Music Ensembles
The Cline School of Music offers music ensembles for almost every instrument. Whether you’re majoring in music or another major at NGU, you can participate by singing, playing, or helping out with sound and logistics. Through NGU’s music ensembles, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with other music-lovers and gain experience in performing a wide range of repertoire live at a variety of venues so you can become an even more talented musician. Take a look below to learn more about our ensembles.
Brass Quintet
The North Greenville University Brass Quintet is comprised of the most talented brass players from The Cline School of Music. The quintet meets for two hours of faculty-supervised coaching each week to learn standard repertoire covering many styles and genres. In addition to on-campus concerts, the quintet maintains an active off-campus performance schedule.
Concert Choir
The North Greenville University Concert Choir, composed of selected voices, is one of the performing ensembles in the Cline School of Music in the College of Communication and Fine Arts, and is open to students from all academic majors. Membership is by an interview with the choir director, Greg Graf. The Concert Choir offers a high-quality choral experience for future music educators, church musicians, and performers. It provides music for chapel and performs concerts, both on and off-campus. Concert Choir has been honored to perform at the state convention of the South Carolina American Choral Directors Association, the South Carolina Baptist Convention annual meeting, and has performed with the Greenville Symphony.
Concert Band
The North Greenville Concert Band is the primary large ensemble for instrumental music majors and non-majors. Performing standard wind band repertoire from all musical periods, the mission of the North Greenville Concert Band is to expose students to challenging literature and enhance their level of musical proficiency. The ensemble offers many performances, including on-campus concerts, in addition to recruitment tours.
Contemporary Worship Ensemble
The North Greenville University Contemporary Worship Ensemble is one of the many performing ensembles in the Cline School of Music in the College of Communication and Fine Arts. The Contemporary Worship Ensemble offers a high quality of musicianship through the expression of Contemporary Worship styles as well as other styles of church music. Through this ensemble, we aim to continually grow and train our students in different techniques and styles of Contemporary Worship Music. This ensemble has several performing opportunities throughout the semester, both on and off-campus, such as chapel, worship night events, and state-wide conventions. The Contemporary Worship Ensemble’s overall mission is to provide significant and expert training for future worship leaders and music ministers to serve the local church.
Jazz Band
Under the direction of Craig King, the North Greenville Jazz Band is open to instrumentalists by audition. Standard jazz ensemble instrumentation is used to trace historical jazz styles through performances. The Jazz Band meets one hour per week and offers students the opportunity to learn improvisation through selected repertoire and via a small three to four-piece jazz ensemble selected from within the band. The Jazz Band is available to perform for on and off-campus events.
Marching Band
The NGU Marching Trailblazers perform at all home football games, select away games, area parades, and in exhibitions at high school competitions. The band is open to all NGU students who would like to share their talent as a member of the wind section, the percussion section, or a member of the color guard. The marching band provides scholarship funds to all that participate and meet the requirements for attendance.
The band is under the direction of Gary Rhoden, who began his career with the Marching Trailblazers in the fall of 2020 after spending several successful years as a band director at James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, SC.
Feel free to contact the director at gary.rhoden@ngu.edu for any further questions. We would love for you to be a member of the Marching Trailblazers!
NGU Singers
The North Greenville Singers are a chamber ensemble that performs a wide variety of choral literature. Membership is open to the student body by audition only. The group frequently sings for community events, local churches, campus chapels, as well as participates with the Concert Choir in a spring tour. The North Greenville Singers have participated in Madrigal Dinners, and combined with the theater department in musicals.
Orchestra
Under the direction of Michael Weaver, the NGU Orchestra is one of several performing ensembles in the Cline School of Music. It is open to students from all academic majors. Membership is by audition with the Orchestra Director. The NGU Orchestra provides a high-quality orchestral experience for future music educators, church musicians, and performers. It performs sacred and standard orchestral repertoire, providing music for chapel and concerts on and off campus every semester.
The integration of faith with orchestral performance is what sets NGU’s orchestra apart from other university orchestras. Prayer before rehearsals and performances, mentoring by Christian artist-faculty, and the Christ-centered atmosphere of the campus foster each student’s artistic, intellectual, and spiritual growth.
Percussion Ensemble
The North Greenville University Percussion Ensemble is open to anyone with the permission of the director. The ensemble rehearses two hours each week and performs on campus each semester as well as at many other events around the campus and the community, and at many high schools while on tour with the NGU Concert Band. They regularly perform a variety of musical styles in the standard percussion ensemble literature, contemporary and new works, and world music. The ensemble often collaborates with other music ensembles and other departments on various diverse projects and takes advantage of hosting guest artists and/or attending events in the area. The ensemble is under the direction of Christopher Davis.
Woodwind Ensemble
North Greenville University Woodwind Ensembles are scholarship groups open to students by audition. The groups perform music from the standard literature. Performance opportunities for the group include Chapel on campus, concerts in area schools for elementary or junior high school students, departmental concerts. Occasionally, the group plays in area churches or other off-campus venues. Students rehearse two hours per week