Wind Ensemble

The Houghton Wind Ensemble is a premiere ensemble performing the highest quality music written for wind and percussion instruments. This ensemble welcomes music and non-music majors and part assignments are done on a rotational basis, so all students get experience on all parts. While maintaining an emphasis on newer music, working with composers from around the country on recent compositions and premieres, the traditional music for wind bands is well-represented.

This ensemble values collaborative musicmaking, stressing the value of each player working closely with one another. Graduate conducting assistants regularly conduct and guest and student soloists are regularly featured.

Directed by Dr. Timothy McGarvey
Professor of Instrumental Music & Conducting, Director of Instrumental Music Activities, Wind Ensemble Conductor

Symphony Orchestra

The Houghton Symphony Orchestra is a flexible performing both new music and standard repertoire for strings, winds, and percussion. The ensemble welcomes both music major and non-majors, as well as community members. While concert programming tends to focus on music of the traditional eras of Western music—works from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Post-Romantic, and later 20th Century, their participation in Prism, our annual Christmas production, allows for a variety of styles to be played throughout the course of the year.

Directed by Maestro Theodore Kuchar
Professor of Orchestral Conducting

Jazz Ensemble

The Houghton Jazz Ensemble performs music stemming from the African-American experience of the mid-20th century, focusing on the combination of ensemble playing and improvisation pioneered by such musicians as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. The ensemble is open to all Houghton students playing saxophone, trumpet, trombone, or rhythm instruments.

Individual lessons in jazz improvisation and arranging are offered, and student compositions are regularly featured in concerts. All instrumental students are able to take Jazz Workshop, which serves as an introduction to jazz improvisation and standard repertoire.

Directed by Dr. Russell Scarbrough
Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies; Instructor of Trombone; Jazz Band Director

Chamber Ensembles

Houghton offers a variety of flexible options for chamber music. Ensembles are formed on a semester-by-semester basis based on student interest, and can include, but are not limited to:

• Chamber Strings – Mostly trios and quartets from the standard repertoire
• Chamber Brass – Brass Quintet or chamber ensemble music from the standard repertoire
• Chamber Winds – Wind Quintets, Octets, or family ensembles (like our saxophone ensemble), performing music from the standard repertoire.
• Chamber Percussion

All chamber ensembles are coached by qualified music faculty, while general oversight of the process falls under the purview of Dr. Timothy McGarvey, our Director of Instrumental Activities.