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.
Audition music for fall is available August 1st. You may request music by emailing your address, instrument and phone number to Dr. Glenn Block, Director of Orchestras and Opera
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
