School of Music - Ensembles
The School of Music values immersive and communal learning experiences. Students have multiple opportunities to perform in large ensembles, small ensembles, chamber groups, and as soloists throughout their years at Stetson.
Bands and Orchestras
Within a four-year period, the Stetson University Chamber Orchestra plays a representative cross-section of the string orchestra repertoire from the 17th century to the present day. This includes baroque composers such as Bach, Corelli, Geminiani, Handel, Locatelli, Purcell, Telemann and Vivaldi. Music is played on modern instruments using baroque playing techniques. Core repertoire includes works by Mozart, the demanding serenades of Dvorak, Suk and Tchaikovsky, and works by Arensky, Barber, Elgar, Greig, Nielsen, Morfydd Owen, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Warlock and Grace Williams.
The orchestra is committed to the performance of contemporary music both by internationally known composers as well as members of the Stetson University student body.
In 2023 the orchestra went on a highly successful concert tour of Italy with stops in Lucca, Florence, Venice, and Rome.
Contact Anthony Hose for more information.
The Hatter Band (football band) entertains fans, supports the team, and provides the “soundtrack” for all Stetson Football home games.
The Pep Band (basketball band) is a crowd favorite that also entertains fans, supports the Hatters, and performs for Stetson Women's and Men's Basketball home games.
These ensembles provide an opportunity for student musicians to participate in an exciting extracurricular activity in support of the university.
Both the Hatter Band and the Pep Band are open to all Stetson students with prior experience on the following instruments:
- Piccolo/Flute
- Clarinet
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Mellophone/Horn
- Trombone
- Baritone
- Sousaphone/Tuba
- Drum-Set
Contact Chandler Wilson for more information or questions.
Dan Johnson and Timothy Rosenberg, directors
The Stetson University Jazz Ensemble is a major performing ensemble in the School of Music directed by Dan Johnson and Timothy Rosenberg. Performing four concerts per year, members are chosen by audition from musicians of the School of Music, plus interested and talented non-music majors.
The ensemble, primarily an 18-member big band, performs selections ranging from swing-era standards to contemporary originals — encompassing a variety of musical styles. Smaller ensembles are also formed on occasion for concerts and special events.
Big band music has existed at Stetson University since the late 1930s, mainly in the form of a dance orchestra. With the increased inclusion of jazz in both secondary and higher education, the School of Music established the Stetson University Jazz Ensemble in the early 1970s. Over the past several years, the band has performed at area festivals including the New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival, the LYNX Jazz Festival in Orlando, and the Noble Watts Jazz Festival in DeLand, in addition to concerts at Flagler Auditorium, the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center in Belle Glade, and Disney World. The jazz ensemble also performs on campus for university functions, in addition to its regularly scheduled fall and spring concerts at the Athens Theatre.
Not unlike the University, the Stetson Band has a long and distinguished history. Established in 1926, the Stetson University Symphonic Band is the School of Music's premier wind/brass/percussion ensemble and is comprised of between 90 and 115 undergraduate music and non-music majors enrolled in the School of Music. In addition to tour and conference performances, the band regularly performs on campus during the fall and spring semesters and is proud to serve as the featured ensemble during the annual Florida Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame Concert hosted on the campus of Stetson University. The Stetson University Symphonic Band has established a committed tradition of performance excellence by programming the best of standard band repertoire as well as showcasing and premiering new compositions. The Stetson Band shares the mission of Stetson University through transformative concert experiences by preparing and presenting inspiring, engaging, and exciting performances.
History of Stetson Band Conductors
- 2024-present, Chandler L. Wilson
- 2023-2024, John T. Seth
- 2012-2023, Douglas L. Phillips
- 1987-2012, Bobby L. Adams
- 1985-1987, Thomas M. Sleeper
- 1982-1985, Paul Phillips
- 1978-1982, Gordon O'Hara
- 1974-1978, Frank Stubbs
- 1948-1974, Richard M. Feasel
- 1943-1948, Victor J. Grabel
- 1935-1943, John J. Heney
- 1930-1935, Louis Marvin
- 1926-1930, Donald Faulkner
Premiere Performances of Original Works for Wind Band/Ensemble
- Sydney Hodkinson – Missa Memoriis (World Premiere, 2017)
- David Maslanka – Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble (Florida Premiere, 2016)
- Sydney Hodkinson – Symphony No. 10 (World Premiere, 2014)
- Sydney Hodkinson – Midnight Passage (World Premiere, 2013)
- Samuel Adler – Concerto for Guitar and Wind Ensemble
- Sydney Hodkinson – Monumentum pro umbris (World Premiere)
- David Maslanka – Desert Roads: Four Songs for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble
Premiere Performances of Transcriptions for Wind Band by Joseph Kreines
- Edward Elgar – Enigma Variations, Op. 36 (2017)
- Richard Wagner – “Prelude to Act I” from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (2013)
- Hector Berlioz – Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet (2012)
- Frederick Delius – The Walk to the Paradise Garden
- Sergei Prokofiev – Six Movements of the Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suite
- Jean Sibelius – “Finale” to Symphony No. 2
Conference Performances (since 1990)
- 2017 – Florida Music Education Association Professional Development Conference, Tampa, FL
- 2006 – College Band Directors Association/National Band Association - Southern Division Conference, Nashville, TN
- 2003 – Florida Music Educators Association Conference, Tampa, FL
- 2002 – College Band Directors Association/National Band Association - Southern Division Conference, Atlanta, GA
- 2000 – Music Educators National Conference, Washington, D.C.
