Chamber Ensembles

On this page:

• Faculty Chamber Ensembles
  • Faculty Brass Quintet
  • Faculty String Quartet
• Student Chamber Ensembles
  • The Percussion Ensemble
  • Saxophone Quartet
  • University Trombone Ensemble
  • Bassoon Studio
  • Tuba-Euphonium Studio

As a major component of a balanced curriculum of music performance, applied music, music history, music theory, and music education, the School of Fine and Performing Arts offers a wide range of performing ensembles.

These ensembles are open to all students at the university, regardless of major, and, in some cases, to community members.

Faculty Chamber Ensembles

Faculty Brass Quintet

The Faculty Brass Quintet consists of the following members:

• Gretchen McNamara, D.M.A., trombone
• Daniel Honaker, M.M., tuba

Faculty String Quartet

The Faculty String Quartet consists of the following members:

In-Hong Cha, D.M.A., Associate Professor of Music at Wright State University, teaches applied violin, serves as director of orchestral studies, coordinator of strings and conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra. Cha holds a D.M.A. in orchestral conducting from the University of South Carolina, an M.A. in violin performance from the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and an Artist Diploma in Strings from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. He performs and conducts actively throughout the United States and abroad including Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Taiwan, Mexico, Russia, Korea and Japan. Cha was former concertmaster of the Daejon City Symphony Orchestra, Korea and principal second violin of the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra and also served as music director and conductor of the Amabile Chamber Orchestra. His autobiography, Beautiful Man and Beautiful Success, was published in Korea and it became a best seller. His appearance on the Hour of Power with Dr. Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral has been televised to a worldwide audience. In June 2006, he appeared as a guest conductor for the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia during White Night Festival and the performance was recorded on CD and it has been released by SONY/BMG, Seoul.

Thomas Sobieski started playing with the Wright State University Faculty String Quartet in January of 2008. Having played in orchestras such as the Virginia Symphony, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra of Virginia, and the Dayton Philharmonic, Thomas now sits as concertmaster of the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in programs such as CCM's Music-X, a modern music festival, the Grandin Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and the Opera Theater of Lucca, performing opera and chamber music in Lucca, Italy. He has appeared as soloist with the CCM Percussion Ensemble, the Wright State University Orchestra, and in various recital series and programs around the Cincinnati and Dayton area. Sobieski earned his B.M., M.M., and A.D. from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he studied primarily with Dr. Won-Bin Yim.

Kevin Nordstrom, D.M.A., leads a busy career as both performer and teacher.  He has performed in much of the United States as well as in Canada, Italy, and Austria, and has given numerous solo recitals in the United States. Nordstrom holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of North Texas, a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he is also pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts. His teachers have included Dr. Catharine Carroll, Masao Kawasaki, Dr. Susan Dubois, Donald McInnes and Christian Colberg. Most recently, Nordstrom has been appointed to be the Adjunct Instructor of Applied Viola at Wright State University in Dayton, a position he is most proud to step in to.

Franklin Cox, Ph.D., studied at Indiana University, Columbia University, and the University of California, San Diego (Ph.D., composition). His main cello teachers were Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Peter Wiley, and he studied composition with Fred Lerdahl, Brian Ferneyhough, and Harvey Sollberger. Cox has received numerous awards as both composer as cellist, including the highest awards from the Darmstadt Festival for both composition and cello performance. Since 1993, he has presented a solo recital entitled The New Cello, focusing on original works for the cello, more than 100 times throughout  Europe and North America. He is founding co-editor of the international book series, New Music and Aesthetics in the 21st Century, and is also founding co-editor of Search, an online/print journal focused on new music and culture. In 2008, he founded the annual American Innovators series of concerts and symposia. His works are published by Rugginenti Editions and Sylvia Smith Publications, and they can be heard on Rusty Classica, Neuma Records, Solitude Edition, and Centaur Records.

---

Student Chamber Ensembles

The Percussion Ensemble

Jerry Noble, director
gerald.noble@wright.edu

The Wright State University Percussion Ensemble is led by Jerry Noble and performs regularly throughout the year. Past performances include Ohio Music Educators Conference, Percussive Arts Society-Ohio Day of Percussion, PAS-Illinois Day of Percussion, Tri-State Honor Band, the American Innovators Conference, and Niu Valley Percussion Festival in Honolulu HI. Wright State Percussion is full of active teachers and professional performers.

