Note: All music majors and non-music majors must register for ensembles just as if it were a "normal" class. If you have any questions, please contact Office Manager, Lois Scott.

Chorale - Dr. Cara Tasher, conductor
The UNF Chorale has been entertaining audiences since the university first opened its doors. Performing 3 to 4 concerts per semester, Chorale rehearsals are Monday through Thursday during the noon hour. Faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to join.

Gathering enthusiastic singers from every college across the University, the non-auditioned, 60-80 member group has toured throughout the southern United States and abroad in Austria, Czech Republic, and Portugal (2007), the most recent tour partially funded by a UNF Transformational Learning Opportunity Grant in addition to generous local donors.

The Chorale has recently performed such works as Bach Cantata 172 "Erschallet, ihr Lieder", Beethoven Mass in C, Mozart Solemn Vespers, Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs, Bernstein Chichester Psalms, Orff Carmina Burana, Faure Requiem, and the North American premieres of Eurico Carrapatoso's Magnificat and Miguel Roig-Francoli's Dona eis Requiem. Along with this extensive classical repertoire, the Chorale consistently sings many pieces from a variety of styles and languages, from early music masterpieces to rousing spirituals. This academic year will be even more exciting as the Chorale anticipates its next international tour!

Chamber Singers - Dr. Cara Tasher, conductor
The UNF Chamber Singers is a smaller ensemble of auditioned singers selected from the larger ensemble. They typically perform ten to twenty concerts throughout the academic year.

This versatile group, as well as its smaller component, the "President's Own," has won applause and recognition from diverse groups such as Florida ACDA, Florida House of Representatives Stanley Jordan, the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, the River City Club, Jacksonville Sister Cities Association, the Selva Marina, and many other community and UNF associations. The group's repertoire includes a plethora of styles, from Monteverdi to Whitacre to Britten, and they have also demonstrated proficiency in performing vocal jazz, world music, and other choral gems.

Auditions occur at the beginning of each academic year and a high level of excellence and enthusiasm in solo and choral music performance skills are a hallmark of this fantastic ensemble. The UNF Chamber Singers and the President's Own are available for bookings through the conductor.

Women's Chorale - Dr. Cara Tasher, conductor
This new addition to the Department of Music at UNF is a small ensemble of 16-24 women from all over campus.

The ensemble attracts dedicated women with a passion for performing captivating and engaging choral music.

The women of this group showcase their talents through elegant arrangements of popular songs and striking, compelling examples of world music, often with charming, sophisticated choreography.

The ladies of the Women's Chorale rehearse:
Fridays 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Chamber Orchestra - Dr. Simon Shiao, conductor
The virtuoso players of the University of North Florida Chamber Orchestra consist of students and faculty as well as outstanding community musicians.

The UNF Chamber Orchestra performs a wide range of repertoire from early Baroque to contemporary music with an emphasis on performing and promoting the great American composers of the past.

The group is committed to reaching out to the Northeast Florida communities. In addition to the annual concerts in the University's Lazzara Performance Hall, the UNF Chamber Orchestra also performs regularly in the area schools and other Jacksonville concert venues.

Brass Ensemble - Dr. Randall Tinnin, director
The UNF Brass Ensemble performs music for brass spanning the 17th through 21st centuries.

This dynamic group of under-graduate music students performed in a master class at the Juilliard School in May of 2008, and has appeared locally at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Riverside Presbyterian Church, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, Mandarin, Nease, Lake Brantley, and Winter Springs High Schools and LaVilla School of the Arts. The ensemble was featured in the Riverside Fine Arts Project Listen series and the Lake Eden Arts Festival in Ashville, NC in May 2008.

Former members have been accepted to and offered scholarships to DePaul (Chicago), University of Miami, UCLA, University of Illinois, University of Florida, University of Central Florida, SUNY Purchase (New York), and Queen’s College (NYC), and have been winners and finalists in national and international solo competitions.

Opera Ensemble - Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki, director
The UNF Opera Ensemble was established in 2006 shortly after the appointment of Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki as the Head of Applied Voice at the UNF Department of Music.

Comprised and cast entirely from undergraduate voice majors, the UNF Opera Ensemble focuses on skill development, stagecraft, and theatrical experience through production and performance of complete, vocally suitable operatic works with orchestra.

UNF Opera Ensemble also engages in community outreach, student recruitment, and promotion of operatic arts in the community. This young group has already performed numerous concerts of operatic excerpts and took part in various community events including complete concert performance of Dido & Aeneas, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Suor Angelica, and Hansel & Gretel. Learn more at www.unfopera.com.

Wind Symphony - Dr. Gordon Brock, conductor
The Wind Symphony is composed of approximately 45 of the most outstanding woodwind, brass, and percussion players at the University of North Florida.

Dedicated to promoting and performing the finest in traditional and contemporary wind literature, this ensemble has already established a reputation for musical excellence. Members of the Wind Symphony enjoy opportunities to perform with nationally renowned guest conductors and soloists, as well as to premiere new works for winds. Most recently, the Wind Symphony performed at Carnegie Hall in 2008. The Wind Symphony is open by audition to all UNF students.

Jazz Combos - Lynne Arriale, director
The UNF combo program involves playing as well as specific assignments. The students work with different techniques to help strengthen their improvisation skills. The atmosphere is very hands on, so that there is greater ease assimilating the techniques being assigned.

Jazz Ensemble I - J.B. Scott, director
The University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble I is the flagship ensemble of the prestigious University of North Florida Jazz Studies Program, headed by legendary alto saxophonist Bunky Green. Thanks to the visionary leadership of Rich Matteson in 1986, UNF's Jazz Ensemble I has enjoyed the reputation of being one of the finest collegiate jazz ensembles worldwide. That all members of the UNF Jazz Studies Program are undergraduates makes this achievement that much more impressive.

