Ensembles

Ensemble choices include Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Campus Band, the Herd of Thunder Marching Band and the Rumble Pep Band. Contact Matthew McCutchen, Director of Bands, for more information.

USF Wind Ensemble

Known as one of the finest university wind bands in the South, the USF Wind Ensemble performs only the best repertoire available, both old and new. This highly select ensemble has been involved in the commissioning of numerous new works and has a number of world premieres to its credit. While performing at national, regional and state conferences of music professionals, the Wind Ensemble has further enhanced its reputation. Participation in the Wind Ensemble is obtained through a successful audition which will be held at the beginning of each semester. Wind Ensemble is open to music majors and qualified non-majors. Rehearsals occur on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 pm to 5:45 pm and Fridays from 3:00 pm to 3:50 pm. For more information please contact Dr. McCutchen.

USF Symphonic Band

The USF Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. Tina DiMeglio, fosters the highest performance standards while offering its members an opportunity to expand their technical, intellectual, and musical horizons. Although made up primarily of music majors, the Symphonic Band is open to all university students by comprehensive auditions at the beginning of each semester. Two performances are scheduled each semester providing students with a diverse repertoire that is performed with great attention to musical and artistic detail. Recent performances by the Symphonic Band have included masterworks by Holst, Grainger, Shostakovich, Bach, Schuman and Persichetti, and well a newer gems by Bryant, Ticheli, Maslanka, Grantham, and Mackey. The band rehearses on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 – 3:45, and Fridays from 2:00 - 2:50. For more information please contact Dr. Trevor Butts.

USF CONCERT BAND

The USF Concert Band is open to all USF students with interest and experience in wind band music. No audition is required. The purpose of the Concert Band is to provide a means to continue performing for students who played in band throughout high school and are serious about their continued musical growth. Ideally the ensemble will be a healthy mix of music majors and non-music majors.  Concert Band meets on Tuesday and Thursdays from 4:00 - 5:45. For more information please contact Dr. Matthew McCutchen.

Students interested in joining a chorus at USF can choose from a variety of ensembles. Audition information is available by clicking here. For questions, please contact Allyssa Jones, Director of Vocal Ensembles.

USF Chamber Singers

The USF Chamber Singers performs a wide variety of advanced concert music spanning a wide variety of historical periods and cultures. Open by audition to music majors and non-majors, this ensemble demands the highest level of skill and commitment from its members. The Chamber Singers serve as ambassadors for USF and the School of Music, touring regionally, nationally and internationally.

University Singers 

As USF’s campus-wide chorus, University Singers performs repertoire that reflects the cultures and musical interests represented on campus and in our neighboring communities. Repertoire includes everything from concert favorites to student arrangements of contemporary hits. All students, staff and faculty are welcome to join via a simple video audition.

BLUE MOOD

Blue Mood performs jazz and jazz-influenced music from a variety of eras and cultures. Singers develop authentic style through an aural-oral learning process designed to create deep understanding of jazz language and history. Since their debut in December 2021, Blue Mood has performed for schools in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties, and has become a first-call vocal ensemble for official USF events, including the inauguration of President Rhea Law. Learn more about USF’s voice and vocal ensemble programs at https://www.usf.edu/arts/music. 

Celebration Singers

Celebration Singers is an auxiliary vocal ensemble that performs with our regular ensembles twice a year. The group was created to provide the USF community with joyful singing opportunities that fit into any schedule. University students, employees, and alumni are invited to join.

The USF Symphony Orchestra is a full orchestra for advanced string, wind and percussion students. Contact Dr. Matthew Wardell, Director of Orchestras, for more information.

The USF Symphony Orchestra is comprised of highly accomplished graduate and undergraduate students in the USF School of Music. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester, and non-music majors are welcome to participate by performing a successful audition. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the School of Music to arrange a one-dayt visit and to sit in with the USFSO in rehearsal or attend a concert performance, as well as attend studio master classes.

The USF Symphony Orchestra is nationally renowned for it's "fearless" programming of contemporary works as well as established major orchestral repertoire. The USF Symphony Orchestra has premiered ten works for orchestra of chamber orchestra - most recently FLASH, for chorus and orchestra, by former Chicago Symphony Composer-in-Residence Augusta Read Thomas. This was a commission by the USF College of Design, Art & Performance to commemorate the grand opening of the state-of-the-art new USF Concert Hall in 2010.

The orchestra has recently collaborated with other composers such as Louis Andriessen, David Del Tredici, and Todd Goodman. The orchestra has just released Robert Helps: The Orchestral Works on the Albany label, which has been critically acclaimed, and will be featured on a CD release on the Naxos label entitled The Concertos of Todd Goodman. Performances of the orchestra have been broadcast on Irish Public Radio, WWFM (The Classical Network - Trenton, NJ), Princeton University Public Radio, WQED Classical Radio (Pittsburgh, PA), MCLV Classical Radio (Cleveland, OH), and WTSU (Troy State University Public Radio).

