Participation in Catawba ensembles is open to all students enrolled in the College. Ensembles provide opportunities for students to maintain and improve musical skills, meet new people with similar interests, build friendships, and participate in organizations that serve the College and the community by providing music and entertainment. Each regular ensemble carries 1 hour of credit.

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For information on a particular ensemble click one of the links below:

Catawba Pride Pep Band / Drumline

New in 2006-2007, the Pep Band, in addition to the Drumline, performs for all Catawba College football and basketball games. Music ranges from 60's through current "pop" artists. Basic instrumentation includes brass, saxophone, guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and a full range of marching percussion. Drumline participation may include exhibition responsibilities apart from regularly scheduled athletic events. Membership by audition.

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A vocal ensemble that sings for various campus functions, including Thursday Community Time events, special services and regular concerts.

A vocal ensemble that performs a variety of music from the sacred and popular repertoires. The Singers perform regularly both on and off campus in a public relations capacity for churches, schools and civic meetings. Membership is by audition.

Musical group dedicated to the performance of authentic traditional Japanese festival music (matsuri bayashi) and lion dance (shishi mai) as enjoyed at shrine festivals in and around Tokyo. Instrumentation includes taiko drums, kane hand-held gong, and shinobue bamboo flute.

Directed by Jack Murray, the Catawba College Jazz Nucleus is a student ensemble dedicated to the performance of vital, authentic, straight-ahead, improvisation-oriented jazz and blues. As reflected in its name, the Jazz Nucleus is a small ensemble. This provides student members (both instrumental and vocal) with the opportunity to develop their improvisatory skills (the true essence of jazz) and ability to interact with others musically through the realization of lead sheets rather than stock arrangements. The Jazz Nucleus draws its inspiration from the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and other luminaries as well as contemporary jazz and blues trends.

The Catawba Madrigals is a small, select vocal ensemble open to Catawba upperclassmen by audition only. Auditions are held by appointment. The Madrigals are an active ensemble, performing for both on-and off-campus events. They perform traditional madrigal literature, part songs, and chamber literature from the Renaissance through the Modern period. The Madrigals have been featured performers for the past fifteen years at Renaissance Festivals from Georgia to North Carolina. They are also featured in the annual"Cabaret" performance in the Spring. Emphasis is on development of good vocal technique, striving for artistic singing of period literature, and exposure to a wide variety of chamber vocal works.

LISTEN to the Madrigals Perform:
• Madrigals Peformance #1 (mp3)
          • Madrigals Peformance #2 (mp3)

The Catawba Singers is a select choral ensemble open to Catawba students by audition only. Auditions are usually held in August for freshmen and transfer students, and by appointment for present Catawba students. The Singers are very active in performances both on and off-campus, and perform in several major concerts each year. Their repertoire consists of mostly chamber literature, sacred masterworks, and pop, vocal jazz and Broadway literature for a "Cabaret" performance in the Spring of each year. Emphasis is placed on the development of good vocal technique, exposure to a wide variety of choral literature, striving for artistry and understanding of performance practice, and the enhancement of reading skills in a stimulating intellectual and cultural environment.

VIDEOS:
- "Show Me Thy Way"
       - "Bitter for Sweet"
       - "The Battle of Jericho"
       - "Cry Out and Shout"

NEWS:
From Carnegie Hall to Catawba

MORE:
• "Friends of Catawba Music" Fundraiser (Focus: The Catawba Singers)
• Spring Choir Tour
• Meet the Choir

The flagship ensemble of the Catawba College music business/popular music degree concentration, the Vernaculars are dedicated to the performance of contemporary popular (aka vernacular) music — alternative, rock, pop, R&B, and more. Basic instrumentation includes guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and vocals. Membership by audition.

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• Vernaculars on YouTube

The Catawba Wind Ensemble is a select instrumental ensemble open to Catawba students by audition only. Auditions are usually held in August for freshmen and transfer students, and by appointment for present Catawba students. The Wind Ensemble is active in performances both on and off-campus, and perform in several major concerts each year. Repertoire consists of literature (from Classical to Contemporary style periods) for the traditional wind ensemble instrumentation. However, smaller chamber ensembles are drawn out of larger group to spotlight a more diverse literature.  Emphasis is placed on the development of good instrumental technique, exposure to a wide variety of literature, striving for artistry and understanding of performance practice, and the enhancement of reading skills in a stimulating intellectual and cultural environment.

LISTEN: Wind Ensemble Peformances

PHOTOS: Lessons & Carols