Instrumental Ensembles

Our concert bands consist of a total of four ensembles, including: Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, University Concert Band, and the Communiversity Band. Auditions and placement are required for Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, while University Band and the Communiversity Band are open to any interested students and community members.

The Wind Symphony is comprised of the finest wind and percussion performers in the university. They perform about six campus concerts each year, and sometimes at other events around the world.

The Symphonic Band is an ensemble committed to high level performances of standard and contemporary large band repertoire.

The University Concert Band is open to all students regardless of major, as well as local community members. The goal is to provide an outlet for musical creativity, offering maximum enjoyment with appropriate performance demands. Auditions are not required.

A long-standing tradition at OHIO, the Communiversity Band services as the core ensemble for the "Under the Elms" Summer Concert Series. The group consists of current Ohio University students and alumni, current and retired faculty members, as well as community members from Athens and beyond.

Campus Orchestra is a community-based string ensemble that welcomes violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists of all ages and backgrounds. They rehearse weekly and perform at the end of each semester. The repertoire includes standard and educational repertoire for string orchestra, often in collaboration with special guest soloists and conductors. The ensemble is a nurturing environment to learn and make music together. While there are auditions to establish placement, there is no limit to the number of participants in Campus Orchestra.

Symphony Orchestra is focused around the training of outstanding musicians in a wide range of styles. In addition to its own concert series this orchestra collaborates in performances with choral ensembles, Opera Theater, and the Performing Arts Series. Orchestra scholarships are available to highly qualified music majors and to a limited number of non-majors on the basis of an audition.

The jazz performance experience at OHIO includes two 20-piece big bands, jazz combos, and the Jazz Percussion Ensemble. These ensembles perform concerts on and off campus, take annual tours, and interact with internationally-recognized jazz masters. Auditions for big bands and combos occur during the first week of classes every semester. All students are invited to audition, regardless of major.

The Ohio University Percussion Ensemble, Roger Braun, director, performs a wide variety of music composed for percussion instruments. The ensemble has performed at numerous schools and universities throughout the region as well as at national and state conferences, including the 2009 and 2019 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. The ensemble received excellent international reviews for its performances of Tan Dun’s “Elegy: Snow in June” and Lou Harrison’s “Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra” recorded on the CD Sticks and Stones: Music for Percussion and Strings, released on Equilibrium Records.