Guilford College

The music department at Guilford College supports two choral ensembles: the College Choir and the Chamber Singers. The College Choir is an unauditioned mixed chorus open to anyone who enjoys singing. The College Choir performs a wide variety of repertoire and often tours in the Spring Semester. The College Choir offers scholarship money to pay for voice lessons, instrumental lessons, and positions of leadership within the choir.

The Chamber Singers is a select ensemble of approximately twenty singers. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester. The Chamber Singers ensemble offers scholarship money to pay for voice lessons, instrumental lessons, and positions of leadership within the choir.

Guitar Ensembles are a vital part of the Guilford College music program, and consist of both large and small groups. Opportunities are also available to perform with other instrumentalists and vocalists. In the past, guitar ensembles frequently collaborate with Guilford's dance program to perform live in full-productions. Major past works include pieces by York, Brouwer, Torroba, and Vivaldi. Guilford College owns a contrabass guitar, and requinto guitar, both of which are used by the guitar ensemble. Guitar ensemble is required for music majors and open to all students.

The Guilford College Jazz Ensemble provides musicians the opportunity to perform within a large jazz ensemble setting. This group performs on and off of campus and studies jazz ensemble repertoire from the early Swing Era to the present. The ensemble is open to any Guilford student by audition.

Jazz combos at Guilford College provide musicians with the opportunity to perform and rehearse in a small group setting. Techniques for improvisation are explored as are the individual roles of instruments within the jazz tradition. Groups perform throughout the semester on campus and in the greater Greensboro area.

This new course was established by popular demand and is offered to all Guilford musicians who play an instrument and wish to study and perform classical music. The literature studied depends on the instrumentalists who enroll, and everyone in the class will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform music they wish to learn. This will be accomplished by forming chamber ensembles within the larger group of musicians.