Music
Ensembles
Ensembles
Ensemble participation is a fundamental part of education in the music programs at Mason Gross. In addition to an annual concerto competition and two chamber music competitions each, students have the opportunity to play in over 300 performances each year with large ensembles, chamber groups, master classes, and solo recitals. These performances take place on- and off-campus and venues in New York City.
Choral Ensembles
Rutgers University Kirkpatrick Choir
The Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir provides rigorous training ground for aspiring performers and conductor-teachers, appearing in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Its repertoire spans the breadth of the choral canon, with a particular emphasis on landmark works from the 20th and 21st centuries.
In recognition of its excellence, the Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir was selected through a highly competitive process to perform at the 2016 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Eastern Division Conference. They also were approached by the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music to record several CDs of important 20th-century works, including Miriam Gideon’s Sacred Service, which was released as part of the Milken Archive’s comprehensive multi-year recording series on Naxos American Classics series. Additionally, the Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir has a Naxos release of Samuel Adler’s Five Sephardic Songs. The release of their Naxos distributed CD, The Fire Within on the Affetto label, presented Lou Harrison’s setting of the Buddhist Heart Sutro, “La Koro Sutro,” allowing home audiences to hear the major work presented in the concert listed by The New York Times as one of the “Top Ten Classical Music Performances of 2017. Their most recent collaborative albums, Legends and Legacies and Threads of Eternity, are available on all major streaming platforms.
In 2020, the Rutgers University Kirkpatrick Choir was honored with the Dolf Rabus Award for Best Programming at the Marktoberdorf Festival, following their work as the ensemble-in-residence at the University of Saarland in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Rutgers University Voorhees Choir
Founded in 1924 as the choir for the New Jersey College for Women, the Rutgers University Voorhees Choir was established in 1927 as the official choir for Douglass Residential College. Today, the Rutgers University Voorhees Choir is a soprano-alto ensemble that champions music and text composed by women and historically excluded composers and poets.
Through competitive selection, the Rutgers Voorhees Choir was invited to perform at performed the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Conferences in both 2020 and 2024. They made their Carnegie Hall debut in April 2019, performing as part of the inaugural season of National Concerts. In recognition of their artistic excellence, the choir received a “Judges Citation” from The American Prize in 2016-17 for “Exceptional Programming and Distinctive Repertoire.” In addition to being ambassadors for Douglass College and Rutgers University, the Rutgers Voorhees Choir has presented concerts on campus in partnership with the Center for Women in the Arts and the Graduate School of Education. Their most recent collaborative album, Threads of Eternity, is available on all major streaming platforms.
Rutgers University Glee Club
Founded in 1872, the Rutgers University Glee Club is one of the oldest tenor-bass choirs in the United States. The ensemble has become known for its powerful performances, international tours, and innovative programming. The Glee Club has commissioned and premiered new works by major composers, helping to shape the modern repertoire for tenor-bass choirs.
In 2000, the Rutgers Glee Club hosted the National Seminar of Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses (IMC), spotlighting the event with the world premiere of The Miracle by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer William Bolcom. The ensemble has since been featured at IMC national seminars in 2004 and 2010. Through competitive selection, the Rutgers Glee Club has also performed at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conferences in 2001, 2017, and 2021, as well as ACDA Eastern Division Conferences in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2020.
The Rutgers Glee Club has appeared on some of the nation’s most prominent stages. In 2000, they performed Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle at Philadelphia’s historic Academy of Music. The following year, the ensemble brought the New York premiere of Bolcom’s The Miracle to Lincoln Center. In 2003, they collaborated with the Philadelphia Singers for a performance of Berlioz’s Requiem at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. In 2006, the Rutgers Glee Club joined forces with the Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir and Rutgers Collegium to present Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, and 13 with conductor Valery Gergiev and both the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Kirov Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall. In 2014, as part of the IMC conference hosted by Rutgers University, the ensemble performed Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex with the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra.
Their most recent collaborative albums, Legends and Legacies and Threads of Eternity, are available on all major streaming platforms.
