Choral Ensembles

The SUNY New Paltz Choral Ensembles offer opportunities for singers of a wide range of experience to perform music of a great variety of styles and periods.  The ensembles are open to all SUNY students regardless of major.  Contact Dr. Edward Lundergan, lunderge@newpaltz.edu, for information about choral ensembles

College-Community Chorale draws its members from both the student body and the larger New Paltz community.  No audition is required for membership.  The chorus meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.  Its repertoire consists of folk songs, spirituals, classics of the choral repertoire, and major works with orchestra, often in collaboration with the College-Youth Symphony.  Recent performances have included Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Respighi’s Laud to the Nativity, folk songs from Japan, Thailand and Mongolia, and an evening of opera choruses.

Concert Choir, the major performing choral ensemble of the College, is dedicated to the performance of sacred and secular music of the highest caliber.  Concert Choir meets two afternoons per week.  Its membership consists of 35-40 student singers chosen by audition.  The group’s repertoire reaches from the 18th century to the present, with an emphasis on 20th century American works.  Recent performances include Samuel Adler’s Stars in the Dust (performed in collaboration with the composer), Stravinsky’s Mass, and the premiere of Cove Beach, a work for chorus and orchestra by SUNY composition graduate Shirley Hoffman Warren.

Chamber Singers is a select ensemble of 12 to 16 voices which specializes in the performanceof vocal chamber music and a cappella choral literature from the 16th century through the present.  The ensemble meets two afternoons per week.  Recent repertoire includes William Schuman’s Carols of Death, Britten’s Five Flower Songs, and Libertango, by the Argentine composer Astor Piazzola.

Instrumental Ensembles

Students who play orchestral instruments are eligible to join the College/Youth Symphony of the Hudson Valley which is in residence on campus. The ensemble includes qualified high school and college students as well as professional musicians. The College/Youth Symphony performs concerts throughout the Mid-Hudson region with selected students and guest artists as soloists. Contact Dr. Carole Cowan, director, cowanc@newpaltz.edu or visit their Web site at www.collegeyouthsymphony.org for more information.

Symphonic Band performs the highest quality music for wind ensemble in various styles including classical, contemporary, and popular. Membership is open to all qualified students on campus. Students as well as guest artists are invited to appear as soloists with the Band. Contact Dr. William McCann, music director, mccannw@newpaltz.edu for information about Symphonic Band.

Collegium Musicum is an ensemble specializing in music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. The ensemble plays both on and off campus every semester in period costume using the College's collection of period instruments including various strings, woodwinds, and harpsichord, and also accepts vocalists. Membership is open to qualified students, faculty, and members of the community. Contact Dr. Joël Evans, music director, ehautbois@aol.com, for information about Collegium Musicum.

Jazz Ensembles
Contact Mark Dziuba, Jazz Studies program director, dziubam@newpaltz.edu for information about jazz ensembles.

Chamber Jazz Ensembles are smaller ensembles (3-7 performers) which allow students to use their performance and improvisational skills in concert. These ensembles perform both on and off campus each semester.

Our newest jazz performing group, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, works with an instrument rhythm section and performs regularly both on and off campus.