Music Program

Most music courses and rehearsals take place in Zug Memorial Hall, which houses studios, classrooms, instrument lockers, and student lounges. Rehearsal spaces are fully equipped with upright and studio grand pianos, sound equipment, and presentation podiums. Practice rooms are partially soundproof with upright pianos and available for both scheduled and open practice sessions. A dedicated music computer lab on the lower level offers Mac computers and software for composing, transposing, and recording.

Zug's Recital Hall is an intimate performance space with a stage and ample seating, used for small ensemble practice and spring senior recitals.

The largest venue on campus, Leffler Chapel and Performance Center, features two levels of seating, a spacious green room, and exceptional acoustics. It hosts major campus presentations and performances including lectures, a cappella shows, and band and choir concerts.

Our main performance spaces are equipped with Steinway pianos — two Model B grand pianos in the Recital Hall and a Model D Concert Grand in Leffler Chapel.

You don't have to be a Music major to participate — most ensembles are open to students of any academic major, and many require no audition. Students must register through Jayweb for credit or no-credit participation. Ensembles perform multiple times each year, both on- and off-campus.

Instrumental Ensembles
The Symphonic Band is the premier wind and percussion ensemble. Open to all majors with no audition required, the band rehearses twice weekly and performs at least one concert per semester.

The Jazz Band meets once per week for two hours and is open to qualified students with director approval. Members receive ½ credit and gain instruction in improvisation, stylization, and performance. The group performs frequently throughout the year on- and off-campus.

The Elizabethtown College-Community Orchestra (ECCO) is the premier wind, string, and percussion ensemble on campus. String players from the college and community may join without audition; wind and percussion musicians join with director permission. The orchestra performs at least one concert per semester.

Chamber Ensembles
Chamber ensembles offer students the opportunity to learn and perform works for small combinations of instruments. Groups meet approximately one hour per week and participants earn ½ credit per semester. Current chamber ensembles include:

• Arioso Flute Choir
• Brass Ensemble
• Clarinet Ensemble
• Horn Ensemble
• Mixed Winds
• Percussion Ensemble
• Piano Ensemble
• Saxophone Ensemble
• String Ensemble

Occasionally mixed groups including guitar and voice are also formed. Auditions may be required for some groups.

Choral Ensembles
The College-Community Chorus  is open to any student or community member without audition. Literature spans the standard choral repertoire, contemporary selections, and music of varying cultures and periods. Students may enroll for one credit (with Creative Expression core credit available after four semesters) or no-credit with instructor permission.

Fenice is a gender-inclusive treble choir open to any student by audition. It draws from a similarly broad range of choral literature and offers the same credit options as the Chorus.

Sine Nomine focuses on repertoire for bass and tenor voices and is open to any student without audition.

Concert Choir  is Etown's premier auditioned vocal ensemble. This 40-member mixed-voice group has toured throughout the United States and internationally, with past tours to Ireland, Northern Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, and Wales. Auditions are held each spring for current students and during Freshman Orientation for incoming students.