Ensembles at Drury

The Drury Chamber Orchestra is comprised of string, wind, and percussion players drawn from the University Community. In addition to regular season concerts, the Chamber Orchestra also collaborates with the opera workshop in a yearly, fully staged opera production. Members of the Chamber Orchestra also perform in the Springfield-Drury Civic Orchestra. Membership is by audition.

Drury Woodwind Quintet, Brass Quintet, & String Quartet
Outstanding instrumentalists may be selected to be in Drury’s three scholarship ensembles, each of which provides a financial award above-and-beyond Department of Music activity grants. These ensembles receive weekly coachings with faculty and perform in twice-yearly chamber music concerts and as part of the Drury Consort.

Drury Wind Symphony
The Drury University Wind Symphony is comprised of wind and percussion players from the University Community. Performing both contemporary and traditional literature for the wind band, the Wind Symphony presents three major concerts yearly and performs at special events and the annual commencement exercises. Membership* is by audition.

Chamber Orchestra
The Drury Chamber Orchestra is comprised of string, wind, and percussion players drawn from the University Community. In addition to regular season concerts, the Chamber Orchestra also presents Peter and the Wolf for several thousand 3rd graders each spring. Members of the Chamber Orchestra also perform in the Springfield-Drury Civic Orchestra. Membership is by audition.

All instrumental music majors participate in chamber music. Students have the option of forming groups on their own or they may request to be assigned to a group. Drury faculty members provide intensive weekly coaching to string quartets, piano quintets, woodwind and brass ensembles, and mixed ensembles of all sizes. Each group will perform on a formal class recital at least once per semester, and they are encouraged to perform on other recitals at Drury and throughout greater Springfield.

Additional chamber music scholarships are available for students placed in the string quartet, brass quintet and woodwind quintet. 

The Drury Chorale is a non-auditioned choir open to anyone in the Drury community and performs large choral works as well as smaller octavos. They have performed with the New England Symphonic Ensemble in New York City, and they frequently perform with the Springfield Symphony, including performances of the Mahler 8th Symphony, Fauré Requiem, and Mozart Requiem.

The Drury Singers is the select touring choir of Drury University. Open to all Drury students by audition, the ensemble is made up of a wide variety of majors in various academic disciplines. The choir specializes in performing professional-level a cappella choral literature. The Drury Singers perform on four annual choral concerts in Stone Chapel as well as in numerous other engagements throughout the country and abroad. The choir has embarked on ten international tours since 2003, performing in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom (twice), Italy, Greece, Turkey, Scandinavia, and the Czech Republic. The Drury Singers have performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall (New York), Notre Dame and St-Sulpice (Paris), St. Paul’s (London), St. Mark’s (Venice), and St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican). Since 2000, the choir has been invited to sing for the Missouri Music Educators Conference six times and for the Southwest Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association twice.

Pulse is a contemporary a cappella ensemble that prepares and performs contemporary a cappella literature and barbershop harmony literature at an advanced collegiate level, and will perform frequently on campus, around the community, at area high schools, and on occasional tours. Pulse also works in the studio to create professional recordings and music videos. This ensemble is by audition only and typically consists of 6-12 singers. Pulse is a dual-enrollment ensemble—all members of Pulse must also be enrolled in either Singers or Chorale.

The Drury University Jazz Ensembles maintain an active performance schedule on campus and in the community. They perform at a variety of events including Parent’s Weekend, University Day, Music Day, and for the Alumni Association. These groups also present both formal and informal concerts each semester featuring music from a variety of periods and styles. The Drury Jazz Ensembles make regional or extended tours each year. Past performance cites have included: the Hawaiian Islands, Walt Disney World, Tulsa, Dallas, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi.

Each March, Drury hosts the Drury Jazz Festival, Missouri’s oldest Jazz Festival, which attracts high school bands from Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. This festival has attracted such artists as the big bands of Stan Kenton and Count Basie, as well as individual performers including Doc Severnson, Bill Waltrous, Kim Park, Clay Jenkins, Mike Metheny, and Mike Steinel.

The Drury University Wind Symphony is comprised of wind and percussion players from the University Community. Performing both contemporary and traditional literature for the wind band, the Wind Symphony presents three major concerts yearly and performs at special events and the annual commencement exercises. Membership* is by audition.

Drury launched The Panther Marching Band and Color Guard this past Fall 2020. Membership is open to both music and non-music majors. The group is made up of students who love music and are excited to play their instrument, build friendships and make memories. The high energy of the drumline and horns along with the visual artistry of the color guard will bring an exciting environment to every corner of campus. Activity grants are available for instrumentalists and color guard members. If you wish to audition for the marching athletic band, please click Drury Panther Marching Band.

Composition

Drury has an ongoing commitment to the creation and performance of new music. Composers are encouraged to write for all of our small and large ensembles, and their music is frequently performed by members of the Drury Chamber Orchestra, Drury Wind Symphony and Drury Singers. Composers also participate in a joint recital every spring.

Composition lessons and theory courses are taught by Dr. Carlyle Sharpe.

Theory

The Music Department offers a wide variety of courses in music theory, analysis and composition for both music majors, music minors and students simply studying music through elective courses. Music majors and minors typically begin their college music experience with Music Theory and Ear Training and Sight Singing. This sequence of courses introduces the college musician to the fundamentals of musical notation, harmony, ear training, voice leading and musical form – all in terms of an historical perspective. More advanced courses include Form & Analysis, Instrumentation & Orchestration, and 20th Century Musical Styles.

Technology

Students at Drury University also learn to work with music notation software such as Sibelius and MuseScore, and ear training students utilize the MacGAMUT software.