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Music ensembles

Music orchestra and music student playing handbells

Ensembles you can join

The UNSW music program offers one of the most wide-ranging ensemble programs in tertiary education in Australia. All ensembles are directed by highly regarded professional musicians and educators, active in the musical styles of the ensemble that they direct. Ensembles include small and large ensembles from classical, jazz, electro-acoustic, and world music. You may seek approval to form your own ensemble under the supervision of a member of the music staff; approval is strictly based on merit and staff availability.

Music Ensemble participation advances your performance skills, and the study of various ensemble styles and practices. More broadly, participation in ensembles will develop your experience of music making as: a musical act, to extend your musical knowledge and understanding; a social act, to develop your capacity to negotiate and contribute to a group outcome; and as a personal act, to develop a sense of agency, self-achievement and self-confidence in group music making.

Performance lab and Music Craft students

Performance students enrolled in a performance lab or music craft course must participate in an ensemble as a course requirement. Students are required to attend 80% of the scheduled ensemble times. In week 10 or 11 depending on the ensemble, directors will complete part checking as part of the ensemble assessment.

Students must also register/audition for an ensemble during O-Week as all ensembles start in Week 1. If students find themselves not signed up to an ensemble by Week 1, they must contact their convenor immediately.

Below are descriptions of each ensemble and further information on audition requirements for those ensembles which require audition. Consult the term timetable schedule for details on how to audition/register during Orientation Week.

Most ensembles will have a public performance that will take place at a time that differs from the usual rehearsal time. All participants in the ensemble are expected to attend this performance. Your ensemble director should be able to inform you of the date and time of this performance at the first rehearsal or earlier.

Some ensembles only run in specific terms. Please refer to the yearly schedule under the useful links. 

Non music students can join Collegium Musicum Choir, Corde, UNSW Orchestra and Wind Symphony. They can also join other ensembles via the Music Ensemble course MUSC2706 which can be taken as a general elective.

  • Director (T2): Tessie Overmyer –T.overmyer@unsw.edu.au

    Audition Requirements: please email t.overmyer@unsw.edu.au for further information

    Vocalists and instrumentalists on any instrument are welcome in this ensemble. 

    Ensemble members will gain insight and experience both as a soloist and as a member of a contemporary jazz ensemble.

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Director (T2): Mano Mora – m.mora@unsw.edu.au

    Audition Requirements: No Audition Required. Please email Mano (m.mora@unsw.edu.au) to confirm entry requirements.

    The Balinese gamelan at UNSW is a variation of the semar pegulingan type, a gong-chime ensemble consisting of up to thirty players.

    The UNSW ensemble consists of metallophones, gongs and other instruments, such as flutes, fiddles, drums and cymbals.

    No experience required.

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Not running in Term 2, 2024. 

  • Director: Dr Kim Burwell

    Signup:     by email audition, as outlined below.

    Classical chamber music is for pre-formed small ensembles.

    Entry is by email audition. Please send to Dr Kim Burwell:

    1. A list of ensemble members, student IDs, course codes and instruments;
    2. A recording of repertoire that you have begun to rehearse already, even if it is still a work in progress;
    3. Details about the repertoire you propose to address during the term.

    The repertoire should be challenging and should offer participants shared responsibilities across a range of ensemble skills. It’s fine for the recording to be ‘a work in progress’, but it should show that you are going to be able to manage the repertoire within a term. An holistic approach will be taken to assessment: it will include the work you do during the term, and a performance near the end of term.

    Feel free to contact Dr Kim Burwell at any time for more information, or feedback on ideas.

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Director (non-academic): Sonia Maddock

    Signup: new members must organise a short voice placement prior to registration. Please email cmc@unsw.edu.au during O week to request a time to complete your voice placement.

    Please note in 2024 new student entry will be at the start of T1, and T3, but not T2 due to concert programming.

    UNSW's 100-voice choir known as the Collegium Musicum Choir was founded in 1975 by Professor Roger Covell and Dr Patricia Brown, and has a long tradition of performing choral-orchestral works and Christmas programs at UNSW to a semi-professional standard. The choir's membership includes undergraduate students from across the university, as well as postgraduates, staff and members of the community - all are welcome.

    The Collegium Musicum performs familiar repertoire including oratorios, masses, requiems and other sacred works, and secular works appropriate to a large choir. Repertoire has included Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Nelson Mass, Mozart's Requiem, and Orff's Carmina Burana. The choir also presents less familiar works but by important composers, to introduce both the singers and the audience to another side of choral music, including Tippett's Crown of the Year, Part's Berliner messe and Respighi's Lauda per la Nativita del Signore. 

