Performances and Events

Welcome and Advising for incoming Music Education majors

In addition to the information on the main incoming students page, we will be offering a special webinar for our music education majors to assist with course registration and more. This webinar will includes details about many of the steps you should take to ensure a successful transition to Gettysburg and the music education major and is an opportunity for you to meet program coordinator Dr. Russell McCutcheon.

Be on the lookout for more information in the next few weeks about the webinar!

Important links - more to come!

• Visit Join PMEA and click the “Join Now” button in the upper right corner of the main page.

Wind Symphony
Symphony Orchestra
Jazz Ensemble

We are proud of our instrumental ensembles and eager to work with you as we prepare another great season of music. We welcome all new student musicians as well as our returning musicians!

We invite all students at Gettysburg College to audition for instrumental ensembles. You do not have to be a music major or minor to join, and all of our ensembles have students who represent a variety of majors and minors across campus.

Audition Information

• Students audition for all ensembles once in the same time block each semester.
• These auditions include woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, piano, and harp.
• Jazz Ensemble:
  • Wind performers (saxophone, trumpet, trombone) interested in jazz ensemble prepare separate jazz excerpts and perform them during the same audition as Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony.
  • Jazz rhythm section performers and vocalists should see the separate Jazz Ensemble rhythm section audition page.
• A sign-up sheet with audition times and locations will be posted in the Schmucker Hall Second Floor Lobby the weekend before classes start. Students auditioning should sign up for an audition time.
• Auditions for woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, and harp will be held Monday, August 24, 2026 from 4:00pm - 6:00pm. We may begin earlier; check the times on the sign-up sheets for the final schedule.
• Auditions for strings (violin, viola, cello, bass) will be held Tuesday, August 25, 2026 from 7:30pm – 9:30pm.

Course Information

All ensembles at Gettysburg College, including Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra, are courses for which students earn grades and credit.

• Students cannot pre-register for these courses as they are audition-dependent. All ensemble members will be registered administratively after auditions and during the first week of classes. Do not worry about signing up in advance.  We'll take care of it for you!
• Even though you cannot sign up in advance, you should still hold space in your schedule for ensemble rehearsals/meetings.
  • Wind Symphony meets on Mon/Wed 4:00 - 6:00pm. The first Wind Symphony meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 26th from 4:00pm - 6:00pm.
  • Symphony Orchestra meets Tues/Thurs 7:30 - 9:30pm. The first Symphony Orchestra meeting will take place on Thursday, August 27th from 7:30 - 9:30pm.
  • Jazz Ensemble meets Wednesdays 7:30 - 9:30pm. The first Jazz Ensemble meeting (and rhythm section auditions) will take place on Wednesday, August 26th from 7:30 - 9:30pm.
  • Music majors, music minors, and students on a music scholarship whose principal instrument is a woodwind, brass or percussion instrument should hold all times until auditions are complete and placements are made.
• All Students can fulfill the Multiple Inquiries-Arts/Modes of Inquiry-Arts requirement of the Gettysburg Curriculum through performance in ensembles for four semesters.
• Ensembles are listed as 0.25 courses. They do not count toward your regular course enrollment toward full-time status of three or four courses. They also do not count against your regular course enrollment, so if you are registered for four or even five regular courses you can still participate in ensembles.
• After your first four semesters - when each 0.25 adds to a full (1) course for MI-Arts - ensemble credits will continue to accrue above the 32 required courses for graduation.
• Grades earned in ensembles are factored into your GPA, both during your first four semesters and beyond.
• The Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music Education degrees are 36-course programs. Ensembles for these students continue to count toward the 36 courses for graduation up through 36. Ensemble courses beyond the 36 will accrue above the 36 required.

Audition Preparation

Everyone who auditions will be asked to perform short excerpts or etudes for their instrument. Some areas may ask for scales.

Auditionees are encouraged to consult recordings and excerpt guides when preparing excerpts and audition music. Many free recordings and resources can be found online. The Gettysburg College library is a great place to start, and has subscriptions (free for you) to several online music sites including Naxos music online and the Classical Music Library. You can also often find great recordings on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and many other streaming services. For all excerpts, we have attempted to include the title, movement, and composer of the piece from which it was drawn. This should be helpful as you search for recordings.

Using recordings to aid in your preparation helps you to understand how to play the excerpt, including the tempo, style and phrasing of the piece and how your part fits into the whole. It is not cheating to listen, it is the appropriate professional practice.

Audition Preparation: Music Majors and Music Minors

All music majors/minors auditioning on their principal instrument should contact their applied teacher and ask for audition materials and excerpts. These excerpts are specific to each performance area and change most semesters. See the bottom of this page for a list of applied faculty.

Alternately, if you have already begun preparing one of the excerpts below, continue on that path.

If you are auditioning for jazz ensemble (saxophone, trumpet, trombone), be sure to prepare the jazz portion of your audition materials as well. 
Rhythm section members (guitar, piano, bass, drums/percussion), see the separate Jazz Ensemble rhythm section audition page.

Music majors, music minors, and students on a music scholarship, please review the ensemble participation policy in the Sunderman Conservatory Student Handbook.

