Current Ensembles

Look at the different ensembles that the Vernacular Music Center and TTU School of Music offer - all with unique opportunities and experiences!

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TTU Celtic Ensemble

TTU's Celtic Ensemble is a small ensemble (winds, strings, percussion, voice) specializing in group performance of the traditional dance music and song of the seven Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, and the Isle of Man.  We play recitals, guest concerts, and participate in many service performances both on and off-campus: Celtic Christmas, Madrigal Dinners, Reading Marathon, and so on.

Facebook: ​https://www.facebook.com/TTUCelticEnsemble/

​Director, Dr. Christopher Smith
​Email: ​christopher.smith@ttu.edu​

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The Elegant Savages Orchestra
Symphonic folk from the lost world of Bassanda

The ESO is a unique ensemble of winds, strings, and rhythm instruments, voices, and dancers, providing classical and sight-reading musicians the opportunity to explore various traditional and vernacular music “by ear” genres in a chamber orchestral format: strings (violin, viola, ‘cello, double bass), winds, and percussion.  Repertoire is drawn from Celtic, English, Appalachian, BalFolk, Caribbean, and Scandinavian music & dance traditions, and the Orchestra collaborates extensively with composers, songwriters, choreographers, and virtuoso soloists to create unique symphonic realizations of their creative visions.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elegantsavagesorchestra/

Director, Dr. Christopher Smith
​                                                              Email: ​christopher.smith@ttu.edu

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​YouTube playlist: ESO Recordings!

YouTube playlist: ESO Silent Short Films!

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TTU Collegium Musicum
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Founded by director Angela Mariani in 2001, this ensemble is a welcoming community of musicians in the TTU School of Music who come together to explore medieval, Renaissance, and early Baroque music through the medium of performance. The experience of working with period instruments and investigating the performance processes of early western music is enjoyable, illuminating, and also deepens our understanding of the music to which we are introduced in our music history classes and seminars. 

Currently,  there are three groups within the ensemble including the Choir, Recorder Concert, and Loud Band.  Along with regular rehearsals, this ensemble also has master classes with Bob Wiemken  from Piffaro, The Renaissance Band.

Director, Dr. Angela Mariani
​Email: ​angelamariani.smith@ttu.edu

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TTU Balkan Ensemble

TTU's Balkan Ensemble is a small ensemble of musicians and dancers (including all orchestral & jazz instruments: winds, strings, percussion, voice; also keyboard, guitar, mandolin, etc) specializing in group performance of the traditional dance music and song of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean: Bulgarian, Romanian, Czech, Hungarian, Greek, Cretan, Turkish, Jewish, and related ethnic traditions. We typically learn and play by ear and participants are assisted in learning traditional instruments (saz, gaval, fiddle, clarinet, accordion, bouzouki, etc) and in appropriate languages insofar as possible.

Director, Roger Landes
​Email: ​​roger.landes@ttu.edu

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Caprock English Bagpipe Consort

Description

Director, Roger Landes
​Email: ​​roger.landes@ttu.edu