    The choir has a wonderful social aspect as well as focusing strongly on musical performance. It is a significant part of the cultural fabric of UNSW, bringing local and international students from across the UNSW School of the Arts and Media and the entire university together with staff and members of the local community to collaborate in public performance.

    Members of Collegium Musicum Choir are eligible for the Willgoss Choral Prize each year.

  • Director (non-academic): Sonia Maddock

    Signup: entry is by audition which will take place in O week. Please visit  https://www.music.unsw.edu.au/choral for information regarding auditions and membership     

    Corde, UNSW's chamber choir has existed as an advanced choir in UNSW's choral program since around 1985. It includes only a small number of singers (12-18), including undergraduate and postgraduate students, alumni and staff, and sings challenging, unaccompanied repertoire.

    Corde presents a small annual recital each year as well as being part of some concerts of the Collegium Musicum. In recent years, the chamber choir's repertoire has included Copland's In the Beginning, Britten’s Sacred and Profane, Palestrina’s Missa Aeterna Christi Munera, Wesley-Smith's Who Killed Cock Robin? and Debussy's Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans.

    The evening program also includes the premiere performance of the winning work of the Willgoss Choral Composition Prize.

    Membership of Corde is by audition, and is based almost entirely on sight-singing, experience and vocal quality. Singers tend to be experienced choristers with high-level music literacy.

    For your audition please be prepared to sing and complete:

    1. One piece to sing unaccompanied.
    2. Part singing.
    3. Sight reading.
    4. Aural assessment.

  • Director: Matthew Keegan - matthew.keegan@unsw.edu.au

    Signup: no audition necessary. 

    This is a 2-hour performance class that explores the 'how to' of improvisation in a practical setting.  

    No prior knowledge of improvisation is necessary; however, participants in this ensemble are expected to be able to play their instruments with some proficiency and to be able to read music.  

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Not running in Term 2, 2024

  • Director: Adrian Lim-Klumpes - a.klumpes@unsw.edu.au 

    Signup: entry is by email audition. Please email Adrian Lim Klumpes (a.klumpes@unsw.edu.au) for more information on how to audition. 

    This ensemble is for students who already have practical experience in jazz improvisation and a good knowledge of chordal harmony and associated scales/modes. The ensemble is intended to deepen an understanding of jazz improvisational practice through the performance of pieces carefully chosen in a range of jazz-related styles. Areas of focus include developing an improvisational language, chord/scale theory, guide tones, jazz voicings, group interaction, effective rhythmic expression and knowledge of repertoire. 

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Not running in T2, 2024 

  • Not running in T2, 2024

  • Director: Casey Golden - Ccasey@caseygolden.com.au

    Signup: no audition necessary.
    Please email Casey Golden (Ccasey@caseygolden.com.au) before the end of O week to register. Please provide your student Id, and Music Craft/Performance Lab course code (if known).

    This ensemble is for students who have little or no jazz performance experience, but are keen to learn how to voice chords, accompany effectively and improvise on the piano in a variety of jazz-related styles. Some piano performance ability is required. 

    By listening to audio examples and studying well-known jazz repertoire, the ensemble will gain experience in applying stylistically appropriate chord voicings, bass lines, accompaniment rhythms, modes and scales for improvisation and improvisational approaches, and effective ways to interact as an ensemble. Each member will take turns performing within the ensemble as bass line players, chordal accompanists, melody players and soloists. Time will be given for individual investigation and skill development as well as ensemble performance. 

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Director: Ellen Kirkwood - ellen.kirkwood@unsw.edu.au

    Signup: Please email Ellen Kirkwood (ellen.kirkwood@unsw.edu.au) for more information on how to audition

    UNSW Jazz Orchestra is a dynamic ensemble that plays jazz big band repertoire in a range of styles. Some Australian compositions are included in the repertoire. An exciting aspect of the group’s activities is premiering UNSW student compositions. The orchestra performs a concert at the end of each term.  

    Previous experience playing jazz and/or improvising is helpful but is not a prerequisite. Sight-reading ability is required on all instruments. 

    Brass players from any background are particularly encouraged to apply.  

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Director (T2): Mano Mora – m.mora@unsw.edu.au


    Audition Requirements: No Audition Required. Please email Mano (m.mora@unsw.edu.au) to confirm entry requirements.

    The Latin Conjunto is dedicated to the performance of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian genres, such as son, Pachanga, mambo, salsa, samba and choro. Both instrumentalists and vocalists are invited to join the ensemble through audition.

    A good level of musical performance proficiency is required, and sight-reading ability.

