Brass Quintet

Brass students have an opportunity to participate in a myriad of chamber ensembles at Iowa State:  

• Brass quintet 
• Brass trio
• Trombone choir
• Horn choir & Horn quartet
• Trumpet choir
• Tuba-Euphonium ensemble 
• Brass Choir

These ensembles regularly perform on campus and throughout the Ames community. Recent outreach performances have occurred in local schools, food banks and nursing homes. 

In fact, student led brass ensembles have raised $1000’s of dollars for local charity that has directly impacted our community. 

Brass ensembles are coached by our renowned faculty who regularly participate in chamber music with professional ensembles throughout the region.

ISU Clarinet Ensemble

Clarinetists have the opportunity to perform in chamber groups including trios, quartets, and similar small ensembles. These small groups give musicians the opportunity to hone valuable skills including intonation, blend, non-verbal group communication, and self-guided rehearsal techniques while also learning small-ensemble repertoire. Several groups will incorporate auxiliary clarinets like Eb and Bass clarinet, so these groups also present excellent opportunities for clarinetists to develop skills in these instruments as well. Weekly rehearsals will incorporate coaching from Dr. Oakes with group-led rehearsal techniques.

ISU Flute Ensemble

The ISU Flute Ensemble is comprised of music majors, as well as select non-music majors from across campus. In addition to ISU recitals and performances at the annual Iowa Flute Festival, the ISU Flute Ensemble recently performed with beatbox flutist, Greg Pattillo, and has given feature recitals at the National Flute Association’s annual conventions. If interested in auditioning for this group, please contact Sonja Giles.

Percussion Ensemble

The ISU Percussion Ensemble is dedicated to furthering percussion education and performance by commissioning new works, performing a variety of challenging literature on and off campus, and producing high-quality recordings.  The ensemble typically consists of 12-18 students and maintains a very active performance schedule, presenting 5-7 performances each season on and off campus. The group regularly presents concert tours throughout Iowa and the Midwest, performs showcase concerts at the annual Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion, and has performed multiple times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC).  The Percussion Ensemble rehearses three times per week and is directed by Dr. Jonathan Sharp.

ISU Wind Quintet

The ISU Wind Quintet is comprised of the top music majors from the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn studios, and can occasionally include highly talented non-music majors from across campus. In addition to ISU recitals and performances around campus, the quintet embarks on an annual recruiting tour in the spring semester to high schools around Iowa and neighboring states. The ensemble’s repertoire has consisted of a mix of standard quintet music as well as new music from young composers, both locally and internationally. Weekly rehearsals focus on group playing, team leadership, blending timbres, playing solo lines, group listening, and other small group playing skills unique to chamber music. The ISU Wind Quintet is coached by Amy Christensen.

Hautbois Quatre

Hautbois Quatre is a hand-selected group of oboists and English hornists from the studio of Amy Christensen. Generally, the group has the opportunity to play in a quartet but trios, quintets, octets, and other small chamber ensembles are also utilized dependent on available repertoire. The group rehearses weekly and performs regularly in ISU recitals as well as in outreach opportunities across the ISU campus. Weekly rehearsals focus on group playing, team leadership, blending timbres, playing solo lines, group listening, and other small group playing skills unique to chamber music. The ISU Wind Quintet is coached by Amy Christensen.