Ensembles

Rhodes Singers, Dr. Jason Bishop, Director

Rhodes Singers originated in 1937 under the direction of Professor Louis Nicholas (‘34), who organized the first choral ensemble at Rhodes College in 1934. Burnet C. Tuthill, co-founder of the National Association of the Schools of Music (NSAM), formalized choral music performance with the establishment of the Rhodes Singers as the concert choir for the college. Rhodes Singers is a select, auditioned mixed choir of 50 Singers, and serves as a flagship ensemble for Rhodes College. They perform a variety of mostly small-form choral works. Rhodes Singers may be heard in many concerts locally, on tours throughout the United States, and on international tours every few years. In 2010, they performed in the Rome International Choral Festival, and performed concert tours in Italy and France. They also performed in 2011, for a special Presidents’ Day Choral Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and in concert, by adjudicated invitation, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. In recent years they have toured Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana. In 2017, the choir performed a concert tour around the New York area that featured a concert in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and culminated in a standing ovation presentation at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In summer of 2018, members performed in the Dublin Choral Festival in Ireland, and were invited for an encore performance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and in Carnegie Hall in 2020, which had to be canceled due to COVID. They were thrilled to sing once again when they were able to perform a concert tour in Poland and the Czech Republic in May 2021, and when they returned to New York City in May 2022 for another concert tour, which included an invitation to perform once again in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

Rhodes College Orchestra, Dr. Jonathan Schallert, Conductor

The Rhodes College Orchestra serves to create bonds of shared understanding through instrumental music performances. Repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to the 21st century, and is designed to give students and audiences a wide range of historical and musical experiences with the highest quality of music. All students are welcomed to audition for the orchestra and do not need to be a music major or minor to participate.

The Rhodes College Orchestra has toured the United States, performing in a variety of professional and academic settings. Highlights from previous seasons include collaborations with the Memphis Boys Choir, the Rhodes Singers, the Rhodes Camerata (formerly the Rhodes Women's chorus), and performances with the winner of the annual Cauthen Soloist Competition. Full orchestral works have included standards such as Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 99 in Eb and Andante in C Major K.315 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as contemporary compositions such as Spielzeug Straßenbahn by Jennifer Jolly and October by Eric Whitacre.

Rhodes 100 Pep Band, Dr. Jonathan Schallert, Director

The Rhodes Mighty 100 Pep Band is a high-energy instrumental spirit group, directed by Dr. Jonathan Schallert, which performs multiple times per semester at select sporting and campus community events, such as Rhodes football and basketball games. The literature includes popular tunes from various genres (pop, rock, soul, R&B), played in the style of marching and basketball pep bands.  The ensemble is open to all wind and percussion instrumentalists, along with a small selection of electronic instrumentalists (i.e., guitar and piano). One hour of credit is available for participation in the Rhodes Mighty 100 Pep Band.

Rhodes Jazz Ensemble, Dr. David Shotsberger, Conductor

The Rhodes Jazz Ensemble (also known as the Rhodes Jazz Ensemble Experience) is directed by Dr. David Shotsberger and performs multiple times per semester on campus and around Memphis. The literature and overall sound studied by the group is a carefully curated fusion of sounds that include standard jazz tunes, as well as popular tunes from various genres (pop, rock, soul, R&B). Concepts such as improvisation, interpretation, and ensemble technique are studied and put into practice, and students have access to renowned jazz musicians through concerts and clinics. Recent visiting artists to Rhodes have included Bobby Rush, Pat Bergeson, Kirk Whalum, Ellis Marsalis and Eddie Cotton. The ensemble is open to all singers and instrumentalists, pending an audition with the director. One hour of credit is available for participation in the Rhodes Jazz Ensemble.

Rhodes Archipelago Ensemble, Dr. Jacob Sunshine, Director

The Rhodes Archipelago Ensemble is an ensemble devoted to repertoire from the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa. Rather than a bounded geographical region, it takes as its starting point "the archipelago," an imagined geography of cultural dialogue and stylistic innovation. Students play repertoire from a wide range of genres including Son Montuno, Highlife, Salsa, Cumbia, Soukous, MPB, and Reggae. Along with learning pieces and studying the history of these genres, students explore concepts like the clave and other rhythmic patterns, improvisation, textural layering, and relationships between music and dance. Students have attended workshops with luminaries from Memphis and beyond, including Sheila E., Qemist, and Obruni Dance Band. This ensemble is open to all singers and instrumentalists following an audition with the instructor.

Each semester, a number of smaller ensembles are formed to provide a musical outlet for students who may not want to participate in the larger ensembles. The following list is only a sample of the small ensembles offered by our department. Students who are interested in a specific small ensemble for course credit should reach out to the appropriate Area Coordinator to see if there is already an applicable ensemble that exists or if one can be formed for the semester in question. 

Jazz Combos
Brass Ensemble
Chamber Chorale
Drum Circle
Flute Choir
Guitar Ensemble
Harp Ensemble
Percussion Ensemble
String Trio
String Quartet