- 1998 – American Bandmasters Association National Conference, Biloxi, MS
- 1996 – Music Educators National Conference, Kansas City, MO
- 1996 – College Band Directors National Association/National Band Association - Southern Division Conference, Biloxi, MS
- 1995 – Kentucky Music Educators Association, Louisville, KY
- 1993 – MENC Southern Division Conference, Savannah, GA
- 1991 – Florida Music Educators Association, Tampa, FL
- 1991 – Florida Bandmasters Association, Tampa, FL
Florida Bandmasters Association
The Stetson University Symphonic Band and the School of Music are proud of a healthy and collaborative relationship with the Florida Bandmasters Association and a common mission in support of music education.
In 1990 the Florida Bandmasters Association instituted the FBA Hall of Fame. Since that initial year and founding the Stetson University School of Music serves as host for the FBA Hall of Fame activities, with the Stetson University Symphonic Band and the Southern Winds serving as the featured ensembles.
Faculty and Staff Support for Stetson Band Students
The Stetson University School of Music is fortunate to have immensely talented and sought after artist-scholar faculty and a highly qualified and devoted staff who are committed to the total education of undergraduate students in music. More specifically, the dedicated support, involvement, and guidance given the band students by the faculty and staff creates an atmosphere of mutual respect that ensures the growth and success of our students and the tradition of excellence within the School of Music and the Stetson Band.
Contact Chandler Wilson for more information.
Stetson University's Symphony Orchestra comprises some 70 to 75 students and plays symphony concerts on and off campus, a concerto competition winners' concert, an opera each year and, from time to time, choral concerts.
Recent concert repertoire has included symphonies by Beethoven (1 and 5), Brahms (1, 2 and 3), Dvorak (6 and 7), Franck, Haydn (92), Mozart (39), Schubert (8), Schumann (3) and Shostakovich (1 and 9); overtures by Beethoven, George Chadwick, Copland, Mozart, Nicolai, Rossini, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Verdi and Wagner; other works by various composers including Bach, Barber, Bernstein, Britten, Chabrier, Debussy, Elgar, Greig, Khachaturian, Mussorgsky, Poulenc, Ravel and Sibelius.
Operas include Candide, La Clemenza di Tito, Die Fledermaus, Hansel and Gretel, L'Italiana in Algeri, The Merry Wives of Windsor and La Rondine (Puccini).
The orchestra has been invited on a number of occasions to play for the Orlando Opera and several of the orchestral players play with the Jacksonville and Orlando Symphony Orchestras as well as for other orchestras in the state.
Contact Anthony Hose for more information.
Vocal Ensembles
The Choral Union is Stetson University's largest choral ensemble, with participation open to Stetson students as well as members of the community. No audition is required, but punctuality and preparation are crucial. Also, the choir learns repertoire by reading notated scores, thus music literacy skills are essential. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings in McMahan Hall on the Stetson University campus in DeLand. Participation dues are $25.00 per semester. Singers are also required to purchase their own scores, which are made available at the first rehearsal of each semester. The fee for scores ranges from $10-25.
Our singers come from many walks of life and together form a vibrant musical community. The repertoire includes works for large chorus and orchestra, pieces accompanied by organ, brass, and/or a variety of other instruments and on occasion a Cappella octavos. Choral Union presents one concert each semester.
The ensemble is conducted by Timothy Peter.
2024-2025 Schedule
Fall semester rehearsals:
- Mondays, 7:15-9:15 p.m.
- August 26 - November 25, 2024 (excluding Labor Day, September 2 and Veteran's Day, November 11)
- McMahan Hall (on the corner of Woodland Blvd. and Michigan Ave.), Stetson University, DeLand
Fall concert: Friday, November 22, 2024, 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel and Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 7:30 p.m. at Steinmetz Concert Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Downtown Orlando.
Repertoire: Beethoven Ninth Symphony "Finale" Ode to Joy with Stetson Symphony Orchestra
Spring semester rehearsals:
- Mondays, 7:15-9:15 p.m.