The group has performed in recital with Mike Burritt (Eastman), Keith Aleo (Boston Conservatory), Bob Becker (NEXUS), Bill Cahn (NEXUS), Robert Van Sice (Yale), and Rich Redmond (Jason Aldean Band). Current WSUP students have performed with and currently perform with the Columbus (IN) Philharmonic, Richmond (IN) Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Philharmonic, Cedar Point Entertainment (drummer), Tate’s Creek Indoor, Blast! Matrix Performing Arts, US Marine Corps Bands, and Brevard Music Center.  Conductors/artists WSUP students have collaborated with include: Keith Lockhart (Boston Pops), JoAnn Falletta (Virginia Symphony/Buffalo Philharmonic), Matthias Bamert (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Daniel Meyer (Erie Philharmonic), Michael Haithcock, University of Michigan, Anthony Maiello (George Mason University), Andrew Sewell (Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra), and Delta David Gier (South Dakota Symphony).

Former members of the Wright State Percussion Ensemble have performed with the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, Cincinnati Symphony, USAF Band of Flight, the Dayton Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Lansing Symphony, Cleveland Pops, Richmond (IN) Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band, Rhythm X, the Madison Scouts, Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Matrix, the Bluecoats, and have been performers for the following festivals: Brevard Music Center, Chautauqua, Eastern Music Festival (NC), Cloyd Duff Class, the Bob Becker Ragtime Institute, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp-International Program (as a counselor/performer) and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (as a counselor/faculty performer). 

Current Wright State Percussion students serve as instructors for UC Bear Bands, Tate’s Creek Indoor, Pioneer Drum and Bugle, and dozens of high schools in the Dayton region.

A partial list of previously performed pieces:

Saxophone Quartet (MUE 2460/4460/6460)

The Wright State Saxophone Quartet is a performing chamber ensemble comprised of Wright State University music students under the musical coaching of professor Shelley Jagow. All members are music education and/or performance majors at Wright State. Quartet membership is chosen annually on a highly selective audition process.

The Wright State Saxophone Quartet is a recipient of the Edgar Hardy Scholarship, the Dayton Chamber Music Society Scholarship, the Chamber Music Institute Fellowship, and the Wright State University Presidential Commendation for Excellence. The quartet performs a diverse musical repertory and is often invited to perform at school, community, and professional events including the Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA) State Conference, the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) conferences, the International Society for Music Education (ISME), and the United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.

The Quartet has performed throughout the United States in Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington D.C. International performance tours include Japan, Scotland and Italy.

HIRE THE QUARTET TO PERFORM AT EVENTS

Support young musicians by booking the Saxophone Quartet for your next event. The Quartet has been hired to perform at private and public events such as birthday parties, retirement parties, holiday events, festivals, church and school activities, and a variety of other venues. The fee is used to pay for music, equipment, and educational activities such as conference attendance and performance.

For more information on hiring the quartet for your next event, please contact Francesca Wantuch at francesca.wantuch@wright.edu.

Support young musicians by giving to the Wright State Saxophone Studio.

University Trombone Ensemble

Gretchen McNamara, D.M.A., director
gretchen.mcnamara@wright.edu

The University/Community Trombone Ensemble is comprised of qualified university and community trombone players. Established in 1974, the ensemble averages three to five performances per year, on and off campus. They meet one hour per week for the purpose of playing trombone ensemble music, as well as exchanging ideas and concepts of trombone performance. University students have an opportunity to perform and interact with mature trombone players and teachers in the area.

Bassoon Studio

Chamber music is an important part of the bassoon studio at Wright State.  The studio members are divided into trios and quartets each semester.  This allows students to work as a musical team.  They learn important rehearsal skills and make musical decisions and receive weekly coaching from their teacher Bill Jobert.  In addition to these small ensembles the entire studio participates in bassoon choir pieces.  This chamber pieces are performed on the bassoon studio recitals and on performances around campus known as "Bassoons in Public Places".

Tuba-Euphonium Studio

The Wright State University Tuba-Euphonium Studio, under the direction of Dr. Steven Darling, enjoys an atmosphere filled with competition and camaraderie. Members perform in the Wright State University Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, Undergraduate Brass Quintets, the WSU Symphonic Band, WSU Wind Symphony, WSU Chamber Orchestra, and the WSU Jazz Band. The WSU Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble frequently performs at regional and international Tuba-Euphonium Conferences, OMEA conferences, and public venues throughout the greater Dayton region. Previous and past students work extensively with marching and concert band programs throughout the Dayton-Cincinnati community. Former students have won positions with the 100th United States Army Bands, gained recognition in local and national competitions, perform in and instruct DCI Bands, serve as administrators with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Ballet, and serve as educators throughout the Tri-State region. For more information regarding auditions and the WSU Tuba-Euphonium Studio, please contact Daniel Honaker.