USF features two Jazz Ensembles (Big Bands) as well as several combos. Contact Professor Tom Brantley, Director of Jazz Studies, for more information.

In addition to performing with many of our other ensembles, percussionists also can participate in the Percussion Ensemble and Marimba Ensemble. Contact Dr. Kevin von Kampen for more information.

The University of South Florida Percussion and Marimba Ensembles are recognized by composers and scholars throughout the world for their many recordings and performances of new classical music. The USF Percussion Ensemble has performed at the Ewha International Percussion Festival in Seoul, at MENC state, regional and national conventions and for the Percussive Arts Society International Conference History of the Avant-Garde. Among the most recorded ensembles of its genre, the group has received high critical acclaim in American Record Guide, Fanfare and the Gramophone prestigious Best Recordings of North America. Director Robert McCormick is especially proud of the many alumni that have gone on to develop significant careers in the percussion field. Among the significant activities of the USF Percussion program is the annual McCormick Marimba Festival which attracts artists and universities from around the world. The McCormick Percussion Group was the recipient of a 2012 Global Music Award for Originality/Creativity. Recordings are available at most major on-line classical music websites, or I-tunes listed under McCormick Percussion Group. Several You Tube videos are also available.

Through SYCOM (Systems Complex for the Recording and Performing Arts) and degree programs in Electronic Music and Electro Acustic Music, there are many options for students interested in electronic music recording and performance. Contact Dr. Paul Reller for more information.

A large variety of chamber groups form each semester and including combinations of winds, string, percussion, and voice. We even offer a Master of Music in Chamber Music degree program. Contact Dr. Svetozar Ivanov for more information.

Open to music majors and non-majors by audition, the USF Tuba Euphonium Ensemble performs regularly throughout the school year. A wide variety of repertoire is programmed including original compositions, transcriptions of famous works, and new music (occasionally composed by members of the ensemble). Themed concerts—like recent "Tribute to James Bond" and “Stranger Things”— are regular highlights of the annual OcTUBAfest! recital series.

The USF Tuba Euphonium Ensemble is built into the studio curriculum and is required for tuba and euphonium majors. Those non-studio musicians selected to participate will find it to be an excellent performing outlet. The course may fulfill degree (elective) requirements in some cases. The ensemble rehearses Monday and Tuesday from 12:30-1:45pm at the School of Music and admission to the group is possible at the beginning of every semester. Non-music majors and music majors who play tuba/euphonium as a secondary instrument who are interested in participating should contact the director, Joseph Alvarez, before the start of the semester.

Please visit us on our Facebook group at USF Tuba Euphonium Studio and Ensemble.

Contemporary Commercial Music

A variety of different ensembles that run the gamut of popular music are available for students at USF. Groups form from out of the Holly Drive Collective, which is a creative collaborative network of students from the Contemporary Commercial Music program, the university system, and from the Tampa Bay community. At any given time we have hip hop bands, progressive rock bands, blues bands, soul bands, indie bands, and/or country bands among hosts of other offerings. For information on how to join one of these ensembles contact Dr. Clint Randles at randlesc@usf.edu.

Hip Hop Bands

With having a faculty rapper comes the formation of hip hop bands. We have hip hop bands at USF that are strong and vibrant. They are frequently heard around the Tampa Bay area at festivals and on local media outlets.

Progressive Rock Bands

Out of the school of music environment that leans towards classical and jazz music comes bands that appreciate form and structure while maximizing improvisation and contemporary tone. That is where our progressive rock bands shine.

Blues Bands

Our student blues bands have performed with the likes of Joe Bonamassa. USF students are a part of the greater blues scene in the Tampa Bay region. These bands tend to form from members of our accomplished guitar studio.

Soul Bands

Our student soul bands have attracted performers from around the US. Soul musicians come from every studio in the School of Music. Recent soul bands have formed from musicians from USF’s excellent choral area.

Indie Bands

Our singer/songwriter population is strong at USF. And so, the indie bands here have been strong as well. Songwriters find band members from out of the creative collaborative network that is the Holly Drive Collective and then perform at functions for the greater Tampa Bay Community, including the prestigious Stovall House.

Country Bands

One of the most popular genres of music is country music. Students in the CCM degree direct what ensembles will be offered at USF. So, our country bands form. These bands play everything from country swing to today’s modern country styles.

Cross-Pollination

One of the things that we enjoy here at USF is creating mashups of styles and genres. We like to bring together students of diverse backgrounds and musical tastes to create styles that are uniquely them. It is not common to see progressive rock musicians creating beats for hip hop musicians and jazz pianists laying down grooves for country bands. We celebrate all of the diversity and complexity of music in the Contemporary Commercial Music ensembles.