- January 13, 2025 - April 21, 2025 (excluding MLK Day, January 20 and Spring Holiday, March 3)
- McMahan Hall (on the corner of Woodland Blvd. and Michigan Ave.), Stetson University, DeLand
Spring concert: Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 7:30 p.m., Stetson Baptist Church, 1025 W. Minnesota Avenue, DeLand
Repertoire: Requiem, Johannes Brahms
Concert Ticket Information
For the most current information on concerts and performances, visit Stetson's music calendar. Tickets for general admission seating are available online. The price of admission is $15 for adults, $5 for non-Stetson University students; all Stetson University students, faculty and staff receive free admission with their university ID.
Resources
The Choral Union has been conducted by Bob Rich, Duncan Couch, Alan Raines, Peter Durow, Milburn Price, Andrew Larson and Sandra Peter.
Contact Timothy Peter for more information.
Timothy Peter, conductor
>>View Spring 2024 Concert Choir Tour dates.
The Concert Choir is one of four choral ensembles in the Stetson University School of Music; it is a highly selective principal vocal touring ensemble made up of 52 vocalists. The Concert Choir has performed concerts throughout the United States and Europe. The choir has been selected by competitive audition to perform for several prestigious national, regional and state professional musical conferences. The group has appeared recently in performances for the National Collegiate Choral Organization, the Southern Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association and of the Music Educators National Conference. The group has appeared at numerous conventions of the Florida Vocal Association, the Florida ACDA and the Florida Music Educators Association.
Though the choir is comprised mainly of music majors, numerous other academic areas are represented as well, as the choir is open by audition to all students at the university. The choir records regularly for leading music publishers in the U.S. and appears annually in radio broadcasts on Orlando radio stations and on National Public Radio. The group has performed with area professional orchestras such as the Orlando Philharmonic, the Florida Symphony and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.
As a part of the School of Music's larger Choral Union, the Coperaoncert Choir has performed with professional orchestras such as the Sydney (Australia) Symphony and the Russian State Symphony. The Concert Choir's most recent European Concert Tour (May 2002) included performances in historic concert venues in the cities of Prague, Lucerne, Vienna, Freiberg, Salzburg and Paris.
The ensemble rehearses four times per week: Monday and Wednesday, noon-1:15 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 1-2:15 p.m.
Contact Timothy Peter for more information.
Pingyi Song, conductor
The Stetson Chorale, formerly the Women's Chorale, has twice been invited to appear at the Southern Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association, has recorded for Santa Barbara Music Publishing and maintains an active performing schedule every season. This auditioned choir rehearses two days per week in an open-door format in which anyone interested in attending may do so. Members enjoy a strong sense of community and aren't necessarily music majors -- current members include students majoring in marine biology, business administration and political science. The choir meets Monday and Wednesday, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Contact Pingyi Song for more information.
Pingyi Song, conductor
The ensemble prepares and performs works for tenor and bass voices. Members are selected in the fall by audition. Singers may also audition and join spring semester only. Hatter Choir rehearses twice weekly: Monday and Wednesday, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Additional Samples
Hear the Hatter Choir in past performances with the following samples:
- Timothy C. Takach's KIN (Sandra Peter, conductor)
- Stetson Fight Song (with Symphonic Band; Sandra Peter, conductor)
- Dan Forrest's The Work of Christmas (Sandra Peter, conductor)
- Daniel Kallman's Let All the World in Every Corner Sing (Peter Durow, conductor; Amy Crane, piano)
- Stetson University Alma Mater (arranged by Peter Durow; Peter Durow, conductor)
- William Appling's We Shall Walk Through the Valley (Andrew Larson, conductor)
- Norman Luboff's Riders in the Sky (Andrew Larson, conductor)
Contact Pingyi Song for more information.
Stetson Opera Theatre is a vital component of the vocal and orchestral programs at Stetson University School of Music. Through the creative effort and mentorship of the stage director, conductor, voice faculty, coaches and designers, it provides an immersive performance opportunity for the aspiring singing actor.
Productions include early music, contemporary hit musicals, operettas, and operatic masterpieces spanning the last 400 years, giving students the opportunity to explore the performance tradition and to develop as actors.
In addition to world-class vocal training from some of the finest teachers in the industry, students enrolled in Stetson Opera Theatre receive comprehensive role preparation in the areas of musical coaching, diction, deportment, movement, character development and analysis. Productions are double-cast and understudies are assigned as appropriate, giving the students many opportunities to perform and develop.
Upcoming Productions
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro
Olivia Yokers, director
With Stetson Chamber Orchestra
Anthony Hose, conductor
Friday, March 21 | 7:30 p.m. | University High School, Orange City
Sunday, March 23 | 3:00 p.m. | University High School, Orange City
Please go to the Concerts page for ticket and up-to-date performance information.
