Orchestras

​Orchestral Activities at the University of Delaware, led by James Allen Anderson, are comprised of three specifically missioned ensembles, serving a total of more than 100 students from across the entire University.

​The University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra is an 80-plus member auditioned ensemble comprised of the finest undergraduate and graduate music majors from the distinguished School of Music as well as gifted non-majors from other departments across campus. The UDSO presents four programs a year and performs literature from the standard orchestral repertoire spanning the Baroque to the contemporary, as well as collaborations with select choral ensembles, soloists, and conductors.

Recent performances have included masterpieces such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 and Mass in C, Brahms' Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 and Ein deutsches Requiem, Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos. 7 & 9, Hanson’s Symphony No. 2, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, Respighi’s Fontane di Roma and Vetrate di chiesa, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Russian Easter Overture and Scheherazade, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, as well as works from contemporary composers such as Jennifer Barker, Michael Daugherty, Eric Ewazen, Jennifer Higdon, Robert Moran, Christopher Theofanidis, and Joseph Vella. The UDSO frequently participates in domestic and international tours. In 2009, the UDSO was a featured performer at the Music Educator’s National Conference regional convention in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2013 the orchestra travelled to Bogota, Colombia and joined forces with Pontificia Javeriana Universidad and Universidad Central for an 8-day tour.  Recent domestic travel included a 3-day tour in 2016 of the Washington D.C. area, joining forces with elite students from the J. S. Bach Musikschule in Vienna.

​The University of Delaware Chamber Orchestra is a select group of student musicians comprised of varying instrumentation based on the specific programming demands for each concert. The Chamber Orchestra plays several programs per semester providing the highest-level performance experience of sophisticated chamber orchestra literature. The Chamber Orchestra serves as the pit orchestra for UD Opera Theater and is the resident ensemble in the UD Cinema Symphony Series.

Recent performances have included operas such as Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Massenet’s Werther, Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Puccini’s La bohème and Il trittico, Verdi’s Falstaff, and contemporary operas by composers Mark Adamo, David Conte, Daniel Pinkham, and Robert Ward. The Chamber Orchestra has accompanied films on the UD Cinema Symphony Series for movies such as Dracula (1931), Easy Street (1917) and The Immigrant (1917), Frankenstein (1931), Phantom of the Opera (1925), and The River (1937).

​​​University Strings was created to provide an opportunity for any and all student string players on campus to participate in a music making experience regardless of their ability. A wide variety of string ensemble repertoire is played.