Our students, faculty members, and world-famous guest artists perform more than 200 music and dance events on the UO campus each year.

In addition to over 30 ensembles, there's no shortage of independent contributions from students and faculty alike at the School of Music and Dance. Some of the groups and events are the fecund creations of our ingenious faculty; others are produced and run by students. Whatever's happening, it's sure to be fresh and exciting.

   Here are a few examples:

• Beta Collide
  Beta Collide is a leading-edge new music ensemble directed by flutist Molly Barth and trumpeter Brian McWhorter. Beta Collide focuses on "the collision of musical art forms, from complex to ambient; from low-brow to high-brow; from radically extended technique to site-specific improvisation." Recent projects include collaborations with Mark Applebaum, Scott Rosenberg, Stephen Vitiello and Amit Goswami (the physicist in the film What the Bleep Do We Know?). The group was named in The Oregonian's list of the Best in Classical Music for 2008. Beta Collide has premiered works by Robert Kyr and Douglas Detrick, and performed the music of John Cage, György Ligeti, and John Fonville.
  
  
• Cultural Forum at the EMU
  The Cultural Forum presents hundreds of bands and musical acts each year. Groups range from national acts such as Flogging Molly, Jason Mraz, Kronos Quartet, Sting, DJ Spooky, and The Books to regional favorites such as Gossip, Rasputina, Hot Buttered Rum, and Aphrodesia D. Concerts are presented at local venues both on and off campus. Annually, the Cultural Forum presents the Willamette Valley Music Festival. This free event includes over 40 acts performing folk, bluegrass, Indie, world-beat and more. The festival is held at the Cuthbert Amphitheater located near campus on the Willamette River.
  
  
• ECCE
  Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensemble (ECCE) is a student-formed, student-run ensemble dedicated to the diversity and widespread appeal of contemporary concert music. Its primary mission is to perform and premiere new works by young composers from around the world, although preference is often given to composers from the northwest United States.
  
  
• Jazz Café
  Jazz Café occurs on several Friday evenings a term in the Aasen-Hull Hall. Undergraduate and graduate jazz combos perform jazz standards as well as their own arrangements and compositions. Light refreshments are available for purchase.
  
  
• |m| concerts
  An annual [m]ysterious foray into [m]odern [m]usic, with the audience invited to move from room to room to sample contemporary offerings such as a remix of Sigur Ross' "Ara Batur," a human sound sculpture, a funk chart for wind ensemble, two appearances by Beta Collide, and some Balkan folk music. Check out their blog! Sounds begin at 5…
  
  
• Mind the Gap!
  University of Oregon's co-ed a cappella group all about "Overcoming the gap between men and women (settling adversity with diversity!), setting ourselves apart from other the other A Cappella mainstream brand, and finding commune and confidence in each other and our music."
  
  
• Oregon Composers Forum
  UO composition students created the Oregon Composers Forum to showcase new music.
  "You’ll be hearing the freshest, newest music that's ever been created in your own life time!" —Jerry Hui, 10' MM
  
  

  	Program Sample
  	Meiling Lee	Miniature
  	Scott J. Ordway	Piano Trio No.1: "We Were Lost, But There Was Laughter There"
  	Aaron Manela	Selections from Refugiado (The Refugee)
  	Jesse Jones	Danse acrobatique
  	Meiling Lee	La'ah
  	Jason Gerraught	Glisten
  	David Roberts	Trio for Two Clarinets and Bassoon
  	Jerry Hui	Dreamscape in watercolor
  	Ken Strand	Hey, Weirdo.
  	Jamie Keesecker	Trio

  
  
• Sospiro
  Sospiro is a new music vocal ensemble comprised of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Oregon. Graduate and undergraduate composers at UO collaborate with the choral conducting department in an effort to promote the creation of new choral and vocal music and to offer choral conductors and composers the opportunity to work together toward world premiere performances.
  
  
• On the Rocks
  The University of Oregon premier, all-male a cappella ensemble. The group was founded in 1999, the first official collegiate a cappella group in Oregon. It has since flourished into one of the top collegiate groups in the nation. OTR has gained national notoriety through its dedication to quality, ensemble, and above, all, cutting loose on stage. Perhaps most notable is the group's 2nd place in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella 2003, and 3rd place the previous year. Check out their renditions Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," and Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance."
  
  
• SoundBytes
  Originally founded in 2006 by Brian McWhorter, assistant professor of trumpet, Sound-Bytes offers free creative and experimental music performances in the EMU Concourse Lobby every Monday from precisely 11:54 a.m. to 12:08 p.m. The Sound-Bytes series gives students walking to and from class during the day a few minutes to listen to new music. The series seeks to expose students to new, experimental music in order to challenge their thoughts about contemporary music composition and performance.
  
  "It's a great way for someone to just get a little taste of something new and exciting" —Sarah Viens, D.M.A. in trumpet
  
  
• Tai Hei Ensemble
  "East Meets West" student performance group formed with the goal of exploring and enacting international dialogs across the Pacific Rim through music. Music of “cross-cultural dialog” takes many forms, including mixed ensembles of western and non-western instruments, compositions for western ensemble inspired by non-western musical traditions, and pieces that are only programmatically cross-cultural.