Choral Ensembles

Nearly 200 students each year participate in choral ensembles that have received national and regional acclaim for their performances, both collectively and individually. Students can earn one credit for most of the ensembles. Consider joining an ensemble, like the

• Concert Choir comprises undergraduate and graduate students at the Boyer College of Music and Dance. In addition to performing the great masterworks of the choral and orchestral canon, the choir performs a lot of new American choral music and has presented many first Philadelphia performances.
• Singing Owls, a mixed choir, is made up of Temple University alumni, faculty, staff and students as well as members of the greater Philadelphia community. The ensemble's primary goal is to create a dynamic and inclusive singing community through the appreciation and performance of music from diverse cultures, genres, places and time periods.
• University Chorale, a choir of men's voices, representing a wide range of majors within the Boyer and across the university. The chorale performs music of many cultures and times. In recent years, the choir has placed a special emphasis on contemporary American music, including works by Jeffery Ames, Carol Barnett, Eric William Barnum, Daniel Pinkham, Frank Ticheli and Z. Randall Stroope.
• Women's Chorus, a mixed choir of female students, representing a wide range of majors within the Boyer and across the university. The ensemble performs four times per year on campus as well as with the combined choirs and orchestra for the annual Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts concerts.

Learn more about Temple University Choirs and other Boyer ensembles.

Instrumental Ensembles

Boyer students have opportunities to perform in more than 10 instrumental ensembles, made up of bands, orchestras and more. Ensembles include the

• Boyer College Electroacoustic Ensemble Project, which creates electroacoustic music in a collaborative environment. It functions as an electronic music band, a fusion of computers and traditional instruments, and a laptop orchestra.
• Chamber Orchestra, which performs larger chamber works in a true chamber music setting. The Chamber Orchestra generally performs one concert per semester and on occasion has joined with the Temple University Concert Choir in a combined performance.
• Diamond Marching Band, which performs at athletic events throughout the academic year, including traditional pregame shows and varied halftime shows throughout the season. The “Pride of the Cherry and White” marching band performs at all home games and also travels to select away games.
• Opera Orchestra, which accompanies Opera Theater each semester in a fully staged production.
• Percussion Ensemble, which provides a quality educational chamber music experience for its members, promotes the performance of percussion literature in a variety of styles, and encourages the composition of new works for the medium.
• Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra composed of undergraduate and graduate students. The orchestra has performed in recent years at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, as well as Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.
• Wind Symphony, an ensemble that comprises advanced graduate and undergraduate musicians and performs at least six formal concerts throughout the academic year.

Learn more about instrumental studies ensembles and other Boyer ensembles.

Jazz Ensembles

Boyer boasts a number of jazz ensembles that range in level and style. You also have the opportunity during the first two weeks of the semester to enroll in small jazz ensembles, coached by Jazz Studies faculty members.

• Temple University Jazz Band is Boyer’s premier jazz band. It performs on Temple’s Main Campus and throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, and it hosts the annual Essentially Ellington Eastern Regional High School Jazz Band Festival.
• Temple University Lab Band has served as the opening act for the Temple University Jazz Band’s Kimmel Center performances and as the headliner for the annual Big Band Dance swing dance held each spring in The Underground at the Howard Gittis Student Center. The band has also performed at the Temple Performing Arts Center and in Tomlinson Theater.
• Jazz Band Number Three provides an environment in which students can improve application and knowledge of ballad concepts, ensemble and section blend, expansion of dynamic range and rhythmic interpretation. The repertoire covers a wide chronological range, from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington catalogs to contemporary arrangements and compositions.

The Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts has a centralized advising office with five staff members. This advising team serves all undergraduate students in the Boyer College of Music and Dance and the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts.

Advisors help students navigate the undergraduate curriculum for each degree program. The academic advising team for music, dance, theater, and film and media arts majors is located in Mitten Hall, Suite 200 West.

To schedule an advising appointment based on your individual needs or for more help, contact the advising team.
Phone: 215-204-2227

Schedule an advising appointment.

The Boyer College of Music and Dance is accredited by the

• American Music Therapy Association,  
• National Association of Schools of Music,
• National Association of Schools of Dance and
• Pennsylvania Department of Education.