band, and a brief 2 minute audition will be held at the start of the fall semester for seating purposes. There will be an opportunity during the first or second week of the spring semester for new students to be placed and for returning students who wish to change their part.

Concert Band is a free one-credit elective. Register for MUSC 1905 before the semester’s add/drop date, once auditions have been completed and you know for sure that you are participating in the ensemble. The course may be repeated for credit.

The members of the Concert Band come from all backgrounds and majors, and any interested member of the NU community is eligible to join, including faculty, staff, and alumni!

Con­tact

Allison Betsold
Artist in Residence
Concert Band and Pep Band
a.betsold@northeastern.edu

Meeting Times

Mondays, 6:00-8:25pm
Fenway Center

Audition Requirements

All students interested in both Wind Ensemble and Concert Band will rehearse together in the Fenway Center from 6-8:30pm on the first Thursday of the fall semester. Auditions will be the following week by appointment only. Sign up times and audition location will be communicated following the first Thursday rehearsal. There will be one required excerpt for all students, selected from the repertoire read during the first joint rehearsal. Students interested in joining the Concert Band will be asked to audition for seating placement, using the selected musical excerpt. Students who wish to audition for the Wind Ensemble are encouraged to prepare a very short (one minute maximum) excerpt that shows both their technical and lyrical playing, in addition to playing the preselected audition music. You may choose from your favorite concerto, sonata, etude, or band/orchestral repertoire excerpt.

For more information please contact

Professor Allison Betsold

a.betsold@northeastern.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where are rehearsals?

Concert Band meets every Monday evening from 6-8:25pm during the fall and spring semesters. Wind Ensemble meets every Thursday evening from 6-8:30pm during the fall and spring semesters. Both ensembles rehearse in the Fenway Center located at 77 St. Stephen Street.

Where can I practice?

Practice rooms are located on the third floor of Ryder Hall. Students may obtain keycard access to the practice rooms upon enrollment of the course.

Do I need to have my own instrument?

> Winds and Brass – The music department has a limited stock of some of the more rare/large instruments such as tuba, horn, oboe, bassoon, baritone saxophone, and bass clarinet. It is HIGHLY RECOMMEND that students who possess their own instruments bring them to campus. Storage space is available for students who need it.

> Percussion – The music department provides the full range of percussion instruments from timpani to a 5 octave marimba to an array of triangles. While we have a small supply of sticks and mallets for students to use, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND that students bring their own.

Can I perform in more than one ensemble?

Absolutely! Please engage yourself in as many of our ensembles as you desire. Please note that each ensemble has its own audition requirement, some more intricate than others. If you have questions about specific NU ensembles always feel free to reach out to its director.

Are there any scholarship opportunities?

Scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen, usually before the May deposit deadline. For information on our scholarship, please visit this page.

The NU Pep Band provides entertainment and spirit at sporting events, pep rallies, and special events for Northeastern University Athletics, and the University as a whole. The band plays at all home Women’s and Men’s Hockey, Women’s and Men’s Basketball, and Women’s Volleyball games.

The Pep Band also participates in tournaments such as the Women’s and Men’s Basketball CAA division finals, Women’s and Men’s Hockey East Finals, and the long-standing Beanpot tournament. The Men’s Beanpot is played annually at the TD Garden (Home of the Boston Bruins & Boston Celtics), and the Women’s tournament rotates amongst the four schools involved in both Beanpots: Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, and of course, Northeastern.

The Pep Band is supported by the Music Department, Athletics Department, Student Activities and the SGA.

For more information on the Northeastern Pep Band, please contact Allison Betsold (a.betsold@northeastern.edu). We hope to see you soon!

The Rock Ensemble is an intermediate/advanced level performance group that consists of four vocalists, a horn section (trumpet, trombone, & saxophones), and rhythm section (2 guitars, keyboard, bass, and drum set.)

Repertoire includes a wide variety of rock and popular styles by groups like Muse, Aretha Franklin, Tower of Power, Rush, and Michael Jackson as examples. Auditions are mandatory to participate.

The audition is split between instrumentalists and vocalists. Instrumentalists are required to perform two preselected pieces chosen by the director. Vocalists are required to audition with one song preselected pieced by the director and another of their own choice. Audition repertoire will be discussed in greater detail during the first class meeting. Auditions take place during the second class meeting.

The Rock Ensem­ble is a per­for­mance ensem­ble con­sist­ing of four vocal­ists, and horn and rhythm sec­tions.

