In the spring of 2006, the orchestra performed with the Grammy-award-winning band known as "The Chieftains" at Carnegie Hall in New York City for a St. Patrick's Day concert.
In the spring of 2007, the orchestra went on a Florida tour, visiting sights and enlivening audiences with their music. In January 2011, the orchestra went on a similar tour through the gulf coast, making stops in Florida, Alabama, New Orleans, and Tennessee.
In the fall of 2007, the symphony performed with the acclaimed jazz master Dave Brubeck and his quartet. This performance included some of Brubeck's own mass pieces, such as "To Hope!" and "Upon This Rock" with full choral accompaniment.
In June 2017, the orchestra went on their first European tour which included cities in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.
In December 2023, the orchestra embarked on their first domestic tour after the Covid-19 pandemic, sharing their annual Christmas setlist in a sweep of Central and Eastern US alongside Notre Dame's Men's Glee Club. They were joined by local alumni in Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York City, playing in venues such as Pittsburgh's historic Heinz Hall and Philadelphia's Verizon Hall.
An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.
The Hangovers are a men's collegiate a cappella ensemble based at Cornell University. Founded in 1968, they are the oldest active a cappella group on campus and are the official a cappella subset of the Cornell University Glee Club, itself the oldest student organization of any kind at Cornell University. The Hangovers' repertoire consists mainly of popular songs arranged for the ensemble by its members and alumni, but the group also performs traditional Cornell songs, as well as selections from the Glee Club repertoire on occasion.
West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities established by the second Morrill Act of 1890, which evolved as a diverse and inclusive campus. Following desegregation, WVSU's student population slowly became more white than black. As of 2017, WVSU's student body was 75% white and only 8% African-American.
Westminster Choir College (WCC) is a historic conservatory of music currently operating on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rider's College of Arts and Sciences, the college under which the historic institution has been reorganized, consists of Westminster Choir College as well as three additional schools.
The Cornell University Glee Club (CUGC) is the oldest student organization at Cornell University, having been organized shortly after the first students arrived on campus in 1868. The CUGC is a thirty-nine member chorus for tenor and bass voices, with repertoire including classical, folk, 20th-century music, and traditional Cornell songs. The Glee Club also performs major works with the Cornell University Chorus such as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Handel's Messiah, and Bach's Mass in B Minor.
The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club is part of the Harvard Choruses of Harvard University, which also include the treble voice Radcliffe Choral Society and the mixed-voice Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum. All three groups are led by Harvard's current Director of Choral Activities Andrew Gregory Clark.
The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO-GB) is the national youth orchestra of the United Kingdom, consisting of 164 members of ages 13 to 19 years. Auditions take place in the autumn each year at various locations in the country. The minimum standard needed to audition is ABRSM / Trinity Guildhall / London College of Music Grade 8 Distinction, though it is not necessary to have taken any examinations. In 2011, the orchestra was shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society's Best Ensemble Award. In 2012, the NYO received the Queen's Medal for Music. In 2015 the NYO received the Royal Philharmonic Society's Ensemble award, which recognized particularly the launch of NYO Inspire as well as their other work.
Rutgers University Glee Club (RUGC) is a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr. Brandon Williams. Dr. Patrick Gardner, the previous conductor, directed the group from 1994 - 2023.
The Denver Young Artists Orchestra Association (DYAO) is one of the leading youth orchestras in the United States today. It was founded in 1977 by Betty Naster and Carl Topilow in Denver, Colorado. The orchestra maintains a close relationship with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Membership is by audition and is limited to musicians aged 8 to 23. Concerts take place in several concert halls in the greater Denver Metro Area including Boettcher Concert Hall, Gates Hall at the University of Denver's Newman Center for the Performing Arts, and Macky Auditorium in Boulder. DYAO's current music director is Wes Kenney, who is also director of orchestras at Colorado State University, and conductor of the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra.
The Cornell University Chorus was founded in 1920 as the Cornell Women's Glee Club. The Chorus is a sixty-member treble choir with a repertoire that includes masses, motets, spirituals, classical, folk, 20th-century music, and traditional Cornell songs. The Chorus also performs major works with the Cornell University Glee Club such as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Handel's Messiah, and Bach's Mass in B Minor and St Matthew Passion.
The Fairfield University Glee Club is a mixed chorus of about 60 undergraduate and graduate singers at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. The Glee Club has performed in churches, schools and recital and concert halls throughout Europe, singing from Galway to Rome and Florence to London. The choir has performed at Carnegie Hall, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Westminster Cathedral in London, the Aula Paolo VI at the Vatican and the U.S. military academies at West Point and Annapolis.
David Alan Miller is a multi-Grammy Award-winning American symphony orchestra conductor, and since 1992, music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Miller served as assistant and associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1987–92 and music director of the New York Youth Symphony from 1982-88. He is currently also Artistic Advisor to The Little Orchestra Society in New York City.
The Band of the Fighting Irish is the marching band of the University of Notre Dame. Over 300 members of the band represent nearly every field of study, and include students from across the United States as well as from overseas. The Band of the Fighting Irish is composed of students from the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest university marching band.
The Notre Dame Glee Club is a 75-voice, all-male choral ensemble at the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1915 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest Glee Club at a Catholic University in the United States.
The Band of Pride (BOP) is the official marching band which represents Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. The Band of Pride performs pregame and during halftime at all Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football games, and travels to select road football games. Auditions are held throughout the academic year as scheduled for the upcoming Fall Quarter.
The Edinburgh University Music Society (EUMS) is a student-run musical organisation based in Edinburgh. Since its founding in 1867, the EUMS has been based within the University of Edinburgh.
The Pennsylvania State University Glee Club is a choral ensemble at Pennsylvania State University. The Glee Club is one of the top choral ensembles at Penn State and considered to be one of the best of its kind in the country. Founded in 1888, the Penn State Glee club is the oldest organization at Penn State consisting of 60-80 undergraduate and graduates from all colleges of the University. The Glee Club performs several concerts each year and goes on a tour during spring break. The Glee Club performs a variety of music from Broadway to Classical music, and has its place in Penn State tradition by singing University fight songs and performing at numerous events. Dr. Christopher Kiver is the current director of the Penn State Glee Club.
The Princeton University Orchestra (PUO) is the flagship symphony orchestra of Princeton University. The ensemble tours internationally and includes over 100 musicians, almost all of whom are undergraduates at the university. Every academic year, the Princeton University Orchestra holds eight or nine concerts in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall.
