Each year, hundreds of Princeton students make great music and life-long friendships in the dozens of performing ensembles which flourish on our campus. The Music Department’s faculty-led ensembles include two symphony orchestras, three choral groups, several jazz ensembles, contemporary and early music ensembles, two African Music Ensembles, and more. Together, these groups have brought Princeton music-making to international destinations from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires and from to Cape Town to Vienna, and they have performed on campus with internationally acclaimed artists.
The list below presents the Department’s faculty-led ensembles. Explore a list of student-run music groups via the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students.
African Music Ensembles
An exploration of traditional music and Afrobeat from Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal taught on multiple premium West African instruments.
Choirs
The choral program includes a Glee Club, Chamber Choir, Playhouse Choir, and Vocal Consort program.
Early Music Princeton
Early Music Princeton (EMP) is an umbrella organization devoted to the exploration of early music (vocal and instrumental). It is open to graduate and undergraduate students in all disciplines, as well as faculty and staff members at Princeton University.
Jazz Ensembles
The Creative Large Ensemble, the Jazz Small Groups, and the Jazz Vocal Collective at Princeton engage the grand history of jazz as well as its modern forms and approaches.
Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk)
First performing in 2006, the Princeton Laptop Orchestra, or PLOrk, takes the traditional model of the orchestra and reinvents it for the 21st century.
Princeton University Orchestra
The Princeton University Orchestra is an internationally-recognized ensemble of over 100 undergraduate and graduate student musicians.
Princeton University Sinfonia
Designed to have a more modest time commitment than other ensembles, Sinfonia pursues a high level of musicianship while also emphasizing the enjoyable and memorable aspects of performing wonderful music with others.