Music Society (Mile End)

  Welcome to the Queen Mary Music Society!The Music Society is open to all musicians studying or working at QMUL or Barts. We encompass music across all genres such as classical, jazz, film music, opera and even premiere new works by QM student composers! Our groups rehearse on a weekly basis, typically in the evening, with large concerts at Christmas and Easter and smaller performances throughout the semester. ** This year, we are unlikely to have in person rehearsals and concerts. However, our weekly sessions are still running, and we aim to stream and end of year performance from all the groups, as well as having informal performance sessions throughout the year.We're still online in Semester 2 - however, we will be hoping to continue our sessions into Semester 3 (exam semester), which is something we haven't done before!  We are a three-time Gold Excellence Award society (woo)! Upcoming events No more for now - but if you're missing the sound of our music performances (or simply our lovely faces), check out our members' contributions to the Queen Mary Music in Lockdown YouTube channel! Weekly sessions:    MONDAY  Orchestra  18:30 - 20:30  Microsoft Teams    TUESDAY  Choir  18:30 - 20:00    Microsoft Teams    WEDNESDAY  Songwriting  18:00 - 20:00  Microsoft Teams    THURSDAY  A Cappella  18:30 - 21:00  Microsoft Teams  QMJazz  19:00 - 21:00  Email Jamie  Our Groups(Click on the group names to join their respective social media chats!)A CappellaHi and welcome to A Cappella 2020/21! We have loads of fun activities planned and we cannot wait to welcome new talented and amazing members. Our main aim is to be able to come together through the power of music despite the challenging time we’re living through right now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We have already arranged some songs, including Breezeblocks by Alt-J and plan to form a virtual choir. We are a very social group even when social distancing! We look forward to seeing you in September!BandsThis is a place for students who play pop and rock music to meet other students, form a group, and play to live audiences! Come along to our welcome events, and we will help you find like-minded student musicians to play with. This semester we have a number of opportunities for students to perform on stage and create their own music. Some of this semester’s events include weekly jam sessions, songwriter’s group, pub performances, bonding events, and Battle of the Bands.Chamber EnsemblesOur Chamber Orchestra is a group for advanced musicians (around Grade 8+). Our recent repertoire includes Copland's Appalachian Spring and modern compositions, performing alongside the London Chamber Orchestra and London Sinfonietta. Smaller groups have also recently performed Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and Strauss' Metamorphosen. This year, we managed to get a quartet together before lockdown restrictions were tightened - check out their recording here! If you'd like to be considered for these types of projects, please get in touch.Choir Led by Dr Michelle Castellati, our choir has grown year on year tackling a wide variety of repertoire, ranging from Les Miserables to Rossini's Stabat Mater. New members are always welcome, with no auditions!JazzJazz Ensemble explores a variety of repertoire and styles from across the jazz spectrum. In recent years they have given a rare performance of Miles Davis’ Porgy and Bess and collaborated with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Great Britain! Run by our QMUL's Head of Jazz Jamie Rogers, the sessions include playing, listening to, and discussing all sorts of jazz.Music Theory, Composition & ArrangementQMUL's Director of Music, Dr Paul Edlin, leads weekly theory lessons to improve your understanding of written music. Learn about the fundamentals of music in a relaxed setting. All abilities welcome, from beginner to advanced, with classes tailored to student level of those attending. If you're interested, email Paul at p.edlin@qmul.ac.uk.Orchestra Players of all levels welcome, with no auditions required! Last year's repertoire included Danse Macabre, de Falla's El Amor Brujo and a multitude of film music. This year, we have taken a more social approach - instead of playing, we spend time discussing the history behind pieces, and finding out about their composers. However, we still aim to create an online project from audio/video submissions by our members, and will share them in place of our annual concert! Memberships: which to choose?!If you are a current student - Standard Membership (lasts the complete academic year), Semester 2/3 membership (lasts until 31st July, 2021)If you are a member of staff or QMUL alumni - Associate Membership (lasts the complete academic year), Semester 2/3 membership (lasts until 31st July, 2021) Music Facilities  Practice rooms  These are still closed - the university will reconsider this decision after the next change of lockdown restrictions! The University is in charge of the four practice rooms available on campus. Pianists can use the Piano Practice Room located on the first floor of the People's Palace. Please go to the Queen's Building Reception where you can book the room in one-hour slots. For other instruments, you can book either Basement Music Room One or Two located in the basement of the People's Palace. The Main Music Room is for Music Scholars to use. **Disclaimer: The Music Society is not responsible for practise room bookings or scheduling. Any queries should be sent to the University Music Department: music@qmul.ac.uk  Instrument lockers  These are still closed - the university will reconsider this decision after the next change of lockdown restrictions! There are 6 lockers available for you to store your instruments in during the day. These are lock-and-key, though if leaving your belongings overnight you are doing so at your own risk. Please email music@qmul.ac.uk for more information. Instrumental lessonsFor classical related instruments, please email QMUL's Director of Music, Dr Paul Edlin (p.edlin@qmul.ac.uk), and he can help you find a teacher. This will be either externally or through the QM Music Scholars Scheme. Lessons from QM Music Scholars are offered at a discounted price! For band-related instruments, please get in touch with our Band Managers. Hiring our ensemblesWe regularly send both soloists and groups to perform or provide background music for events both internal and external to QMUL. Feedback is always excellent with music truly improving the atmosphere of any social occasion! Examples of recent events we have sent musicians to include: QMUL Mental Health Awareness Day - String Quartet QMUL Open Day - String Quartet School of Geography 125th Anniversary Celebration - String Quartet Neuron Pod Opening - String Quartet, Brass Group and Jazz Ensemble QMUL Alumni wedding - String Quartet QMUL Postgraduate Fair - Solo Pianist QMUL Societies Awards Evening - String QuartetNo matter how big or small your event please do get in touch and we will endeavour to organise some fantastic music for you! * Our groups are hired for a small fee, depending on the length of the event. This contributes to funding music at QMUL and enables us to continue running these groups. The committeePresident: Alexandra SeowVice-President & Welfare Rep: Ramesh WilsonTreasurer: Jacob LewisA Cappella Officers: Atalanta Willoughby (Co-Manager), Ellie Chapman (Co-Manager), Hanniyah Khan (Social Secretary) Band Officers: Florence-Faith Matteson (Events Manager), Saashiv Valjee (Equipment Manager)Orchestra Officers: Joshua Neil-Boss (Co-Manager), Lauren Sweeney (Co-Manager), Shey Lovett (Social Secretary)Contact us through any social media - if you are looking to speak to a particular person, please specify in your message! Past performances2019-202018-19Designed by Ed Bartholomew https://edbartholomew.com