Students of all majors are encouraged to participate in OSOM ensembles.
Ensembles and Audition Information
The Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra is comprised of USM music majors, students from other disciplines, and talented community players. The orchestra performs each semester, often in conjunction with USM Choral ensembles, Opera Workshop, USM composers, and with the winners of the Concerto/Aria competition. Covering a wide range of genres and styles, SMSO has performed intimate works from the chamber orchestra repertory of the Baroque to large-scale forces required to perform large Romantic and 20th Century works. In the past few years, SMSO performed such varied works as Corelli Concerto Grosso, Elgar Enigma Variations, Marquez Danzon #2, Price Three Dances in the Canebreaks, Rimsky-Korsakov Russian Easter Overture, Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 and Wagner Siegfried Idyll.
The orchestra is conducted by Professor Robert Lehmann, and rehearses Wednesday evenings from 7:15-9:45 p.m. in the Crewe Center for the Arts.
Audition Requirements
Please prepare a piece(s) that best demonstrate your ability to perform both fast/technical, as well as slow/lyrical music. This may be a piece that contains both or two different works or excerpts.
- Sight-reading may be required.
- Auditions are between 5 -10 minutes.
Students may enroll in MUS 400 (Undergrad) or MUS 500 (Graduate) to receive credit for Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra.
Once accepted into the ensemble, it is expected that members will meet the required attendance and performance requirements.
Contact: noah.b.hall@maine.edu
Audition Dates
The University Concert Band and Osher Wind Ensemble are symphonic wind and percussion ensembles. Both ensembles are open to all University of Southern Maine students by audition. Both ensembles focus on the development and application of musicianship through the rehearsal and performance of a wide variety of repertoire. Each ensemble performs at least one major concert per semester.
The two sections of MUS 402 are described below. Both are offered for 0.5 credits.
MUS 402 – 0001 or MUS 502 (Graduate) Osher Wind Ensemble is an auditioned wind and percussion ensemble that rehearses on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00–3:15 in the Crewe Center for the Arts.
If you are interested in auditioning, enroll in MUS 402 – 0001 University Concert Band and schedule an audition. After auditioning, students may be placed in either section of MUS 402.
MUS 402 – 0002 University Concert Band, formerly known as “lab band” will rehearse on Wednesday evenings from 5:45–7:15 p.m. in the Crewe Center for the Arts. This ensemble welcomes any interested university student with experience playing a concert band instrument as well as music majors on secondary instruments. Students are not required to audition.
Audition Requirements
An audition is required for all students with an interest in participating in Osher Wind Ensemble. Auditions will be held:
Woodwind and Brass Instrumentalists – Please prepare two contrasting works or excerpts that demonstrate your ability to perform both fast/technical as well as slow/lyrical music.
Percussionists – Please prepare works that demonstrate your ability to perform on concert snare, mallet instruments, and timpani or prepare the following excerpts for concert snare, mallet instruments, and timpani for which you don’t have a prepared piece. Percussion excerpts can be found here: Percussion Excerpt Folder.
Contact Dr. Casey Schmidt [casey.p.schmidt@maine.edu] with any questions about Fall 2025 audition requirements for winds and percussion.
Instructions:
- Report to your audition room 5-10 minutes early and wait quietly until the previous auditionee leaves. If you do not hear anyone auditioning, please enter at your scheduled time.
- Auditions will take place in Room 162 in the Crewe Center for the Arts from 5-9:30pm on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. (Percussion auditions will be in Room 167.)
- Enter and introduce yourself by name and list the ensembles you are auditioning for [Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Orchestra].
- Perform your lyrical selection.
- Perform your technical selection.
- Collect your belongings and exit the room. You did it!
- Results will be shared by email and/or posted on the appropriate bulletin boards and Brightspace.
- Remember to add/drop the correct ensemble courses on your schedule if necessary
Once accepted into the ensemble, it is expected that members will meet the required attendance and performance requirements.
The Jazz Ensemble performs an eclectic mix of big band literature featuring music from libraries such as the Buddy Rich Big Band, the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras as well as music written by jazz luminaries such as Bill Holman, Mary Lou Williams, Mike Stern, Ellen Rowe, and Craig Skeffington. The ensemble is directed by Chris Oberholtzer.
The Vocal Jazz Ensemble is directed by Amanda Roswick and performs as a large group, smaller chamber groups, and combos with a variety of soloists.
Jazz Ensemble Auditions
September 3rd, 2025 11am-1pm + 3:30pm-4:30pm
September 4th, 2025 11am-3:30pm
RHYTHM SECTION ONLY: September 4th, 2025 5pm-5:30pm
Vocal Jazz Auditions
September 2nd, 2025 2pm-4pm, CCFA 173
September 9th, 2025 3pm-5pm, CCFA 173
Audition Requirements
- Sing the attached excerpt, “Gotta Be This or That” from I to the end, on your preferred part. Here is a link to the demo you can practice with. The excerpt starts around 3:00.
- Ear training and sight singing exercises.
The University Chorale (MUS 401/501), an ensemble of music majors and other University students, performs a wide variety of music from all historical periods. The Chorale offers singers instruction that will enable them to sing a broad spectrum of choral music expressively and with musical understanding.
The USM Chamber Singers (MUS 405/505) is the flagship choral ensemble at the Osher School of Music, championing repertoire for chamber voices from diverse eras, traditions, and cultures.
Auditions are not required for participation in MUS 401/501 University Chorale; if you are an interested singer, please enroll today!
Chamber Singers Audition Requirements
Gorham Auditions (First-year students): Sunday, August 31, 1:00-4:00pm. Corthell Hall Room 211
Portland Auditions: (First-year students): Sunday, August 31, 1:00-4:00pm. Crewe Center for the Arts, Room 152
Portland Auditions Room #1 (Returning students): Tuesday, September 2, 11am-5pm + 6:30pm-8:30pm. Crewe Center for the Arts, Room 152
Portland Auditions Room #2 (Returning students): Tuesday, September 2, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Crewe Center for the Arts, Room 155
Students should come prepared to sing a song/piece of their choosing that best displays their voice. This can be an aria, art song, musical theatre piece, a pop song, folk song… whatever students are comfortable singing that displays what they are proud of about their voice. No accompanist will be provided, but students are welcome to bring a collaborator with them, use accompaniment tracks, the Appcompanist app, or sing unaccompanied. This is about students singers confidently displaying their artistry, so do whatever maximizes your singing!
Additionally, students should anticipate working through a series of vocalises as well as some standard “getting to know you” questions with Dr. Nielsen.
Contact: Dr. Kyle Nielsen, kyle.b.nielsen@maine.edu
Students have further singing opportunities in Opera Workshop, and other small vocal ensembles. Members of the Chamber Singers principally sing a capella repertoire from the Renaissance and Twentieth Century and masterworks from the Classic Era. Singers in the Opera Workshop perform opera and musical comedy both in scenes and in fully staged productions jointly produced with the University Theatre Department.
For more information
Opera: Malinda Haslett, malinda.haslett@maine.edu
Musical Theatre: Ed Reichert, mailto:edward.reichert@maine.edu
For more information, contact usm.music@maine.edu or (207) 780-5265.