Graduate Performance Ensembles

The Music Department has a thriving graduate program featuring our premier orchestra, the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, a historically informed Baroque Ensemble, graduate jazz Ensembles, and our Contemporary Chamber Players. Visit the links below for more info.

SBSO

Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra

Baroque Ensemble

Jazz Ensembles

Contemporary Chamber Players

Undergraduate Performance Ensembles

The Music Department is proud to offer the following 1-credit musical ensembles for all students. Auditions for select ensembles are held the first week of classes. Click each category below for specific information:

Wind Ensemble - MUS 263/599

Wind Ensemble

MUS 263/599

Wednesday evenings from 6:30p-9:20p

Music Building / Staller 0111

Established in the 1970s, the Stony Brook University Wind Ensemble performs contemporary and traditional wind repertoire of the highest quality, and comprises wind and percussion student musicians from across campus. Members represent undergraduate and graduate music and non-music majors who wish to make music performance an important part of their college experience. The ensemble is dedicated to broadening the musical interest of its members through the performance of artistically and historically significant core wind repertoire, with a special emphasis on new music. The Wind Ensemble made its debut at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Annual Conference in 2024, marking the first-ever performance of a Stony Brook Music Department ensemble at the state music conference. In Spring 2025, the Wind Ensemble wperformed a consortium commission premiere of new works by Dennis Llinás and award-winning composer Joel Puckett. All interested musicians can join Wind Ensemble by registering for MUS 263, regardless of major. The first rehearsal is on Wednesday, January 28th, 2026 from 6:30p-9:20p in Music Building 0111.

Auditions are not required to join, but it may be determined to hold seating auditions at a later date. If you are interested, please fill out the following Instrumentation Survey by January 25th, 2026: https://forms.gle/aEkZ8pj7mfbKAk936 and email taylor.peterson@stonybrook.edu for permission to enroll.

Students can also participate in Varsity Band MUS 268.
Taylor Peterson, Assistant Director

Varsity Band (SBU Athletic Band) (MUS 268/599)
Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30p-8:30p

Varsity Band (Pep Band) performs at all home Women’s and Men’s Basketball games (plus post-season tournaments in Washington DC and nationally in March), including other on- and off- campus events throughout the semester. Members represent undergraduate and graduate music and non-music majors. All interested musicians can join Varsity Band (SBU Athletic Band) by registering for MUS 268, regardless of major. The culminating performance is the Annual Varsity Band Spring Concert in April in Stony Brook Arena. No audition is required; however, experience playing a marching/pep band instrument, and reading music, is required.
University Orchestra
(MUS 262- undergraduate & MUS 599-T22 - graduate)
Tuesday Evenings

Conducted by Susan Deaver
susan.deaver@stonybrook.edu

About
The University Orchestra is an undergraduate orchestra comprised of 70 to 75 students. They present two concerts each semester at the Staller Center. Past repertoire has included Beethoven Symphony No. 3 and No. 7, Brahms Symphony No. 2 and No. 4, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and No. 5, Dvorak Symphony No. 8 and No. 9 "New World", Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and other major orchestral repertoire including overtures and concertos. It is a very diverse orchestra made up of both music majors and minors, as well as qualified non-majors who have been involved in music in their high schools, music festivals and youth orchestras.
Meeting Time
Tuesday Evenings from 6:30 PM - 9:20 PM (New Rehearsal Time)
Room 0111, Music Building

Audition Video Requirements (limit video to five minutes or less) and submit your video one or two weeks before the beginning of the semester. Include two short contrasting sections of a solo or concerto of your choice OR two contrasting orchestra excerpts fromwww.orchestraexcerpts.com.

Google link to upload your “unlisted” YouTube audition video is:
https://forms.gle/crt4XNf3VfWA99neA

Further information or questions – please contact susan.deaver@stonybrook.edu
JAZZ COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

Jazz Orchestra & Combos directed by:

Thomas Manuel thomas.manuel@stonybrook.edu

Teaching Assistants Andrea Veneziani, Dario Chiazzolino

Under the guidance of Jazz Director, Roxy Coss roxy.coss@stonybrook.edu

Jazz Combos

As much as possible, this course will be run just like a rehearsal for a band performance. We will be covering a wide range of music with an emphasis on the interplay between the group and the individual. Knowledge of the music’s history and an understanding of the African-American culture that gave birth to Jazz is essential to understanding the music. Rehearsals will include listening, discussion, as well a variety of exercises to learn improvisation and ensemble playing techniques.

SBU Jazz Orchestra

The SBU Jazz Orchestra performs a wide range of music from within the Jazz Orchestratradition. We will focus on developing a rich blend and sound as an ensemble, as well as engaging our individual creativity and expression inside of the group. In this course you will learn to play jazz by practicing daily on your instrument and playing in class. Harmony, melody, phrasing, rhythm and the study of the African-American roots of jazz will be included. We will be exploring the essential jazz tension between composition and improvisation.

The Jazz Orchestra explores traditional literature from composers like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, Stan Kenton, and Thad Jones, as well as newly composed works. Each year select students from the Jazz Orchestra have the opportunity to be a part of an annual large scale project at The Staller Center. Guest artists will work with the Jazz Orchestrathroughout the semester. There are weekly rotating sectionals as well as a concluding concert at the end of each semester. Additional performances are TBD.