Rutgers University Choir
Rutgers University Choir is a large mixed ensemble that performs a wide variety of repertoire in two to three concerts each year. The Rutgers University Choir has joined Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir, Rutgers University Glee Club, Rutgers Voorhees Choir, and Rutgers University Orchestra to present excerpts from Carmina Burana at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center as part of the Rutgers University campaign kickoff gala. Most recently, the Rutgers University Choir partnered with the Rutgers Sinfonia for a performance of Brahms’s Schicksalslied. In addition to being a vibrant part of our campus life, the Rutgers University Choir presented the inaugural Benefit Concert to help fund the Mason Gross School of the Arts Student Emergency Fund.
Jazz Ensembles
Rutgers Jazz Ensemble
The Rutgers Jazz Ensemble, directed by Conrad Herwig, is the top student jazz ensemble at Mason Gross School of the Arts. The group has played in commercials with Ray Charles, performed at the fifth-anniversary celebration of Harmony Hall in Fukui, Japan, and has had several gigs at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.
The ensemble honored the legacy of the late professor Vic Juris on March 6, 2020, with a memorial concert featuring guitarist David Stryker, and custom ensemble arrangements by composer Bob Mintzer and faculty member Marc Stasio.
Rutgers Mingus Big Band
The Rutgers University Mingus Big Band pays tribute to the music of dynamic bassist and composer Charles Mingus, studying and rehearsing compositions from his renowned collection that uniquely blend elements of bebop, gospel, and blues.
Jazz Lab Big Band
The Rutgers University Jazz Lab Big Band helps students learn about and train on the core library of standard Bop and Post-Bop repertoire essential to all jazz performers. Students acquire a critical appreciation of the history and evolution of the covered genres and the technical skills necessary to accurately perform the music and improvise in an authentic manner.
Alternate Large Jazz Ensembles
The Alternate Large Jazz Ensembles are extensions of our large ensemble offerings, representing iconic jazz formats that typically feature an array of horns drawn from Charles Mingus, Super Sax, and Jazz Fusion traditions.
- Scarlet Knight Jazz Trombone Ensemble
- Afro World Jazz Ensemble
- Super Sax Ensemble
- Jazz Guitar Ensemble
- Jazz Avant Garde Ensemble
- Weather Report and More Ensemble
- The Rhythm and Blues Ensemble
Chamber Jazz Ensembles
The Rutgers Chamber Jazz Ensembles contrast large ensemble courses, helping students master technique, improvisation, and repertoire in a chamber group setting. They are typically four to seven pieces, emphasizing smaller ensemble dynamics essential to professional music careers. WATCH Chamber Jazz 1 Ensemble’s WBGO Jazz Appreciation Month celebration performance.
Opera Theater Rutgers
Opera Theater Rutgers
Opera Theater Rutgers presents fully staged operas and opera scenes each year. Recent performances include:
- Carmen by Georges Bizet
- Candide by Leonard Bernstein
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten
- L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi
- Les Contes D’Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach
- Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten
- Gianni Schicchi and Il Tabarro by Giacomo Puccini
- Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc
- Cendrillon by Jules Massenet – National Opera Association award
- Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi – National Opera Association award
Orchestral Ensembles
Rutgers Symphony Orchestra
One of the nation’s leading conservatory orchestras, the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra (RSO) is the flagship ensemble of the Mason Gross instrumental program. Presenting an annual concert series of symphonic programs and a main-stage opera, RSO aims to prepare students for professional careers as orchestral musicians with a keen awareness of entrepreneurship and community engagement. Besides tackling the major symphonic repertoire, RSO is also committed to promoting non-traditional orchestral music and playing works by cutting-edge composers, such as works by Amy Beach, Gabriela Lena Frank, Joan Tower, and Chen Yi.