Jazz Ensemble I has won numerous group and individual awards and has been consistently recognized by such publications as Cadence, Jazz Times, Jazz Educators Journal, and DownBeat for its improvisational prowess and precision ensemble playing. The band has received performance awards from DownBeat each year since 2002, and has been invited to perform at prestigious jazz festivals in both the U.S. and in Europe. The Ensemble also has been invited to perform at International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences in Atlanta, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans, the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the Suncoast Jazz Festival in Tampa, the Savannah Jazz Festival, the Mobile Jazz Festival, and annually at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.

A special component of the UNF Jazz Studies Program is the Great American Jazz Series, which regularly brings in stellar jazz artists as residents. This series, along with other opportunities, has enabled Jazz Ensemble I to perform in concert with more than 100 esteemed artists, such as Herbie Hancock, The Count Basie Orchestra, Joe Henderson, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Dave Brubeck, Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Louie Bellson, Dr. Billy Taylor, Arturo Sandoval, Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Doc Severinsen, among others.

Jazz Ensemble II - Dennis Marks, director
Dennis Marks, Assistant Professor of Jazz Bass, is the conductor of this elite jazz band at the University of North Florida. JE II’s performance repertoire is quite varied. The material chosen comes from all idioms of big band jazz, including swing, bop, funk, and fusion. This ensemble consistently enjoys the presence of high-quality players, enabling a wide variety of sound colors and textures to be realized. JE II has played several important venues over the last few years and has the honor of being the opening act for the featured spring artist in the Great American Jazz Series. Most players that have played in this band have advanced on to JE I.

Jazz Ensemble III - Dr. Marc Dickman, director
Dr. Marc Dickman directs this wonderful ensemble, which plays 4 to 5 gigs a semester. UNF’s JE III has performed at many venues and jazz festivals in Florida and Georgia. Recent engagements include UNF’s Great American Jazz Series, the Intercollegiate Jazz Festival, the Lakeside Jazz Festival in Daytona Beach, the Jazz Festival at the Kravis center in West Palm Beach, the Bella Sera Jazz Weekend in Jekyll Island, and the Amelia Island Jazz Festival. The ensemble is made up of 21 UNF students with a variety of majors.

Guitar Ensemble - Barry Greene, director
The UNF Guitar ensemble presents an opportunity for all of the guitarists enrolled at UNF to gain ensemble experience as mentored by Professor Barry Greene.

Just Jazz Guitar Magazine says, his improvisations were creative with impeccable technique . . . 20th Century Guitar wrote, it has all the urgency of the best of Pat Martino's work . . . and allaboutjazz.com says, . . . an excellent player, a superior musician with power to spare.

The ensemble splits its time between Master Classes and ensemble playing. The Master Class provides a unique environment designed to prepare the student to be able to perform in any musical situation, while the ensemble portion focuses on reading skills and piece preparation.

Percussion Ensemble - Charlotte Mabrey, director
The UNF Percussion Ensemble is an active performing group at UNF. Members of the ensemble are both classical and jazz majors performing percussion repertoire. The ensemble is building a reputation for performing works of area composers as well as standard percussion literature.

Over the years the ensemble has performed at PASIC, as guests of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and as invited performers for several functions at UNF. Often the Percussion Ensemble visits area schools to perform concerts. The audiences include area elementary, high school, and college students.

More information is available through Charlotte Mabrey.

Drumline - Charlotte Mabrey, advisor
The UNF Drumline is one of the most active groups at UNF. The Drumline represents the University not only on-campus at basketball games, pep rallies, homecoming events, and much more, but it also represents the university off-campus as well. The Drumline has represented the university on TV spots as well charity events for local elementary schools.

The Drumline consists of two groups: one which is highly competitive and active in exciting the crowds at UNF sporting events, and the other works in conjunction with the UNF percussion ensemble to create a cross between standard drumline literature and a more avant-garde percussion experience.

The Drumline personnel are the highest quality percussionists, many of whom have performed with high-level drum corps throughout the state. It also welcomes new members who are excited about music, drumline, and want to represent UNF at its best. The primary mission of the Drumline is to provide a valuable learning experience to its musicians; and therefore, Drumline auditions are welcome to all who are willing to work hard.

Contact Nick Michaud or director Mike Feeley for info.

Osprey Band - Dr. Marc Dickman, director
The UNF Department of Athletics and the Department of Music are happy to announce the return of the Awesome Osprey Band!

The band’s primary mission is to provide musical entertainment and fun at UNF Basketball Games, Homecoming, and other events. All participants will receive a scholarship at the end of the spring season! The instrumentation will be woodwinds, brass, and rhythm section.

For more details, contact the director Dr. Marc Dickman at
(904) 620-3841.

Trio Florida
Trio Florida is the first faculty ensemble in residence at the University of North Florida.

The trio is dedicated to performing the masterpieces of the piano trio repertoire with an additional emphasis of performing works by the great American composers.

The members include Dr. Simon Shiao, violin; Dr. Gary Smart, piano; and Dr. Nick Curry, cello. All three members are dedicated fulltime faculty members at UNF.

UNF Faculty Woodwind Quintet
The UNF Faculty Woodwind Quintet is a faculty ensemble in residence at the University of North Florida. Comprised of the woodwind faculty of the UNF Department of Music, the quintet performs a vast array of masterpieces written for this extremely versatile ensemble, and their repertoire consist a wide spectrum from early music written for quintet to music that was written in the last few years.