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Not running in T2, 2024

  • Ensemble Director: Dr Adam Hulbert - a.hulbert@unsw.edu.au

    Signup: Please contact Adam Hulbert (a.hulbert@unsw.edu.au) for more information on how to audition. 

    Sound Lab (Live) ensemble is offered to musicians who would like to produce and perform new electroacoustic works. Performers are encouraged to use their existing techniques with DAW environments and traditional instrumentation and/or expand these to incorporate UNSW’s collection of fixed-architecture and modular synthesisers. Primary tools for the performance will be Ableton Live and hardware synths, and performers will be given support for learning these where needed.

    Please refer to “Useful Links” Tab, located on the right side of the screen to access when these classes are scheduled to run in Term 2.

  • Not running in T2, 2024

  • Conductor (non-academic): Dr. Steven Hillinger

    Signup: entry is by audition. Information regarding the registration process for new and existing members can be accessed via this link: https://www.music.unsw.edu.au/instrumental/unsw-orchestra. Auditions will be held each term in O Week. Please note that at various times auditions will only be for particular instruments. Vacant positions will be listed on the UNSW Orchestra webpage above. Please email cmc@unsw.edu.au with any enquiries

    Please be prepared to play and complete two contrasting pieces unaccompanied, scales and sightreading.

    The minimum standard is AMEB Grade 8 or equivalent.

    The UNSW Orchestra was founded in 1989 to bring the live performance of fine music to the University community and to the many people who live in the surrounding suburbs.

    The Orchestra was established by three undergraduate students, Jan Howe, Richard Pulley and Emery Schubert, with guidance from Professor Roger Covell of the (then) School of Music and Music Education and was initially funded by a grant from the (then) Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Birt. The vitality of the Orchestra today owes much to all these founders’ vision and caring.

    The Orchestra’s repertoire is broadly from the Classical (1750-1810) and Romantic (1810-1910) eras. More recent works, especially works by contemporary Australian composers, are well represented in the Orchestra's programs, as is film music from the past four decades. Concertos for various solo instruments figure prominently. The soloists in these concertos are mostly students from the University’s music department. All musicians are members of UNSW Society of Orchestra and Pipers

    The Orchestra's first concert took place on 15 August 1989, and on 14 May 2010 it gave its 100th public performance. There are, at any one time, about 65 players in the Orchestra. Additional guest players are brought in as the need arises, usually for the rarer instruments such as bass clarinet, contrabassoon, harp and celeste, or when a large-scale symphonic work is on the program.

    More than 1000 UNSW students both from UNSW School of the Arts and Media and other faculties, staff and alumni have played in the Orchestra over the first 30 years of its existence. This remarkable figure shows what a wealth of amateur musical talent there is on campus. It also reflects the inevitable annual turnover among players, as existing players go off with their degrees and new players join.

    Members of the UNSW Orchestra are eligible for the Willgoss Instrumental Prize each year.

  • Conductor (non-academic): Paul Vickers

    Signup: There are no audition requirements for UNSW Wind Symphony. Just register and turn up! If you have any questions, please email cmc@unsw.edu.au or get in touch with the Society of Orchestra and Pipers. Information about registration and membership can be located here: https://www.music.unsw.edu.au/instrumental/unsw-wind-symphony

    The UNSW Wind Symphony was founded in 1991 (as the UNSW Wind Band) to perform works specially composed for wind ensembles with or without percussion. The Wind Symphony provides a rich experience for musicians who prefer to play this repertoire, largely dating from after 1900. Also in the repertoire of the Wind Symphony are arrangements of works from all eras and styles, including jazz, popular and art-music forms.

    The Wind Symphony offers a congenial home, as well, to many of the woodwind and brass players on campus, and comprises about 50 players at any one time both from UNSW School of the Arts and Media and other departments.

    The Wind Band (as it was first called) was established by two undergraduate students, David Gilfillan and Emery Schubert, and gave its first concert on 26 May 1991. 

    The regular conductors of the UNSW Wind Band in past years were: David Gilfillan (1991-1993), Chris Blenkinsopp (1994-1998 and 2001-2003), Gary McPherson (1999-2000), Mathias Rogala-Koczorowski (2004-2006), Steven Hillinger (2006-2012), and Dr Steven Capaldo (2013-2017). Emery Schubert has been a frequent guest conductor.

    Since 2013, the UNSW Wind Band has been known as the UNSW Wind Symphony, reflecting the shift in the ensemble's repertoire over its history and all members are a part of UNSW Society of Orchestra and Pipers.

    Members of the UNSW Wind Symphony are eligible for the Willgoss Instrumental Prize each year.

  • Not running in T2, 2024

Useful links