Each season, RSO hosts student composition readings/recordings and an annual concerto competition, which awards winners with a solo performance the following season. RSO has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Symphony Space, and New Jersey Performing Arts Center with many of the world’s leading conductors including maestros James Judd, Andrea Quinn, and Rossen Milanov; soloists Lara St. John, Philippe Quint, Barbara Dever, Thomas Studebaker, Nancy Gustafson, Susan Starr, Ruth Laredo, Alexander Ivashkin, and Paquito D’Rivera, and pop artists Ray Charles and Jay-Z. In addition, RSO has recorded for commercial labels. The most recent album released by PARMA is a collaboration with Rutgers choral ensembles of music by Lili Boulanger and Unsuk Chin.
Rutgers Sinfonia
Rutgers Sinfonia, founded in 1995 as Rutgers Philharmonia, draws its membership from Mason Gross undergraduate students as well as the most talented players from the broader university community. Sinfonia performs once each semester, concentrating on the popular and central works of the orchestral repertoire. One of the major missions for Sinfonia is to offer a platform for all orchestral players, regardless of career direction and professional background, to experience and enjoy orchestral playing through a collaborative and satisfying music-making process.
Rutgers Sinfonia also sponsors an annual concerto competition. The winner of the competition performs a concerto with Sinfonia in concert.
Wind Bands and Ensembles
Wind Ensemble
Rutgers Wind Ensemble, founded during the early 1960s, performs masterworks of the wind repertoire and new works, including pieces composed expressly for the group. The ensemble has received critical acclaim from renowned composers and performed with a variety of guest conductors, including H. Robert Reynolds, James Keene, Jerry Junkin, Mallory Thompson, Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Dennis Fisher, Frank Battisti, Thomas Leslie, Harry Begian, Kenneth G. Bloomquist, James Croft, James Curnow, David Holsinger, and Stephen Pratt, and at professional conferences including the College Band Directors National Association Conference in 2005 and its Eastern Division Conference in 2016 and 2022. Numerous recordings of the ensemble are available on the Mark Custom label with several recordings having earned Grammy® entry listings. Their recording of “Dance Rhythms” received three Grammy® entry listings.
Symphonic Winds
Rutgers Symphonic Winds performs both standard and contemporary literature from the wind-band repertoire. The ensemble includes both music and non-music majors and has performed with guest artists such as the Boston Brass, the Imani Winds, and Joe Alessi, and has been conducted by H. Robert Reynolds, James Keene, Jerry Junkin, Mallory Thompson, Dennis Fisher, Ed Lisk, and Frank Battisti.
Rutgers Symphonic Winds has provided highly artistic and engaging performances in collaboration with numerous internationally acclaimed soloists and composers including Kaoru Hinata, Lish Lyndsey, Kenneth DeCarlo, Joe Tompkins, J. Scott McKenzie, and William Bolcom. Symphonic Winds champions new commissioning representing a wide diversity of composers and presents numerous reading sessions and public performances of new student compositions annually. Symphonic Winds presented a reading session at the Eastern Division College Band Directors National Association Conference in (2010) and performs regularly at the New Jersey Music Educators Convention.
Symphony Band
Rutgers Symphony Band performs both standard and contemporary literature from the wind-band repertoire, while placing emphasis on the development of technical and musical skills. The group is comprised of both music and non-music majors and presents at least two concerts each semester. It has performed with guest artists such as the Boston Brass, the Imani Winds, and Joe Alessi, and has been conducted by H. Robert Reynolds, James Keene, Jerry Junkin, Mallory Thompson, Dennis Fisher, Ed Lisk, and Frank Battisti.
Rutgers Symphony Band, comprised largely of students for whose primary discipline is outside music, perform works by a broad spectrum of composers from diverse backgrounds, engaging musical styles that ranged from soul to impressionism.
