Hello Cornellians, so I want to join an orchestra in college, but as I researched online, both of Cornell’s orchestras are by audition. Is there an orchestra or music group on-campus that is just done for enjoyment? I have played viola for 6-7 years but it’s all through the school experience. I’ve always played in the top groups, but I haven’t done much solo rep. and haven’t had formal private lessons, so I wouldn’t be confident in my skills while auditioning. Any ideas?? Oh, and does Cornell have any guitar or piano groups?
Definitely audition anyway because you never know! But there are certain for-credit music classes that you don’t have to audition for if you just email the professor and talk to him/her! Also, some of the classes encompass many different ensembles for some reason, so it’s sort of confusing. I play in the flute ensemble, which requires me to be registered for Chamber Winds (music 4631) even though I think that particular class refers to a number of different ensembles. Here’s the page for the different ensemble classes if you haven’t seen it already: http://music.cornell.edu/performing/instrumental-ensembles/
And here’s the page listing the different faculty members. You might want to see which ones specialize in chamber music or violin/viola performance and reach out to them to ask what opportunities there are: http://music.cornell.edu/people/faculty/
Also, there are a million different student-run music ensembles around campus that you can join. You don’t get credit for them, but they can be a lot of fun! I play in the pep band, which doesn’t really have a string section haha. Here’s a list of just a few of the ensembles: http://music.cornell.edu/performing/student-organizations/
Definitely go to Club Fest in the Fall to meet/talk to/sign up for the listserve of several other student-run ensembles!
@Ranza123 Wow, thanks SO much! I will consider joining an ensemble after finding out more at the University. Student-run ensembles is also definitely an option. I have kept that page of faculty members, thank you for the helpful information.