A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instruments, such as the jazz quartet or the orchestra. Other music ensembles consist solely of singers, such as choirs and doo wop groups. In both popular music and classical music, there are ensembles in which both instrumentalists and singers perform, such as the rock band or the Baroque chamber group for basso continuo and one or more singers. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles. Some ensembles blend the sounds of a variety of instrument families, such as the orchestra, which uses a string section, brass instruments, woodwinds and percussion instruments, or the concert band, which uses brass, woodwinds and percussion.
An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families, including
A concert band, variously also called a wind ensemble, symphonic band, wind symphony, wind orchestra, wind band, symphonic winds, symphony band, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion families of instruments, and occasionally including the double bass or bass guitar. On rare occasions, additional non-traditional instruments may be added to such ensembles such as piano, harp, synthesizer, or electric guitar.
In Britain, a brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around communities and local industry, with colliery bands being particularly notable. The Stalybridge Old Band was formed in 1809 and was perhaps the first civilian brass band in the world.
Roscoe Mitchell is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". The Penguin Guide to Jazz described him as "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz; All About Jazz stated in 2004 that he had been "at the forefront of modern music" for more than 35 years. Critic Jon Pareles in The New York Times has mentioned that Mitchell "qualifies as an iconoclast". In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Mitchell is known for cofounding the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC), the largest youth ensemble music program in the Midwest, was founded in 1993 in Evanston, Illinois by Dr. Allan Dennis and consisted of a single orchestra. Since then, MYAC has grown exponentially and now includes nine youth symphony orchestras, 65+ chamber ensembles, a comprehensive jazz and big band program, a wind symphony, four choral groups, and an entry level early childhood music program for children as young as 12 months. MYAC is renowned for its prize-winning Chamber Music Program. Other enrichment activities, such as music theory classes and Summer Music Programs, are also offered at the MYAC Center on the grounds of historic Fort Sheridan in Highwood, Illinois, and Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia Park. Nearly 1000 student musicians from 78 cities throughout the Chicago metropolitan area are enrolled in Midwest Young Artists Conservatory programs. MYAC ensembles are coached by a staff of professional musician-educators, which includes members of Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Chamber Players.
The San Jose Youth Symphony (SJYS) is a non-profit youth orchestra located in San Jose, California.
MusicFest Canada, originally established as the Canadian Stage Band Festival (CSBF) in Toronto, is a national educational music festival in Canada. It was founded in 1972 by Robert Richmond, Gary Wadsworth and Paul Miner. The CSBF added vocal and concert band components in 1981 and 1985, respectively. The name was changed to MusicFest Canada, in 1987, embracing the instrumental jazz, concert band and choral/vocal jazz divisions. In 2012, in partnership with the National Arts Centre, they added a 4th orchestra/strings division.
The United States Naval Academy Band was officially founded in November 1852. Previously, there had been a band since the founding of the Naval Academy in 1845, consisting of a fifer and a drummer. The band consists of US Navy career musicians. The band is required to blend tradition and change into a wide variety of musical styles.
The Queensland Wind and Brass (QWAB) is a community wind ensemble based in Brisbane, Australia. It was formed in 1989 and is composed of approximately 55 amateur and professional musicians.
California Youth Symphony (CYS) is a San Francisco Bay Area symphony orchestra for young musicians of high school age and younger. It was founded in 1952 by Aaron Sten and in 1963 became the first United States youth orchestra to tour abroad, performing twelve concerts in Japan, including a joint concert with Tokyo Junior Orchestra Society. Since then, the orchestra has toured Mexico, Australia, Uruguay, Argentina and several countries in Europe and Asia. In 1994, the orchestra placed first in the International Youth and Music Festival Competition in Vienna. The orchestra has also collaborated with youth orchestras in Japan and in Switzerland. During the summer of 2014, the orchestra is touring in Eastern Europe, and will perform in Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, and the Czech Republic. Leo Eylar has been musical director since 1990.
The Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks is the marching band for Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. The group was formed in 1904.
A Salvation Army brass band is a brass band affiliated with a Corps, Division or Territory of the Salvation Army. In society, a Salvation Army band playing in public places during Christian events in the calendar such as Christmas has become a part of seasonal customs, particularly in the UK.
Carolina Brass is the name chosen by two different brass quintets based in North Carolina.
The United States Air Force Band is a U.S. military band consisting of 184 active-duty members of the United States Air Force.
The Pride of the Mountains is the marching band of Western Carolina University. The band performs pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows at all Catamount Football home games and provides exhibition performances throughout the Carolinas. Unlike most college marching bands, the Pride of the Mountains designs, creates, and performs one perfected halftime show other than doing different performances every week.
Kingdom Brass is a brass band based in Kelty, in Fife, Scotland.
Founded in 1976, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) is the oldest and largest youth orchestra program in northwest Illinois and is composed of three full orchestras, two string orchestras, a brass choir, a percussion ensemble, and a large Chamber Music Institute.
The University of California Jazz Ensembles, also known as the UC Jazz Ensembles, UC Jazz, or UCJE, is the student jazz organization founded in 1967 on the University of California, Berkeley, campus. Founded in 1967, it comprises one or more big bands, numerous jazz combos, a vocal jazz ensemble, an alumni big band, and instructional classes. With a mission statement to foster a community for the performance, study, and promotion of jazz at U.C. Berkeley, its Wednesday Night big band provides free concerts every Thursday noon on Lower Sproul Plaza, its various units perform throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including area high schools, travel to collegiate jazz festivals, and perform overseas, and for many years it sponsored the annual Pacific Coast Jazz Festival. It also provides master classes by its instructors and clinics by prominent guest artists. It has nurtured numerous musicians who have become professional jazz musicians and educators. UC Jazz Ensembles is one of three groups, with the Cal (marching) Band and UC Choral Ensembles, forming Student Musical Activities (SMA), a department within Cal Performances on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Its members are primarily U.C. Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, representing many academic disciplines.
The Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy (OYOA) is a registered Canadian charitable organization that comprises two full orchestras, eight instrumental ensembles for strings, winds, brass and harp, a beginner's and pre-school program, and instruction in music theory and history through Grade 3 in the RCM Syllabus. Over the past years, these programs have shown increasing enrollment, reaching over 300 students. Furthermore, members of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra regularly qualify for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