Marching Band
Rutgers University Marching Band, “The Pride of New Jersey,” is a unity of music and motion. Founded in 1915 as a military drill band, the unit has grown to become a source of pride for the university and the State of New Jersey. The Marching Scarlet Knights take the field for all home football games. The Rutgers Band regularly welcomes new, enthusiastic members, who currently represent over 80 different academic disciplines. The MSK has been invited to perform for numerous national television engagements in New York City, at halftime for the NFL’s Monday Night Football, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, was a featured collegiate marching Band at the 2022 Music for All Grand Nationals and performed for President Joe Biden. Most recently the MSK selected to represent the United States of America at London’s prestigious international event, 2025 London Band Week.
Concert Band
Rutgers Concert Band is open to non-music majors, rehearses once a week in the spring semester only, and presents at least one concert during the semester. The concert band performs both standard and contemporary literature from the wind-band repertoire. Rutgers Concert Band has been conducted by several distinguished directors, including Jerry Junkin, Mallory Thompson, and Dennis Fisher. The group is conducted by wind band conducting associates.
Pep Band
The Rutgers Pep Band is the Big Ten band of the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights basketball and volleyball teams. Students who sign up to be a member of the Pep Band are split into two units that share the responsibility for playing at all home men’s and women’s basketball and select volleyball games, usually nine or 10 men’s and women’s games each during the regular season at Rutgers Jersey Mike’s Arena. These bands are open to all students. Rutgers students are eligible to register for the one-credit class in the spring semester (07:701:338).
Small Ensembles
Afro-Cuban Ensemble
Brass Ensemble
The Rutgers Brass Ensemble consists of 15 undergraduate and graduate brass players, placed by audition. The group typically performs works composed and arranged for concert brass settings.
HELIX! New Music Ensemble
HELIX! New Music Ensemble was founded in 1990 as a Pierrot ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion). Under Maestro Johns leadership the group has expanded to meet the varied instrumentation of much new music and current includes a string quintet, wind quintet, harp, piano and percussion.
Since its inception, HELIX! has debuted many compositions written especially for the group and has performed numerous pieces by major contemporary composers including important US premieres. The group has performed at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge, Lincoln Center, the Noyes Museum in New Jersey, and at various colleges on the East Coast.
Percussion Ensemble
The Rutgers Percussion Ensemble focuses on developing chamber music sensitivity in the performance of a wide spectrum of percussion music, including recent avant-garde compositions, standard repertory, popular favorites, and Brazilian and African drumming. The Percussion Ensemble has performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (Indianapolis and Nashville), St. Bartholomew’s Church and Trinity Church on Wall Street, both in New York City, and the Central Jersey Day of Percussion.
The ensemble was a winner of the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition and traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, for a showcase concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in 2004, and also performed at the Indianapolis convention in 2013 as a part of the Focus Day series.
Rutgers Baroque Players
A chamber-style ensemble of rotating soloists, exploring historical performance practices using a hands-on approach to the sources, early editions, treatises, and historical commentary. Repertoire focuses on concerti of Bach, Corelli, Handel, Vivaldi, and their contemporaries. Students perform and rehearse using their own instruments, and string players may use historical bows on loan from MGSA. Students will gain facility exploring various conventions of historical performance, and insights into the original context of the repertoire. Alumni of this program of study have performed with period ensembles Tempesta di Mare, Apollo’s Fire, Bourbon Baroque, ARTEK, TENET Vocal Artists, Carmel Bach Festival, La Fiocco, and have pursued further studies at The Juilliard School (Historical Performance), Case-Western Reserve (Historical Performance graduate fellowships) & the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basel, Switzerland).
Rutgers New Music Workshop
The Rutgers New Music Workshop presents world premiere performances of chamber music by graduate and undergraduate composers at Rutgers University.
Ensemble Faculty
Assistant Professor, Music Education and Conducting
Community Arts
Associate Professor, Area Head of Conducting
Community Arts
Community Arts
Rutgers Concert Bureau
Rutgers musicians are available for hire for events both on- and off campus. Available musicians include both classical and jazz performers, soloists, as well as small groups. We accept internal purchase orders (#1683) or personal check. Musicians must be booked two weeks in advance of the event. Subject to musician availability and the type of request.
Contact Concert Bureau staff for more information.