The Department of Music at URI has a wide range of performing ensembles to meet the needs of its diverse student body. From groups that focus on standard repertoires to those with more innovative approaches, the performance ensembles offer a broad exposure to many styles, help refine technique, and broaden musicality. Performance opportunities abound on campus, locally, and on tours. Students often have a chance to perform with well-known guest artists. Performance opportunities fall into the following five areas. For more details about each listed group, click on it to be linked to its separate page.

Orchestral Program:

The University's orchestral program offers a performance format for more advanced music students and skilled community musicians.

URI Symphony Orchestra

Choral Program:

Whether a student’s interest in singing is professional, educational, or simply for pleasure, URI offers many opportunities to sing, from ensembles to opera, as well as applied lessons with faculty artists and courses focused on choral and vocal music. Some ensembles are open to community members as well as students.

University Chorus
Concert Choir
Lively Experiment

Opera Workshop

Band Program:

The URI band program is very inventive and diverse in its nature. It includes all wind, brass and percussion players of varying abilities, many of whom are non-music majors. Participation in these ensembles offers students the possibility to rehearse exciting music and perform at events and tours on and off campus.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble
URI Concert Band
URI Marching Band and Basketball Pep Band

Jazz Program:

America's indigenous music is right at home on the URI campus. The university’s jazz performance program is a diverse, active and versatile combination of big bands and ensembles that range widely from Dixieland style to Jazz Fusion, all strongly supported by the university’s course offerings through both the Bachelor of Arts with Jazz Option and the Minor in Jazz Studies. Band directors and ensemble coaches are faculty members who are highly acclaimed performers and recording artists recognized in their field. The groups play at many regional jazz festivals and other venues both on campus and in the community. An annual URI jazz and World Music Festival brings in name performers who perform in concert and also work with the URI ensemble members. Participation is by audition open to students, faculty and staff, and members of the community.

Big Bands
Jazz Ensembles
URI Jazz Weeks and Festival

Chamber Music Program:

Student and faculty musicians perform music of the Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary periods in recitals on and off campus. They participate in numerous special events and have the occasional privilege of premiering new works by Rhode Island composers as well as students. These ensembles include: flute, saxophone, and woodwind ensembles, brass groups, and other various ensembles according to instrumentation

Honors String Quartet
Other Chamber Ensembles