Please use the links or browse below for more about our ensembles. All ensembles have both for-credit and zero-credit enrollment options, so students can register for ensembles even if their credits are otherwise full for the semester. 

• AU Chamber Ensembles
• AU Pep Band
• West African Drumming Ensemble
• AU Symphonic Band
• AU Symphony Orchestra
• Jazz Ensembles
• Songwriters' Hub

Please see also: Performance Auditions (with upcoming dates for music, dance, theatre, and cast auditions) and Vocal Ensembles.

Auditions

Auditions are held at the beginning of the semester in conjunction with the American University Symphony Orchestra auditions and by appointment.

About AU Chamber Ensembles

The American University Chamber Players are comprised of student groups from our Chamber Ensembles (MUS-045/145-001) and provide students with the special opportunity of making music in small, intimate numbers. Ensembles vary with regard to size and instrumentation depending upon the students' level, instrumentation, and schedule. Groups have ranged in size from duos to octets, are coached by members of our in-residence faculty, and are presented in recital at the end of every semester and additionally when appropriate.

Recent performance opportunities in addition to the end-of-semester recital include:

• Master classes with National Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster, Nurit Bar-Josef, Kenneth Slowik (artistic director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society), and AU Faculty
• Community outreach at the Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts (a nationally acclaimed arts center for at-risk youth in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC)
• Art galleries, places of worship, and historic homes throughout Washington
• Featured performers at AU events

The AU Pep Band creates impactful, diverse, unique, and innovative performances for a variety of venues and occasions at AU including athletic events, university ceremonies, and student recruitment events. Instrumentation of the ensemble is like a general marching band with the addition of bass guitar, bass clarinet, and more. Anyone with a positive attitude is welcome to come find a home and artistic outlet in Pep Band.

Learn more, or contact director Aidan Dixon at pepband@american.edu for more information. Register for MUS-050/150. No audition required, email pepband@american.edu if interested. Meets select Mondays, 8:20-10:00 p.m. 

Course not scheduled for fall 2025. Students will learn and perform traditional drumming techniques and rhythms of West Africa on hand-crafted instruments such as djembe and dunun while also learning about the history and social context of the art form. No previous experience required. May be taken for either one or zero credit. Meets Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 PM in Katzen 151. Instructor: Amadou Kouyate. Amadou Kouyate is the 150th generation of the Kouyate family of Manding Djali (oral historians/musicians of West Africa) and the first generation born of his father’s lineage in America. Amadou performs a musical montage on the 21-string Kora and rhythmic presentations on Djembe and Koutiro drums. 

• Matthew Brown, Symphonic Band director. Contact ensembles@american.edu for more information. 
• Rehearsals: Monday evenings, 5:30-8 p.m. 
• MUS-047/147
• Audition required. Contact Matthew Brown (ensembles@american.edu) for sign up details. 

The AU Symphonic Band performs great wind band repertoire from the 19^th century to the present. It is a vibrant and advanced large classical ensemble open by audition to all AU students who play woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

• Matthew Brown, Orchestral director. Contact ensembles@american.edu for more information. 
• Rehearsals: Thursdays, 5:30-8 p.m. (and strings additionally on occasional Monday nights, 8:15-9:30pm). 
• MUS-044/144
• Audition required. Contact Matthew Brown (ensembles@american.edu) for sign up details. 

The AU Symphony Orchestra's repertoire consists of major masterworks as well as lesser-known gems from the Baroque era through the twenty-first century. The Orchestra is an advanced collegiate ensemble, and membership is open by audition to all AU students who play strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. 

American University's jazz program is dedicated to providing an educational and enriching atmosphere through which the campus community can learn and foster an appreciation for jazz. Through performances, classes, symposia, student ensembles and clubs, students are able to engage in the historical, cultural, stylistic, and artistic aspects of jazz music. Furthermore, AU Jazz is engaged in outreach efforts throughout Washington, DC to expose the community to the greatness that is "America's Classical Music."

AU Jazz Orchestra

The AU Jazz Orchestra (MUS-046/146) is a big band ensemble for students and faculty who wish to study and perform jazz music. Classes are held every Wednesday Night, 5:30–8:00, at the Katzen Arts Center. The Jazz Orchestra has about three to four performances per year with two main concerts in the Katzen Arts Center Abramson Recital Hall.

Contact:
Joshua Bayer
josh@joshuabayer.com

AU Jazz Combo

The Jazz Combo is a smaller ensemble for students and faculty who wish to study and perform jazz music in a more intimate setting. The Combo performs jazz standards as well as original compositions. There is a focus on improvisation while also exploring swing, bebop, hard bop, jazz fusion, funk, blues, and R&B styles. The Jazz Combo performs with the Jazz Ensemble at concerts, campus events, and around the city of DC. The Combo also hosts a weekly on-campus jam session that's free and open to the public.

Contact:
Joshua Bayer
josh@joshuabayer.com

Songwriters' Hub

• Matthew Brown, Songwriters' Hub Director. Contact ensembles@american.edu for more information.

• Rehearsals: Thursdays, 8:20–10:30 p.m.  

• MUS-045/145-003

• No audition required 

Songwriters’ Hub is a unique ensemble dedicated to rehearsing, performing, refining, recording, producing and promoting original songs written and developed by students! Membership is open not only to songwriters, but also other students interested in helping in any of those other facets of the effort (drummers, guitarists, bassists, pianists, singers, etc., plus students interested in audio production, live sound, concert promotion, marketing, etc.). 

The Hub’s main focus is not instruction in the art of writing songs but rather enabling songwriters and those in the many supporting roles to take their music to the next level. Meet tons of other like-minded musicians, get access to great instruments and gear, rehearse and record in classrooms and studios instead of your dorm, and get performance opportunities both on and off campus.