Band, Wind and Percussion Area Ensembles
Use these quick links to jump to the ensemble type that interests you.
Concert Ensembles
Wind EnsembleDr. Margaret Underwood, Conductor
The Wind Ensemble is a select group of about 48 woodwind, brass and percussion players who perform wind and percussion literature. The ensemble performs three to four times annually on campus. In addition, the ensemble tours domestically and internationally during the winter quarter break with destinations recently including Chicago, New York City, Italy and Switzerland. Membership is not limited to music majors, but an audition is required. Recent literature performed by the group includes Roger Cichy�s "Divertimento for Winds and Percussion", Kurt Weill�s "Little Three Penny Music" and Michael Gandolfi�s "Vientos y Tangos." Symphonic Band
Dr. Russell McCutcheon, Conductor
The Symphonic Band meets in the Winter and Spring quarters and is open to all interested students. This 75+ member ensemble performs standard literature for symphonic bands. Symphonic Band performs two to three times on campus and performs annually at the Alum Creek Band Shell opening their concert in the parks summer series. In addition, the ensemble tours internationally with the Wind Ensemble. Auditions are held at the beginning of the quarter to determine seating and part assignments.
Chamber Music
Chamber Winds
Dr. Margaret Underwood and Dr. Russell McCutcheon, Conductors
The Otterbein Chamber Winds is a small, flexible ensemble consisting primarily of wind players. This ensemble gives instrumental musicians an important chamber music experience that places responsibility on each individual. Performers are exposed to standards of the wind chamber repertoire, including works by greats Mozart, Dvorak, and Beethoven. The ensemble also explores contemporary music by composers such as Hindemith, Stravinsky and Milhaud as well as avant-garde repertoire including works by Varése and Walton.
Towers Brass
Ben Huntoon, Director/Coach
Towers Brass Quintet is the student brass quintet in the Department of Music. Vacancies in the quintet are filled by audition which are open to the Otterbein student body. The quintet plays advanced standard and contemporary literature and rehearses one hour per week. Performances include off campus concerts as well as recitals and performances at Otterbein. The quintet has also occasionally been requested to play for official Otterbein functions.
Flute Ensemble
Dr. Kimberlee Goodman, Director/Coach
Flute Ensemble meets every quarter, once during the week, and includes 4 or more musicians. Repertoire is chosen based on instrumentation and ability level. Piccolos and the alto flute are used in this group. The ensemble performs a minimum of once a quarter. The group is featured yearly at the Central Ohio Flute Association festival in April and performed in October of 2007 at the Northeastern Ohio Flute Association festival.
Clarinet Choir
Dr. Anthony Costa, Director/Coach
The Otterbein College Clarinet Choir presents a wonderful opportunity for students to learn basic chamber music skills. The ensemble is open to majors, minors and non-majors alike. The O.C. Clarinet Choir performs from a vast repertoire of original works, jazz selections and transcriptions of classical standards. The students perform with and without a conductor and spend time working on cueing, blending, intonation, musicality, playing solos and accompaniments and working with others in a fun and challenging environment. Students are also encouraged to become acquainted with the auxiliary instruments of the clarinet family. The Clarinet Ensemble has been featured on Wind Ensemble/Concert Band concerts; at O.C. student art exhibits, chamber music recitals and off-campus student outreach programs. Interested students should contact Dr. Costa.
Saxophone Quartet
James Miglia, Director/Coach
Based on the instrumentation of the traditional string quartet, the saxophone quartet has been evolving since the mid-ninteenth century. Currently, the repertoire includes a wide array of arrangements and original compositions from the Renaissance to Twenty-First century contemporary classical, jazz and rock music. Such a diverse spectrum of literature makes it possible for the Otterbein Saxophone Quartets to explore options that may include a Bach fugue and a Frank Zappa tune on the same program! Each saxophone quartet performs at least twice a year in a recital setting and may also take on additional opportunities for professional engagements as they arise.
Percussion Ensemble
Dr. Jack Jenny, Conductor
The Percussion Ensemble performs music written for, or arranged for, percussion instruments exploring music from a wide variety of styles within the genre from the avant garde to the traditional marimba band or rudimental drum ensemble to percussion pops.� The Percussion Ensemble performs regularly during the fall and spring quarters, schedules run-outs to area schools and has performed with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in their �Popcorn Pops� series on the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Society.� The Ensemble is directed by Jack Jenny; participation is through audition.�
Jazz Ensembles
Otterbein Big Band
James Miglia, Director
The Jazz Ensemble has been swinging at Otterbein College since it's inception over twenty years ago and is the flagship jazz group at Otterbein.� Since that time, the OJE has grown from a lab ensemble that rarely performed in public to one of the hardest working ensembles in the music department.� This group performs at least five times a year, and is often called upon to play for special events in addition to it's own concert appearances.�Auditions are held every Autumn quarter for this group, and the band is�open to anyone in the college who�passes an audition.� You can participate for 0 or 1 credit, and have a lot of fun playing the best�jazz band music from the past sixty years, including original music from composers and arrangers active in the idiom today.
Jazz Ensemble
Karl Wohlwend, Director
The Jazz Lab Band is a group that focuses on playing different styles of jazz in a small combo format. As such, it serves as a forum in which students can explore topics in form, improvisation, extended seventh-chord harmonic vocabulary, and a wide range of rhythmic concepts. The instrumentation varies widely based on student participation. All instrumentalists and vocalists are welcome, regardless of previous experience. No audition is required.
The Anticipations
Eric vanWagner, Director
The Anticipations was created as an outlet for Otterbein students that are interested in popular music. Over the course of each year, the group covers a variety of styles and explores many aspects of current music performance and production. The group offers many opportunities for students to get involved at their comfort level - or stretch beyond it if they choose. Members can opt to step out front as the lead singer, take a supportive role with simple keyboard or percussion parts, or take a technical role. It all comes together to provide a great experience in an actual working band. The group performs at least once each quarter, and produces a CD each year in conjunction with our Audio Production students. The Anticipations is open to any student currently enrolled at Otterbein College - regardless of major. More information can be found at www.theanticipations.com.
Athletic Bands
Dr. Russell McCutcheon, Director of Athletic Bands
Otterbein is one of a small number of colleges to offer both a comprehensive, student-centered liberal arts education in a small college environment coupled with a full range of bands and performance offerings, including the Cardinal Marching Band and the Basketball Pep Bands. Students from across the campus and all majors perform in these highly visible ensembles. Our great mix of music majors, minors and non-majors creates an atmosphere of camaraderie, fun and excellence in performance. We offer the Athletic Band Participation Award to any wind, percussion or visual performer interested in committing to membership in the athletic bands. For more about the athletic bands, visit our athletic bands site.
