The Juniata College Orchestra performs a wide variety of string ensemble and full orchestra music (depending on enrollment levels and student interests), chosen to develop ensemble playing abilities and musicianship.

In recent years the ensemble has performed a number of standard works in the symphonic literature, both in strings-only and full-orchestra format - most recently, Beethoven Symphony No. 1, the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major op. 35, the first movement of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, Britten's Simple Symphony, Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, the Schumann Konzertstuck, op. 86 featuring our horn section, Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2, Adagio for Strings by Barber, Egmont Overture by Beethoven, and Hoedown by Copland. Selected members from the wind and percussion sections of the JC Symphonic Band are invited to join for the full orchestra pieces. In spring 2010 the orchestra joined forces with a regional professional orchestra, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, for a side-by-side concert in which our members performed in Copland's Outdoor Overture and Holst's The Planets!

Additional options exist as well, such as our Honors String Quartet (by invitation), our Cello Choir, and other quartets depending on interest.

Our top concert wind band, known as the Juniata College Symphonic Band, performs a variety of artistic concert band literature. Selected wind players may also have the opportunity to participate in one or more orchestra pieces in the JC Orchestra.

Repertoire is chosen with an emphasis on stylistic variety within the wind band genre, study of standard wind band literature as well as newer works, refinement of ensemble playing abilities, and individual musicianship. When there is interest, top students are also selected for the Honors Brass Quintet, Honors Woodwind Quintet, and Honors Saxophone Quartet.

The JC Jazz Ensemble was brought back to life in the winter of 2002. The band, consisting of the standard big band instrumentation (saxes, trumpets, trombones, piano, bass, drums - and any other instrumentalists who wish to participate), plays big band standards as well as charts exploring fusion and funk styles, and presents one concert in the fall and two in the spring (including the annual outdoor "Concert on Kennedy Plaza") each semester, playing its own charts as well as serving as a house band for student soloists from MU-111K, our private-lesson jazz improvisation studio.

 

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Instrumental Ensembles' Membership Information 

Jazz Ensemble and String Orchestra do not have auditions for membership. Studernts interested in our symphonic band will play for the director to gain membership. This may be performed during your senior year of high school (by prior arrangement), during summer orientation (by prior arrangement), or during the first week of the semester. (For those also applying for a music scholarship during your senior year of high school, that audition serves both purposes. Skip the section immediately below and drop down to scholarship information, as the requirements for scholarship auditions are different).

In your non-scholarship audition, please plan to play:

Winds

We want to hear something technical that demonstrates your fluency and clarity/articulation through faster passages, and something lyrical and legato that showcases your tone quality, breath control and phrasing. You may play a solo piece, or we have a standard piece for you to download and learn (click on the links below to download a copy - and just play as far as you can. No minimum number of measures required). There will also be a short sight reading excerpt, a chromatic scale through the entire range of your instrument (as much as you know), and a couple major scales.

New members perform this informal "hearing" only once, so that our staff has an idea of your strengths - to have a more informed basis on which to select music. Also, when it is time to invite players to participate in the wind section of our orchestra, submit names for Pennsylvania and national Intercollegiate Bands, etc…, we refer to our notes from that hearing. 

• Flutes
• Oboes
• Bassoons
• Clarinets
• Saxes
• Horns
• Trumpets
• Trombones and Euphoniums
• Tubas
• String Bass

Strings

We rotate string seating early in the rehearsals so we can become familiar with your strengths and find compatible stand partners.  It helps us plan repertoire and rehearsal time to hear how well you prepare and how well you read. In your hearing please plan to play:

Your choice of major scale, 2 or 3 octaves, which demonstrates your technical ability (shifting, intonation, tone, etc.);
One page of a prepared piece, solo or orchestra music;
Sight reading.

Percussion

There is MUCH going on in percussion here at Juniata, with a choice of ten different ensembles to play in. Click HERE to see the percussion pages.

Audition requirements for our Instrumental "Concert Ensemble" scholarships:

All auditionees should plan to audition in person on the Juniata campus. Videotaped (not Zoom) auditions can be arranged when travel distance is a concern; parents or band director must appear in the introduction of the video.

Juniata’s Screaming Eagles Pep Band is open to all students, but Pep Band membership does not count toward scholarship winners’ requirement to perform in Juniata concert ensemble(s).

If you wish to perform with accompaniment: Plan to bring your own accompanist, or bring a recorded accompaniment.

Winds and String Bass: (Bring your own instruments). Play two contrasting pieces or two contrasting movements of the same larger work, at least 3 minutes each – a slower movement to demonstrate tone, phrasing, shaping and expressiveness; the other to demonstrate technical proficiency, speed, and application of rapid scales and arpeggios. (The standard Juniata instrumental audition piece, linked on our music website, may be used as a substitute for the technical piece, and must be played in its entirety). Major scales and sight reading will be asked. If there is proficiency in a secondary performance area, applicants are welcomed to include this in the audition scheduling.

Strings: (Bring your own instrument). Play two contrasting pieces or two contrasting movements of the same larger work, at least 3 minutes each – a slower movement to demonstrate tone, phrasing, shaping, and expressiveness; the other to demonstrate technical proficiency, speed, and application of rapid scales and arpeggios. Major scales and sight reading will be asked. If there is proficiency in a secondary performance area, applicants are welcome to include this in the audition schedule.      

Jazz winds, piano, bass, guitar: Follow the same exact audition procedures as Pennsylvania High School All-State jazz (https://www.pmea.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jazz-Repertoire-2025.pdf), but plan to perform them on campus in a live audition.

Percussion: There are three requirements and many other optional requirements.

1. Play (as far as you can) the Juniata rhythm audition page which you will be sent via email (a pdf) three days before your audition. Start at the beginning and go as far as you can.

2. Sight read a short 4-drum multiple percussion excerpt (specific knowledge of "quads" or "tenors" not required for this)

3. Choose one or more from the following. Choosing one area is sufficient; choosing more will be beneficial to your candidacy. (You will be given ample time on campus to become familiar with Juniata’s equipment, pedals, keyboard bar sizes, etc.):

a) Snare Drum: Perform orchestral roll, open roll, three requested rudiments from the Percussive Arts Society 40-Rudiment List, sight read, and play one or more concert audition selections of your choice, at least 4 minutes in total length (if you are auditioning only on snare drum) or at least 2 minutes in length (if you are auditioning on more than one percussion instrument).

b) Timpani: Perform long roll, three 2-drum melodic intervals to be named at the audition, sight read, and play one or more concert audition selections of your choice, at least 4 minutes in total length (if you are auditioning only on timpani) or at least 2 minutes in length (if you are auditioning on more than one percussion instrument).

c) Keyboard percussion: Perform requested major scales and arpeggios, sight read (2 mallets only), and play one or more concert audition selections of your choice, at least 4 minutes in total length (if you are auditioning only on keyboard percussion) or at least 2 minutes in length (if you are auditioning on more than one percussion instrument). 

d) Drum Set: Perform time patterns and stylistically appropriate fills in swing, shuffle, rock, funk, disco, Bossa Nova, and Samba styles, in clearly identifiable 8- or 12-bar form. Special consideration given to those who can seamlessly shift from one style to the next, in one long demonstration.

Optional: Marching Percussion: play a solo of your choice on marching snare or tenors.