Past productions include:
- Fall 2024 - George Frideric Handel: Acis and Galatea
- Spring 2024 - Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus
- Fall 2023 - Lerner and Loewe's musical: Camelot
- Spring 2023 - The Cunning Little Vixen
- Fall 2022 - Dido and Aeneas
- Spring 2022 - Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica
Production and Repertoire
Stetson Opera Theatre presents two or three productions each year. The fall production - a workshop-style chamber production - is presented as a scenes program performed with piano or a baroque or chamber opera performed with the University Chamber Orchestra. The fall production is typically performed in a smaller venue, such as the historic Lee Chapel on Stetson University's DeLand campus.
The spring production is a full production with sets and costumes with the University Symphony Orchestra. Works from the core opera repertoire are chosen and presented in the original language where appropriate.
The Stetson Opera Theatre productions provide an opportunity not only for performance but also to acquire experience in setting up a stage, stage management, scenic design, supertitles, lighting, sound systems, front-of-house management, makeup and costume. Some operas may need assisting scene direction and offstage conducting.
Audition
All roles are cast by audition. Transfer students are encouraged to audition upon arrival in the fall semester. For those wishing to receive a role in the spring production, you must first be enrolled in the Opera Theatre in the fall.
First-year students, because of the time commitment involved with Opera Theatre, you are discouraged from enrolling for the course in the fall. You may audition for the experience and participate in the spring production; however, permission must be obtained from both the Dean and the Associate Dean of the School of Music.
Faculty
- Olivia Yokers, director
- Anthony Hose, conductor
- Kristie Born, accompanist
- Karen Coker Merritt, voice
- Chadley Ballantyne, voice coordinator
Contact Olivia Yokers for more information.
Instrumental Ensembles
Aaron Witek, director
The Stetson Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Aaron Witek, is a performing ensemble. The ensemble is open to all majors by consultation with the instructor; offered in the fall and spring semesters.
Contact Aaron Witek for more information.
Lynn Musco and Jessica Speak, directors
The Stetson University Clarinet Choir is an elective ensemble with membership open to anyone interested in performing clarinet choir repertoire. The ensemble presents one formal performance at the Stetson University campus each semester and is often seen out and about performing in area schools or as pre-concert music for major events both on and off campus. It is also a perfect opportunity for students to explore performing on the auxiliary members of the clarinet, including the E♭ soprano, E♭ alto, B♭ bass, E♭ contra-alto and B♭ contra-bass clarinets.
Contact Lynn Musco for more information.
Tammara Phillips, director
Tammara Phillips leads the Stetson University Flute Choir and performs at numerous venues yearly. The Stetson University Flute Choir performed at the Florida Flute Convention in January 2023.
Contact Tammara Phillips for more information.
Orlando Roman, director
Performances include various combinations of guitars, as well as guitars with other instruments, and are given regularly on campus and in the surrounding communities. "Guitar on the Rocks," is a campus favorite. The guitar program, founded by Steven Robinson in 1983, is recognized as one of the foremost undergraduate guitar programs in the United States.
Contact Orlando Roman for more information.
Dan Johnson, director
Stetson University's percussion faculty is dedicated to cultivating a diverse environment for musical and personal growth. Mr. Johnson is a highly involved mentor with a genuine interest in motivating peak individual performance from both students and team members. Students gain the educational and performance knowledge needed to become successful musicians and educators through studying and performing solo literature, chamber ensemble music and multiple large ensemble opportunities. Graduates have a record of success in the creation and development of professional performance careers as well as holding teaching positions at middle school, high school and college music programs.
Contact Dan Johnson for more information.
Timothy Rosenberg, director
The Stetson Saxophone Ensemble was born out of a desire to show off the wonderful versatility that the inventor, Adolphe Sax, wished to exemplify with his family of instruments. The ensemble utilizes all instruments from sopranino to bass and everything in between. Stetson's saxophone ensemble regularly gives recitals and performs for university events throughout the year. Students also enjoy the opportunity to arrange pieces for the group and, at times, conduct the ensemble. The group has participated in various composer consortium projects and enjoys performing all types of music from the classical repertoire, through the 20th century, modern and beyond.
Contact Timothy Rosenberg for more information.
Dunwoody Mirvil, director
The Stetson University Trombone Choir is comprised of all trombone music majors and minors with selected non-majors. The ensemble rehearses on Mondays from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in the Feasel Rehearsal room located in McMahan Hall. The group plays one campus performance each semester and has occasionally been invited to perform off campus as well. In June 2013, the Stetson Trombone Choir was invited to perform two concerts at the prestigious International Trombone Association Festival which was held at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga.
Contact Dunwoody Mirvil for more information.