Festivals and Events
The Department of Music hosts festivals and events that provide musical opportunities for our students and the local community. Hundreds of high school students perform alongside university ensembles in various choral and band festivals. Numerous professional guest artists are brought to campus to interact with our students in intimate and hands-on settings.
The Big Sing
The 15th Annual BIG SING Honor Choir event is happening on October 13, 2023.
You may bring up to 16 students to participate and the registration deadline is Friday, September 25.
A few additional details about the event:
Music
- Honor choir participants will be responsible for obtaining and learning this music before the festival day, as rehearsal time is limited. Please bring all music in a black 3-ring binder or black choir folder to be used during performance.
Concert Dress
- Black pants or floor length skirt, Big Sing t-shirt (provided upon arrival), black shoes, black socks or stockings. Please wear your concert dress (black pants/skirts, socks, shoes, etc.) upon arrival at SCSU. There willbe an opportunity to change into the Big Sing t-shirt before the performance.
- If the choir directors would like a shirt, they can purchase one on their registration form for $10.
Cost
- $35 per student.
- Each student will receive a free SCSU Big Sing t-shirt and lunch at Garvey Commons.
Choral Connections
This annual choral event takes place in the spring in Ritsche Auditorium. It is FREE and open to the public.
Choral Connections features all SCSU Choral Ensembles, as well as choirs from around the St. Cloud area. We hope to see you there!
High School Honor Band
Director's Invitation Packet
Nominate Students Online (link will open December 2023)
High school musicians from across Minnesota are participating in a festival Friday, March 22, 2024 at St. Cloud State.
Directors may nominate their most outstanding musicians to rehearse and perform with St. Cloud State faculty and guest clinicians.
Clinicians
We are pleased to welcome the following guest clinicians to St. Cloud State for this year's event.
- Dr. Catharine Bushman, St. Cloud State University Wind Ensemble Conductor
- Additional guests to be announced
Nominate Students
To form two festival bands, students will be selected based on the directors' recommendations and instrumentation needs. Nominations are accepted through March 1. After March 1, email Catharine Bushman about possible openings.
- Directors nominate outstanding students who would benefit from this experience
- Nominations are unlimited
- Schools may register two seniors free of charge
- Encourage string bass students and piano students to participate
- Directors will be notified about student selection about March 8.
- The $35 fee, which includes lunch, dinner and a Marchfest T-shirt, is due at registration March 22
Students
The festival includes full-ensemble rehearsals with expert clinicians, master classes with St. Cloud State faculty, performances by St. Cloud State ensembles and performances by the clinic bands.
Directors
Sessions for directors will include topics such as rehearsal strategies, score-study tips, programming concepts and assessment strategies. Marchfest guest clinicians will provide a session to directors. The director schedule mirrors the student schedule, making it easy for a director to participate.
Concert
The culminating activity for students, directors and the public is a concert 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 22 in Ritsche Auditorium. Tickets at the door will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors.
Schedule
| 7:30 a.m. | Registration in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) |
| 8:30 a.m. | Rehearsals in PAC Center Stage and PAC 113 |
| 10 a.m. | Sectionals for Huskies Band Session 1 for directors |
| 11:30 a.m. | Lunch provided in Garvey Commons |
| 12:45 p.m. | Sectionals for Red & Black Band Session 2 for directors |
| 3 p.m. | St. Cloud State Wind Ensemble Concert |
| 3:30 p.m. | Sound checks in Ritsche and music vendor break |
| 5:30 p.m. | Finale Concert: Marchfest Festival Bands |
Contact
Catharine Bushman
Wind Ensemble / Music Education
csbushman@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-2082
Music at St. Mary's
This annual event offers the finest repertoire, ranging from exciting new works to beloved choral and instrumental classics, and features performances by a variety of SCSU ensembles at the Cathedral of St. Mary in St. Cloud.
Percussion Studies Guest Artist Series
The David Swenson Memorial Foundation Guest Artists Series enriches the Percussion Studies curriculum by bringing renowned percussion artists for public performances and workshops intensives throughout the academic year.
Past artists include, among others: drum set artists Gordy Knudson, JT Bates, Nate Wood, and Dave King; marimba artists Nancy Zeltsman, She-e Wu, and Leigh Howard Stevens; percussion groups Third Coast Percussion, Loop 2.4.1, and Brad Dutz/Chris Wabish; improvisational percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani; marimba and live capture electronics artist Nathaniel Bartlett; and live looping artist Martin Dosh.
MN Made
Celebrate Minnesota's handmade electronic music with music, robots and a robot concert.
Students and community members learn how to build musical robots, compose music for the robots and present a robot concert. Participants learn the history of mixing electricity, instrument building and automatons.