Con­tact

Junauro Land­grebe, Direc­tor
j.landgrebe@northeastern.edu
617.373.4131
367 Ryder Hall

Meeting Times

Section 1: Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00pm
Section 2: Fridays, 3:30-5:30pm
354 Ryder

The Wind Ensemble is a versatile group that has accompanied silent movies and live dance performances with original scores by student composers, and collaborated with guest soloists and actors in addition to playing the great works in the wind repertoire. Recent guests have included composers John Mackey, Frank Ticheli, Brad Ellis, (pianist on GLEE), and Boston Symphony Orchestra members Michael Martin (trumpet), Jason Snider (French horn), Stephen Lange (trombone), Mike Roylance (tuba), and Cynthia Meyers (piccolo).

The Wind Ensemble rehearses and performs during the Fall and Spring semesters, usually playing two concerts each term. Each year the group participates in a collaborative festival with the wind ensembles from Harvard University, Boston College, and Boston University.

The members of the Wind Ensemble come from all backgrounds and majors, and any interested member of the NU community is eligible to join. On the first Thursday of the fall semester there will be a rehearsal with all students interested in either (or both!) the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble. We will read through select repertoire, including the audition music. Auditions are held during the first and second weeks of school. Sign ups, location, and repertoire will be distributed at the first meeting. Wind Ensemble is a free one-credit elective, please register for MUSC 1907 once you have successfully auditioned for the ensemble. The course may be repeated for credit.

Con­tact

Allen Fein­stein, Direc­tor
a.feinstein@northeastern.edu
617.373.2442
355 RY

Meeting Times

Thursdays, 6:00-8:30pm
Fenway Center

Audition Requirements

All students interested in both Wind Ensemble and Concert Band will rehearse together in the Fenway Center from 6-8:30pm on the first Thursday of the fall semester. Auditions will be the following week, and sign ups will be distributed at the first rehearsal. There will be one required excerpt for all students, selected from the repertoire read during the first joint rehearsal. Students interested in joining the Concert Band will be asked to audition for seating placement, using the selected musical excerpt. Students who wish to audition for the Wind Ensemble are encouraged to prepare a very short (one minute maximum) excerpt that shows both their technical and lyrical playing, in addition to playing the preselected audition music. You may choose from your favorite concerto, sonata, etude, or band/orchestral musical excerpt.

For more information please contact Professor Feinstein (a.feinstein@northeastern.edu)

Offers chamber music ensembles at intermediate and advanced levels encompassing the following areas: strings, woodwinds, piano, voice, brass, guitar, and mixed ensembles. Coached by the department chair and faculty. Explores the great repertoire in detail, combining the discipline of the highest standard of playing with an understanding of the music. Offers students an opportunity to learn how to play their best, getting past the limitations of purely technical considerations. May be repeated up to 10 times.

The Fusion Ensemble is an advanced level performance group that consists of 2 guitars, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, keyboard, bass, and drum set.

Repertoire includes instrumental jazz-rock styles by groups like John Scofield, Weather Report, The Brecker Brothers, Chick Corea, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Mike Stern.

Information about the required audition will be discussed during the first class meeting. The audition will take place during the 2nd class meeting. Melodic instruments are required to learn the instrumental melody and then improvise over the song form. Chordal instruments are required to accompany the soloists. Bass players need to learn the bass lines and improvise over the song form as well. Drummers need to learn their parts, improvise, and demonstrate the ability to play with the ensemble.

Con­tact

Junauro Land­grebe, Direc­tor
j.landgrebe@northeastern.edu
617.373.4131
367 Ryder Hall

Meeting Times

Tuesdays, 5:00-6:00pm
Ryder 354

This ensem­ble explores dif­fer­ent musi­cal tra­di­tions by lis­ten­ing, ana­lyz­ing, and play­ing a diverse selec­tion of com­po­si­tions from parts of the world out­side the United States. Past per­for­mances have included music from Bul­garia, Morocco, Turkey, Israel, Brazil.

Flutist, com­poser, and band leader Amir Mil­stein has played and recorded with numer­ous artists world­wide, col­lab­o­rat­ing with world-renowned musi­cians such as: Zakir Hus­sain, Hariprasad Chaura­sia, Tito Puente, Armand­inho Macedo, Omar Farouk Tek­bilek and Mikhalis Nikoloudis, among oth­ers, and brings to the ensem­ble influ­ences from all these musi­cal traditions.

Dur­ing each encounter, stu­dents will lis­ten to a diverse reper­toire of world music, learn­ing about the musi­cal forms, modes, rhythms, and typ­i­cal instru­ments of each tra­di­tion. After extract­ing these ele­ments the ensem­ble will play its arrange­ments of these genres.

Con­tact:

Amir Mil­stein, Direc­tor
amirmilstein@gmail.com
617.910.8652
351 Ryder Hall

Meeting Times

Tuesdays, 8:15-9:45pm
Ryder 354