Music Ensembles

For students interested in performing groups at Georgetown, we offer academic music ensembles (which award academic credit) and co-curricular groups (which do not award academic credit), including student-run vocal groups and pep bands.

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 and Concert Choir. Auditions are required for all groups

Academic Ensembles

GU Concert Choir

GU concert choir

The Georgetown University Concert Choir is an SATB ensemble that 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

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.

GU Orchestra

messiah sing-along

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 Jazz Ensemble

jazzfest

The Georgetown Jazz Ensemble is 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, D.C. area and at many university functions.

Guild of Bands

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.


Co-curricular Ensembles

GU Pep Band

pep band clinton

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. Visit www.georgetownpepband.com.

World Percussion Ensemble

percussion

The World Percussion Ensemble is a drumming group exploring 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.

Lombardi Ensemble Association for Patients

The Lombardi Ensemble Association for Patients (LEAP) is a group of student volunteer musicians who play for patients at the Georgetown Medstar Hospital.  The club’s goal is to create a therapeutic environment for patients, their families, and hospital staff through music.  LEAP members have the opportunity to expand their individual repertoire, perform with other members, and play in holiday concerts, all in the unique setting of the hospital.
 

The Capitol Gs

capitol g's

The Capitol Gs are Georgetown’s contemporary a cappella group. Featuring a diverse repertoire of rock, R&B, hip-hop, and pop music, the Gs pride themselves on their vocally impressive and highly entertaining performances. In addition to singing at high-profile concerts and popular events on campus, the Capitol Gs also perform regularly with other groups in DC, Philadelphia, and other areas.
 

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 GraceNotes 

The GraceNotes is one of Georgetown’s most established and well-known a cappella groups. They have been singing together for more than 30 years throughout the District of Columbia and the Georgetown community. The GraceNotes co-host the D.C. A Cappella Festival (DCAF), one of the region’s most exciting a cappella shows. Throughout their history, they have had the opportunity to sing at the White House, the Four Seasons, and the Metropolitan Club. The GraceNotes sing a range of music, from rock to oldies to modern pop. They have produced several albums over the years, including “Say Grace,” “No Boys Allowed,” “Naked,” “Studio D” and “Grace Under Pressure.” Visit www.georgetowngracenotes.com.

Saxatones

The Georgetown Saxatones are the newest co-ed a cappella group on Georgetown’s campus. Originally founded as an oldies group in 2000, the Saxatones have expanded their repertoire to include everything from Motown to Michael Jackson, Alanis Morissette to Stevie Wonder, and Timbaland to Taylor Swift. The Saxatones were created with the purpose of serving the community through performance and music, and they regularly partner up with organizations both on the Hilltop and in the greater DC region. They are often invited to perform at all of Georgetown’s major a cappella showcases, record regularly, and hold auditions in both the Fall and Spring semesters. You can learn more about the Saxatones at www.Saxatones.com.

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.  Visit www.gtownsuperfood.com.