Department of Performing Arts

Many of the larger groups are both classes and student organizations. For some groups, credit toward graduation is available, but optional. Students are given priority for some positions and some groups are limited to students, but all members of the Georgetown community are invited to join the Orchestra, Winds and Concert Choir. Auditions are required for all groups. Chapel Choir and Gospel Choir are operated by Campus Ministry and include a ministry component.

INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS

GU Orchestra

Founded in 1980, the Georgetown University Orchestra is a large ensemble devoted to the study and performance of orchestral music, including repertoire composed for full orchestra and chamber orchestra.  Literature is selected from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern periods. Orchestra membership is open to all instrumentalists and requires an audition.

GU Chamber Music Ensembles Program

The Chamber Music Ensembles Program presents thematic concerts featuring instrumental groups composed of string, woodwind, brass, percussion and keyboard instrumentalists. Auditions are required.

GU Wind Ensemble

The Wind Ensemble performs repertoire from Corelli to Grainger, seriously examining all genres and aspects of the wind literature. The ensemble performs once each semester. Membership is by audition and is open to all members of the Georgetown community (students, faculty, staff).

GU Pep Band

The Georgetown University Pep Band was established in 1922. Today it continues to rock the campus, getting students, alumni, faculty and staff ready for fun and excitement. The Pep Band performs at all home football games and men's and women's basketball games, traveling extensively in the spring.

GU Jazz

Georgetown Jazz is an ensemble dedicated to promoting the American art of jazz.  The focus is primarily on the historical big band sounds of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton and other great bands from the 1930s to the present.  Concerts also include contemporary arrangements and classic tunes.  All participants develop jazz improvisation skills.  Georgetown Jazz performs in and around the Washington DC area and at many university functions.

Guild of Bands

The Guild of Bands is an umbrella organization for small rock, jazz and pop ensembles. Each year we work to improve our performing and songwriting skills, as well as hear from experts in the music business. The Guild of Bands holds auditions each fall, performs collective concerts at least twice a year, and provides music for on-campus events.

World Percussion Ensemble

The World Percussion Ensemble is a drumming group exploring the different types of rhythmic styles from around the globe. Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Eastern cultures are just a few of the genres the group has studied and adapted to their high energy performance style.

VOCAL GROUPS

GU Concert Choir

The Georgetown University Concert Choir is an SATB ensemble performs sacred and secular works from all periods of music history. The Choir performs one major concert each semester (collaborating frequently with other campus ensembles and local artists) and at special ceremonies throughout the year.  Auditions are required. The Concert Choir is open to students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the University community.

GU Chamber Singers

The Georgetown University Chamber Singers, founded in 1992, is a select group of mixed voices organized to perform small choral masterworks from the Renaissance through the Twentieth Century.  Emphasis is placed on the art of singing a cappella, though at times the group performs with accompaniment.  Membership requirements include an audition.

The University Chapel Choir

The University Chapel Choir sings weekly at the Sunday 10 p.m. Mass in Dahlgren Chapel as well as other special events such as the Mass of the Holy Spirit, Lessons and Carols and the Baccalaureate Mass. The ensemble sings an eclectic variety of choral music and membership is offered to all who are associated with the university, including students, alumni, staff, faculty and members of religious communities.

A CAPPELLA

The Phantoms

Founded in 1988, the co-ed Phantoms perform rock, pop, and R&B a cappella music. In recent years the ensemble has sung with Bobby McFerrin, opened for Chingy and the Black Eyed Peas, performed at the State Department and Kennedy Center, and maintained a yearly repertoire of more than 40 songs.  They also co-host, with the Gracenotes, the annual D.C. A cappella Festival ("DCAF") each fall, inviting a cappella groups from other universities on the East coast to perform at Georgetown.

The Grace Notes

The Grace Notes are an all-female group, focusing on music with a soprano/alto blend. Founded in 1980, they have produced several compact discs.  They sing a variety of music including pop, classic rock, jazz and barbershop. They also co-host, with the Phantoms, the annual D.C. A cappella Festival ("DCAF") each fall.

Harmony

Harmony brings new dimensions to the on-campus singing scene as an all-female group celebrating the diversity of international song.  Each song is sung in its native language, furthering the university's mission to promote international understanding and cooperation.

Saxatones

With a commitment to and focus on community service, the Saxatones create and perform a cappella music, featuring a repertoire of Oldies music ('60s and '70s) and similar styles. 

Superfood

Formed in 1997 by a group of Georgetown University students, the a cappella group Superfood performs everything from rap to rock, blues to bluegrass.

PERFORMANCE COURSES

Course credit is available for participation in all faculty-led performance groups. Please see the schedule of classes for details (MUSC100). Highly accomplished music students may apply to perform a Senior Recital under the guidance of a faculty member (MUSCM460).