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
Auditions will take place at the Crewe Center for the Arts on the USM Portland campus on Monday, August 31st and Tuesday September, 1st from 6:00-9:00pm. Book your audition time here.
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: rlehmann@maine.edu
2026-2027 Important Dates
Rehearsals start September 2.
Concerts:
November 2 at Merrill Auditorium: Weber, Der Freischutz Overture, Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet
November 7 at Westbrook PAC: Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”
December 14 at Woodfords Congregational Church: Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along
February 10 at the Crewe Center for the Arts: Bach, Brandenburg 6, Vivaldi, Concerto for 4 violins, Shaw, Is a Rose, Grieg, Holberg Suite
April 14 at Merrill Auditorium: Kodaly, Hary Janoś Suite
April 28 at Westbrook PAC: Kolday and Beethoven 6
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 August 31 and September 1. Audition sign-ups in late summer 2026.
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.
Contact Dr. Will Kinne with any questions about Fall 2026 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.
- 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
Vocal Jazz Auditions
Auditions will be held on Sunday August 30th from 4-6pm in CCFA 162, and on Monday August 31st from 12-2pm in CCFA 175. Please sign up for a time at this link.
As usual, you only need to audition if:
- you are new to USM vocal jazz, and/or
- are interested in auditioning for our select group, VoCo
For the audition you will:
- perform the notated excerpt provided in your preferred voice part (don’t use the solo line), learned to the best of your ability before the audition.
- sightread a simple exercise
- sing some ear training exercises
Here is a Google Drive folder with the sheet music and part tracks for the excerpt of “Virtual Insanity”.
You can find the demo at this link. This and the other materials are also in the description on the signup page. You may use the part tracks for practice, but you will sing with this demo in the audition.
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!
Fall 2026 Chamber Singers Auditions
All auditions will take place in the Crewe Center for the Arts, Room 152 (Dr. Nielsen’s office). Warm-ups in Room 153.
Sunday, August 30th: 9:30am-12:30pm, 4:00pm-6:00pm
Monday, August 31st: 8:30am-8:30pm
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, edward.reichert@maine.edu
For more information, contact usm.music@maine.edu or (207) 780-5265.