Jazz Private Lessons

This course consists of weekly individual jazz lessons. The course is open to any and all students who have successfully auditioned and been placed with an instructor based on their skill level, schedule, and desire to focus on particular aspects of jazz. The purpose of the lessons is to develop jazz skills, including instrument technique, blues and expression, harmonic understanding, phrasing and melodic interpretation, rhythmic concepts, and improvisational skills in the context of jazz, popular music, and music from the lineage of Black American Music. Lessons will include scales and chord theory, ear training, improvisation, technique building, standards and jazz standards repertoire, and may also include latin jazz, popular music, brazilian music, voicings, accompaniment, and more.

Beginning Improvisation

Beginning Improv is a class that we offer as needed, for our students who are more new to jazz. This class will cover basic concepts of improvisation and jazz performance.

JAZZ AUDITION PROCESS - This semester, ALL Jazz Auditions will be done virtually!

CLICK HERE TO AUDITION FOR THE JAZZ PROGRAM

Everyone is welcome to audition for the following jazz classes at Stony Brook, but you must audition to participate in them. You need permission to register. You must register to attend.

Jazz Offerings BY AUDITION ONLY:
- Jazz Private Lessons
- Jazz Combos - MUS 267/289 (times TBA, most likely Monday & Wednesday afternoons)
- Beginning Improvisation - MUS 189 (Time To Be Announced)
- SBU Jazz Orchestra (Big Band) - MUS 264 (Mondays, 7PM-9:30PM)
All Jazz Auditions will be held VIRTUALLY for SPRING 2026.

Students should record a video of themselves playing, and submit it to the link provided, by January 31, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.

The video should include the following:
Please introduce yourself, state your name, and what you are going to play before each selection.
1. Play or sing a Major Scale of your choice (if possible, with swung eighth notes)
2. Arpeggiate a Major 7th chord, Dominant 7th chord, Minor 7th chord (if you know how)
3. Play a melody and improvise a 1-chorus solo over: Jazz Standard of your choice
4. Play a melody and improvise a 1-chorus solo over: Jazz Blues composition of your choice
*Returning jazz students DO NOT need to audition for Spring 2026, as long as they submitted their jazz survey for Fall 2025.

**ALL students should submit a copy of their weekly schedule in the audition link or by email to roxy.coss@stonybrook.edu

CLICK HERE TO AUDITION FOR THE JAZZ PROGRAM
Stony Brook Chorale - MUS 261
Monday evenings
Camerata Singers - MUS 271
Wednesday Evenings

Conducted by Shoshana Hershkowitz
shoshana.hershkowitz@stonybrook.edu

Stony Brook Chorale and Camerata Singers will hold in-person auditions the first Monday and Wednesday of the semester. You can audition on either day for either ensemble. Only one audition is necessary. Sign up for your audition time here with your Stony Brook email address.

Auditions will take place in Staller 2342 (second floor of the music building).

Placement in the Chorale is guaranteed, this audition is simply to place singers in the correct voice part. Returning members do not need to re-audition. All new members should prepare any song that they are comfortable singing unaccompanied.

Singers must audition for placement in Camerata Singers, where space is limited. Singers should prepare a song to sing unaccompanied. Singers will also be asked to sight read in the audition.

To register for these courses, you must be cleared on SOLAR. Please fill out this form to have the music department administrator clear you. You will receive an email once you are cleared to register on SOLAR.
West African Drumming and Dance - MUS 235 and MUS 335

Conducted by JB Gnonlonfoun
hulengansodji.gnonlonfoun@stonybrook.edu

West African Drumming and Dance -

Intro African Drumming MUS 235 (for undergrad) &Intro African Drumming MUS 510 (for grad)

*Mus 235 & Mus 510 meet together then Mus 510 students have an extra short-project presentation to do apart from participating in the end-semester concert.

Advanced African Drumming MUS 335 (for undergrad) & Advanced African Drumming MUS 588 (for grad)

*Mus 335 and Mus 588 meet together then Mus 588 students have an extra short-project presentation to do apart from participating in the end-semester concert.

Thursday Evenings

Conducted by JB Gnonlonfoun
hulengansodji.gnonlonfoun@stonybrook.edu

VOLTA, Stony Brook's West African Music ensemble, is made up of students from MUS 235 & 510 (Thursdays 4:45pm-6:30pm) and Music 335 & 588 (Thursday 6:30pm-8:15pm). The ensemble performs music from southern Togo, Ghana and Benin. Students learn the history related to each piece they will perform for the concert and learn to play authentic instruments (drums, bells and rattles), sing, and dance. The semester-end concert features African guest artists. No audition required.
Undergraduate Chamber Music - MUS 391
Meeting times based on members' schedules

Directed by Joanna Kaczorowska
Joanna.Kaczorowska@stonybrook.edu

Here's your opportunity to play the beautiful repertoire of chamber music while working with our outstanding doctoral students. Learn about chamber music repertoire, develop rehearsal skills and the performance techniques that lead to the successful preparation and performance of chamber music. Through weekly rehearsals and coachings, all participants will learn to prepare a piece of music or a group of pieces for the final performance in the Staller Center. To be considered for placement, please prepare two different pieces in two different styles from two different composers and contact Germaine Berry at germaine.berry@stonybrook.edu about the date, time and room number for the auditions which will take place during the first week of classes.

Performance Ensembles