Audition Preparation: Students who are not music major or minors or students auditioning on secondary instruments

We would like to hear you play some music on your instrument. Ideally you might play two different pieces that contrast (for example, one faster/more technical, one slower and more lyrical). Auditions are only 5 minutes long, so you only need about 2 - 3 minutes of music. Two 16-measure sections or short etudes are also great ideas.

If you have music already prepared or something you'd like to play, play that! If not, we have some suggested excerpts for each performance area below. 

• For most excerpts, instructions regarding what to prepare are included in the file.
  • In cases where there are only two excerpts, prepare both.
  • In cases where multiple excerpts are given, choose two unless instructed otherwise in the contents of the file.
  • Try to choose contrasting excerpts.
• If you are auditioning for jazz ensemble as well (saxophone, trumpet, trombone), be sure to prepare the jazz portion of your audition materials as well. Rhythm section members (guitar, piano, bass, drums/percussion), see the separate Jazz Ensemble rhythm section audition page.

List of Performance Excerpts

All excerpts linked below are in PDF format, ready to download. If you require audition materials in a different format for accessibility, please contact bands@gettysburg.edu. We are committed to ensuring all students are welcome in our ensembles.

Suggested Excerpts for String Players

Violin

Viola

Cello

Bass

Suggested Excerpts for Woodwind and Brass Players

Flute (& Piccolo)

Oboe (& English Horn)

Clarinet (all)

Bassoon

Saxophone (all)

Horn

Trumpet

Trombone

Bass Trombone

Euphonium

Tuba

Suggested Excerpts for Percussion, Piano and Harp

Percussion

Piano

Harp

List of Applied Faculty to contact for current excerpts 
(music majors and minors performing in their principal area)

Flute/Piccolo: Megan Ensor

Oboe: Stephanie Ying

Clarinet: Aaron Scott

Bassoon: Lynn Moncilovich

Saxophone: Amanda Heim

Trumpet: Steven Marx

Horn: Matthew Meadows

Trombone: Zenas Kim-Banther

Euphonium/Tuba: John Cradler

Percussion: Robert Rocheteau

Piano: Jocelyn Swigger

Harp: Michaela Trnkova

Violin and Viola: Peter Sirotin

Cello: Iris Jortner

Bass: Kris Monson

Student Performance Opportunities

Students at the Sunderman Conservatory have myriad opportunities to showcase their skill and musical expertise. These performances range from informal weekday events to formal degree recitals.

Conservatory Special Events

The Conservatory reserves the hour from 3:00 to 4:00 pm on Fridays for Conservatory special events. This is an opportunity to enjoy occasional additional performances and activities, including junior Bachelor of Music recitals and presentations by visiting guest performers and lecturers.

Informal Recitals

Sometimes, students may choose to perform non-degree recitals. These “informal recitals” do not fulfill performance requirements for the music major and are not included in the Conservatory Performance Calendar.

• Informal recitals may be scheduled with the permission of the studio instructor, and may be performed in venues on or off campus such as The Attic, the College Chapel, or a local church.
• Students are responsible for all aspects of the recital, including reserving the space, setting up the performance area and returning it to its original condition, supplying printed programs, and arranging for and compensating an accompanist.

Informances

Informances are student-run, informal performance opportunities held late at night in Schmucker Hall. Timing ranges from a few times each semester to weekly event. These informal performances offer an opportunity for students to “try things out” for their peers without pressures of concert dress or etiquette. Faculty members are generally not invited.

Junior & Senior Recitals

Senior Recitals are formal required performances for music majors; Junior Recitals are required for the Bachelor of Music Degree.

Notes at Noon

Notes at Noon is held in the main floor apse area of the library, and includes three to four concerts each semester. This Conservatory favorite is also known as Musselman Library's “brown-bag concert series.” The series features students and faculty from the Sunderman Conservatory of Music as well as off-campus performers. Highlights have included student groups such as the Opera Workshop, Percussion Ensemble, and a flute choir, as well as faculty solo recitals and performances by the Sunderman Woodwind Quintet. The audience for Notes at Noon includes students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Studio Classes

Another opportunity for performance is available in the studio class. Voice and piano studio classes meet weekly, and other instrumental areas meets as scheduled by the studio teachers.

Friday Afternoon Recital Hour

On Fridays at 3:00 p.m., the Conservatory’s music community gathers for student solo and chamber performances, master classes, and presentations by Conservatory faculty members and guests. These events are designed to further the overall understanding of music, the aspects of music performance, and various professional issues related to music. Through attendance at these weekly recitals, students are exposed to a wide variety of repertory and styles, mediums, genres, and techniques. The hour provides an opportunity for all students registered for private applied study to perform; studio instructors are encouraged to have their students perform at least once a year.

• Music majors are required to attend the Friday Recital Hour.
• Music minors are required to attend during the semesters in which they are registered for private applied instrument/voice lessons.

To schedule a performance time for a Friday Afternoon Recital, a student should:

• Obtain and complete a blue Friday Recital Request Card from the Conservatory office.
• Present the card to the studio instructor for approval signature for date and music choices, and return the signed card to the office.
• Completed and signed cards are due to the Conservatory office by 5:00 pm on the Friday before the requested Friday Afternoon Recital date. A printing proof of the Recital program will be e-mailed to the studio instructor; approval is needed by 5:00 pm on Wednesday prior to the recital date.