There are three main ensembles at Franciscan University that offer music for the liturgies of both the campus and community as well as concerts every semester. These ensembles seek to augment the classroom instruction of the music program by giving students and audience members the experience of performing, hearing and interpreting music. This experience, which has included symphonies and Masses of Mozart, cantatas of Buxtehude and new music commissioned by the chamber orchestra, enhances both the academic life of the University and the social life of the community.
The University ensembles may be taken either for credit or non-credit and are open to anyone wishing to participate by audition.
The Schola Cantorum Franciscana is the liturgical choir of Franciscan University and sings regularly for Sunday and daily Masses on campus. The choir has also offered the fruits of its efforts to parishes off campus, including recent Masses in Steubenville and Pittsburgh. The primary pursuit of this choir is the "glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful achieved through intensive training in Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, and Sacred Music in the Latin and English traditions. The Schola Cantorum also collaborates with the other university ensembles for both liturgical and secular performances. Sacred music majors are required to sing in the Schola Cantorum for three years. Auditions are held each spring for the academic year and are open to anyone in the community. Contact Dr. Paul Weber (pweber@franciscan.edu or (740) 284-5884) for more information. Rehearsals are on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 and sectionals are held on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 6:00. The Schola Cantorum Franciscana is an accredited ensemble (MUS 175) and may be taken for one credit.
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The Chamber Orchestra gives a concert each semester and is open to all members of the community. The ensemble performs classical orchestral music and collaborates occasionally with the Schola Cantorum Franciscana and the University Chorale for larger performances. Members of the Chamber Orchestra also combine to form smaller ensembles for performances on the orchestra concerts and chamber music recitals throughout the academic year. In addition to its commitment to the standard orchestral repertoire, the orchestra has encouraged the composition of new music, including the 2006 commission of a new work, Qui sedes, from New York composer David Hughes. All players of orchestral instruments are encouraged to audition. Auditions are held each spring for the academic year. Contact Dr. Paul Weber (pweber@franciscan.edu or (740) 284-5884) for more information. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00. The Franciscan Chamber Orchestra is an accredited ensemble (MUS 185) and may be taken for one credit.
The University Chorale is a performing ensemble that is open to all members of the community. The chorale gives one concert each semester and occasionally collaborates with the other ensembles for larger performances. Auditions are held each spring for the academic year. Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 and sectionals are on Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 6:00. The University Chorale is an accredited ensemble (MUS 182) and may be taken for one credit. Contact Dr. Paul Weber (pweber@franciscan.edu or (740) 284-5884) for more information.
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Class of 2010 Major: Sacred Music (Voice)
Amy Gallwas can’t remember life without music. “It’s always been in my family,” she says. Her mother, aunts, uncle, and grandmother all played and sang, helping to foster her love of music, and she joined her first choir in fourth grade.
“I had my first solo,” she remembers with a laugh. “It was really scary; my knees were shaking the whole time.”
Singing became more exciting than it was scary, though, and Amy eventually wound up...
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