Bands

Bengal Marching Band & Pep Band

The Idaho State University Bengal Marching Band performs at all home football games and at various community events throughout the fall semester. The band rehearses MWF from Noon-1:50 PM, and students from all degree programs are welcome to join. To register, students should add MUSP 1179 to their class schedule. All registered ISU students are eligible for a scholarship.  For more information please visit our Bengal Marching Band website at:  isu.edu/marchingband

The ISU Pep Band begins after the marching season ends.  The pep band performs at home basketball games and various community events.  Scholarship money is also available for registered ISU students.

Civic Concert Band

The Civic Concert Band on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 PM. It is open to all university, community, and high school musicians; no audition is required. Dr. Thomas Kloss is the director andbrings new energy and ideas to this community-university ensemble.  Current information can be found here:  Civic Band Website.

Symphonic Band

The Symphonic Band is a large symphonic ensemble that meets fall semester only.  As with all university bands, it is open to all students from throughout the university regardless of major.  The Symphonic Band performs 3-4 times during the semester. Symphonic Band members wanting to continue playing in spring semester can audition for the Wind Ensemble or choose to play in the Civic Concert Band. The Symphonic Band meets MWY from 3:30-4:50 PM. Students wanting to be a member of the Symphonic should register for MUSP 1177.

Wind Ensemble

The Wind Ensemble is the premier wind and percussion ensemble at Idaho State University.  This 40-member ensemble meets spring semester only, its members selected by audition at the end of fall semester.  The Wind Ensemble performs the widest diversity of music of any of the bands, and usually tours spring semester. The Wind Ensemble has appeared at numerous state conferences, and is the host ensemble for the ISU Concert Band Festival in March of each year.  In 2004 and again in 2010, the ISU Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the College Band Directors Regional Conference hosted in Reno, NV.

Jazz Ensembles

Big Band

The Big Band is the premiere jazz ensemble at ISU, performing a wide variety of classic jazz charts, modern works, while incorporating techniques gleaned from various world music traditions . Each February, ISU hosts the annual Jazz Festival which features a special guest artist performing with the Big Band. The festival also provides an opportunity for several local high school bands to perform and work with the featured artist. Past guest artists have included the Ray Brown Trio, the Fred Hirsch Trio, Allen Vizutti, Dennis DiBlasio, Conrad Herwig, Bob Mintzer, Jeff Jarvis, and many others. The ISU Big Band made a tour of Europe, performing in Prague, Bratislava, and Vienna.

Chamber Jazz Ensemble

The Chamber Jazz Ensemble is an innovative new ensemble at ISU. CJE was started to give all instrumentalists who are interested in contemporary improvised music an opportunity to collaborate and help shape the sound of this unique ensemble. Since the CJE is open instrumentation, the ensemble has featured such non-traditional jazz instruments such as French Horn, Cello, Oboe, and Violin. As the ensemble develops, the emphasis will be on world music, arrangements of classical works, and student generated compositions.

Combo

The Combo is an audition based small group that features the top jazz players at ISU. This ensemble performs many great tunes from throughout the history of jazz, with a strong emphasis on original compositions and arrangements by the students involved.

Percussion Ensemble

The student interested in percussion will find many excellent opportunities for performance and study at Idaho State. Whether it’s Percussion Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Ensembles,  Civic Orchestra, or concert bands, there are many places for percussionists to make music and grow as percussionists. Besides excellent facilities, percussionists at ISU will find a well stocked inventory of world-class percussion instruments on which they can learn and perform.