Select Chamber Music Ensembles:
Brass Quintets
Cello Ensemble
Percussion Consort
Pastiche
Trombone Choir
Trumpet Choir
Woodwind Ensembles

Brass Quintets
There are hundreds of thousands of compositions written and arranged for the standard instrumentation of a brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba). This vast array of literature provides repertoire for students ranging from those who are experiencing chamber ensemble playing for the first time to the most advanced, professional caliber players. There are several brass quintets formed each semester, and the UCO School of Music has a resident faculty brass quintet and the Liberace Brass Quintet, a student ensemble with tuition scholarships funded by the Liberace Foundation . Positions in the Liberace Brass Quintet are filled by audition. As with each of the other chamber ensembles, performers can enroll in the course for credit. These groups are in high demand for local and campus performances, and many of the stronger student groups are hired to play at off-campus parties, receptions, and social events.

The University of Central Oklahoma School of Music would like to thank the Liberace Foundation for its support!
    
Liberace Foundation website: www.liberace.org

The Liberace Brass Quintet is also supported by:

Visit their website:  www.lawokc.com

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Cello Ensemble
The UCO Cello Ensemble was established in 1998 and has toured locally, nationally, and internationally, including various concerts and conferences in Los Angeles, Austin, San Antonio, Fayetteville and Baltimore. In June 2001 the UCO Cello Ensemble, directed by Dr. Tess Remy-Schumacher, undertook their first overseas tour to Australia, accompanied by Dr. Sam Magrill and Pamela Richman. The sold-out concerts were a great experience and success for all of the ensemble members, who received an invitation to go to Japan in the future. Highlights of the program were Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras and a commissioned work, Cello Rag Rag by Dr. Magrill.
The UCO Cello Ensemble is currently recording their first CD, and plans a future tour to Germany.

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Percussion Consort
The UCO Percussion Consort plays music written and arranged for the vast family of percussion instruments. From duos and trios to large works involving twelve or more players, the ensemble’s repertoire reflects the history of percussion, as well as its place in the twenty-first century.  The Consort, founded in 2003 by David Hardman, UCO Director of Percussion Studies, performs regularly to large audiences at the UCO Jazz Lab and Mitchell Hall Theater on campus.  As advocates of new music, the Consort has premiered two new works for percussion, and they frequently collaborate with other musicians, singers, and dancers.  They perform a feature concert each year at the Oklahoma Percussive Arts Society Festival, and appear at other venues around the state.  The UCO Percussion Consort is open to all UCO percussion majors and other UCO students with permission.

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Pastiche
The make-up and literature performed by this group was the inspiration for the name of the ensemble. Pastiche (pronounced: pa-steesh’) is defined as a literary, musical, or artistic piece consisting wholly or chiefly of motifs or techniques borrowed from one or more sources. Primarily a faculty chamber ensemble, this group also invites talented musicians from the Oklahoma City area, and occasionally some outstanding UCO student musicians, to perform with them. The ensemble is made up of Wind, String, Percussion, Voice, and Keyboard players. Each member, utilizing their unique backgrounds, contributes different elements to the ensemble.

Recent Pastiche performances have included works of Pierre Dubois, Andre Jolivet, Libby Larsen, Bohuslav Martinu, William Walton and Richard Strauss.

Hear a recording of Pastiche:
Robert Muczynski’s Fragments, mvt. 3 (824K)

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Trombone Choir
The UCO Trombone Choir is directed by Dr. Kent Kidwell, the unofficial "dean" of Oklahoma professional trombone performers and teachers. The ensemble is a natural extension of the trombone studio, implementing performance techniques and skills that are emphasized in applied study and lessons. Trombone Choir can be taken for credit, and the wide variety of traditional and contemporary jazz/pop/commercial literature that the group rehearses and performs builds and strengthens the trombone section in every large ensemble on campus. There is a great deal of camaraderie and collegial spirit among the players in the trombone studio and Trombone Choir. They have performed at International Trombonists Association conventions in Nashville, TN, Denton, TX, and Colorado Springs. Campus performances include special events and even student recitals. The group has an active performance schedule throughout the year in local Oklahoma City area venues, such as the Oklahoma Trombone Workshop in Norman, and the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Rose State College.

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Trumpet Choir
The UCO Trumpet Choir was established in the fall of 1999 by the current professor of trumpet, James Klages. The trumpet choir utilizes a one-on-a-part approach to instrumentation and performance, and their repertoire spans five centuries of great brass literature—from the antiphonal compositions of Gabrieli and Biber to custom contemporary arrangements with rock and jazz influences. This group has quickly established a national reputation for their performance standards, having performed for the United Nations Anti-Drug Walk in Montreal, Canada, and having toured to Washington, D.C., for a performance on the steps of our nation’s capitol. The UCO Trumpet Choir has performed for the International Trumpet Guild conference in New York and Ft. Worth, Texas.

Read the review of the Trumpet Choir's Performance at the 2003 International Trumpet Guild Conference

Hear a recordings of the Trumpet Choir:
Great Is Thy Faithfulness, arr. Joel Mott (1.2MB)
Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin, arr. James Klages (276K)

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Woodwind Ensembles
From Renaissance motets to Classical harmoniemusik and contemporary concert selections, a variety of woodwind ensembles are organized each semester to study, prepare and perform great works from the extensive wealth of woodwind ensemble literature that is available.

Students may enroll in the ensemble course for credit. The course is designed to give UCO music students the opportunity to participate in a small woodwind chamber ensemble and develop the skills needed to rehearse and perform in that venue. The course is open to majors and non-majors. Woodwind Quintets, Quartets, Trios and Saxophone Quartets are formed from those who have enrolled. Occasionally, two or more of the groups are combined to perform larger wind chamber works such as octets and nonets. Students having participated in this course will have studied standard woodwind quintet or saxophone quartet literature.

Each ensemble conducts self-run rehearsals and attends a weekly coaching session with Dr. Lori Wooden, the coordinator of the program. Performance opportunities range from community service performances to student and formal recitals.

Hear a recording of a UCO Student Woodwind Quintet:
Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer (1.7MB)

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