Ensembles
College of Music students can participate in a variety of ensembles as part of their CU Boulder experience.
Bands
The CU Boulder bands program provides various performance opportunities for students, whatever their level or major field of study. The CU Boulder Concert Band is open to all CU Boulder students, regardless of major, with auditions held for seating and placement.
Boulder Laptop Orchestra
The Boulder Laptop Orchestra (BLOrk) is offered as the “Electronic Music Ensemble” each semester, welcoming both music majors and non-music majors.
Chamber music
The College of Music is widely known for its chamber music programs. Various student ensembles are organized throughout the school year for strings, woodwinds, brasses, voices and mixed media.
Choirs
CU Boulder choirs perform approximately two concerts per semester and regularly collaborate with ensembles such as the CU Boulder Wind Symphony and CU Symphony, as well as the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.
Cross-genre
CU Boulder cross-genre ensembles cross traditional boundaries of musical styles and genres, broadening perspectives as students create and collaborate with other diverse musicians.
Early music
The CU Boulder Early Music Ensemble is devoted to the performance and study of music primarily from the 16th-18th centuries, with attention to period style, performance practices and historical context. Students may also work on solo repertoire.
Eklund Opera Program
Undergraduate and graduate students at the College of Music present several major productions each year in the Eklund Opera Program. These include fully staged and costumed operas and musicals.
Jazz
CU Boulder jazz ensembles offer students exposure to a variety of jazz styles through the rehearsal and performance of classic literature, as well as the most current writing for jazz ensemble.
Orchestras
CU Boulder orchestras offer a range of repertoire for all levels of musicians on campus.
Percussion
CU Boulder percussion ensembles celebrate percussion in many ways, exploring the great works of the repertoire: “Amores and Construction” (Cage), “Toccata” (Chávez), “Suite” (Harrison), “October Mountain” (Hovhaness) and “Ionisation” (Varèse), among others.
SoundWorks
CU Boulder SoundWorks is a concert series-meets-forum for the creation and performance of new and original works by student composers, improvisers, performers and collaborators, as well as a space to celebrate works by living composers beyond our community.
World music
The College of Music offers non-Western music ensembles—open to both music majors and non-music majors—to explore West African Highlife, Japanese, Gamelan and Latin American traditions.