Ensembles are open to all UMass Amherst students, subject to auditions held at the beginning of each semester. All ensembles appear in concert on campus several times a year. Ensembles have also been selected to represent UMass Amherst at conventions and festivals that have included Symphony Hall in Springfield, MA; the Washington, D.C. home of the Marine Band; and the Capitol Building in Boston.

CHAMBER CHOIR
Tony Thornton, director
Chamber Choir performs a core repertoire chosen from the greatest classical American and European choral traditions as well as from other parts of the world. Recent performances include the Fauré Requiem, Bach St. John Passion, the Brahms Requiem, Handel's Messiah and Missa Gaia by the Paul Winter Consort.

UNIVERSITY CHORALE
Tony Thornton, director
Repertoire chosen to provide a wide range of choral experience representing many traditions. Recent performances include Bach's Magnificat, Mendelssohn's Lauda Sion, Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, Randall Thompson's Alleluia plus African-American spirituals, Latin-American songs, Lullabies and Spring Night's Moon: settings of 4 Japanese tanka. The University Community is particularly encouraged to audition.

WOMEN'S CHOIR
Tony Thornton, director
Comprised primarily of non-major undergraduate and graduate students, Women's Choir performs a wide variety of choral literature written for treble voices, including world music and works with instrumental accompaniment. The ability to read music is not required; open to Five College students with or without previous choral experience.

RECITAL CHOIR
Tony Thornton, faculty coordinator
The Recital Choir, a chamber ensemble of 24-32 singers, is comprised of the graduate Choral Conducting majors and other interested advanced students, with the purpose of providing conducting pedagogy experiences for the Graduate Choral Conducting students. The Recital Choir performs significant repertoire from all periods, including masterworks with chamber orchestra. Recital Choir fulfills (with instructor and advisor permission) the ensemble requirement for music majors and minors.

VOCAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Catherine Jensen-Hole, director
The primary ensemble for vocal jazz studies at UMass Amherst, it has been named "Best Collegiate Jazz Choir" by DownBeat magazine. Consisting of 8-12 singers and a rhythm section that is often augmented by horns, the ensemble performs both standard and contemporary jazz repertoire arranged by faculty, students and nationally recognized vocal jazz arrangers.

OPERA WORKSHOP
Vince Lee, music director
William Hite, Amy Johnson & Marjorie Melnick, coordinators
A Performance Workshop for singers; each semester an opera or selections from operas are staged and performed. Occasional collaborations with the Theater Department. Admission and casting is by audition.