Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Yale Concert Band?
The Yale Concert Band, the musical center for the woodwind and brass world at Yale University, is best known for its varied repertoire which spans from traditional marches, world premieres, and crowd favorites to the music of Glenn Miller and theatrical pieces (involving black lights, a fog machine, and sunglasses). Recent successes for the ensemble include a Mexican tour in the spring of 2009 (as part of an outreach collaboration with the Association of Yale Alumni, during which the Band performed in one of the poorest barrios in Monterrey); a 2011 concert in Carnegie Hall, in which the band premiered a Horn Concerto and performed a Chinese cantata with a chorus of over a 100 singers; a 2011 tour of South Africa and Swaziland and a 2014 tour Ghana, during which the band visited, played for, and performed community service in some of South Africa’s and Ghana’s poorest townships; and a 2016 tour to Italy and Greece, that included a concert at the Eleonas Refugee Camp in Athens, where the band lit up the crowd with its music, as well as donating clothing and adding several thousand dollars to the refugee coffers (collected from alumni/friends for the cause). The band’s most recent tour tour to Spain (May 2023) included a benefit concert in Córdoba for the local food bank.
How does one audition for the Concert Band?
Auditions for the 2024-25 Yale Concert Band will be held Tuesday, August 27 through Thursday, August 29. The audition is threefold: All interested musicians should prepare a piece of music which demonstrates your artistic and technical abilities (i.e.: an All-State audition piece or comparable etude) and be prepared to sight read. You will also be required to play part of a piece of music from the coming year’s repertoire. We do have some instruments available for auditioning students who do not have their own. Email or call us at 203-432-4111 if you have any questions about auditions; please think about auditioning now while there is time to practice a bit. We want to affiliate all qualified musicians at Yale!
Click here for audition information and materials.
What kind of time commitment is involved?
The Yale Concert Band rehearses four hours per week — every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:10-6:15 p.m. — in Room 301 of Hendrie Hall in the Adams Center for Musical Arts. The ensemble performs four concerts per year at Yale’s Woolsey Hall and periodically performs a few off-site concerts. Members are encouraged to take advantage of group-sponsored social events (movie nights, bowling, etc) and the overall time commitment to the ensemble is largely determined by the enthusiasm of the individual player.
What type of music does the YCB play?
The YCB performs a wide variety of music, including marches, student compositions, concertos, and other classic and contemporary band compositions.
Who is the conductor of the Yale Concert Band?
The YCB is conducted by Thomas C. Duffy, Adjunct Professor in the School of Music and Yale University’s Director of Bands.
Does the Yale Concert Band go on tour?
The Yale Concert Band has the distinction of being the first United States college concert band to tour Europe, that being in 1956 with Director of Bands and Professor Emeritus Keith L. Wilson. Since that time, the Concert Band has completed twenty-six international concert tours to Puerto Rico, California, Florida, Texas, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Denmark, Bermuda, Japan, Italy, Ireland, the north coast of Africa, Austria, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Swaziland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ghana, Greece, Australia. and, most recently, Spain (May 2023). Plans for a May/June 2025 tour are currently in progress.
How do I get music lessons at Yale?
Highly trained musicians at Yale College may qualify for a program that awards course credit for students taking free music lessons. Students audition in September at the Yale School of Music, one of the top music graduate schools in the country, and are matched with excellent teachers, including School of Music faculty and highly-trained graduate students. Participating students must have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Music 210 or 211. Placement examinations for music classes are administered by the Music Department in the first week. If you are not selected for lessons for credit, students are still matched with a teacher and have the opportunity to take lessons with them for a fee.
How do I get involved in the Yale Concert Band?
Auditions for the 2024-25 Yale Concert Band will take place August 27, 28, and 29. We also hold a Yale Bands Information Meeting during the first week of school, where you can meet the director, learn about all the bands, ask questions, and sign up for an audition if you haven’t already. This year’s meeting will be held Sunday, August 25, 2024, from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 301 Hendrie Hall in the Adams Center for Musical Arts, 165 Elm Street. It is short, informal, and optional, but a great resource for new students and we recommend you attend if your schedule allows.
Click here for audition information and materials.
How can I learn more about the YCB?
Contact Stephanie Hubbard, the Yale Bands Operations and Productions Manger, via email at stephanie.hubbard@yale.edu or by phone at (203) 432-4111; or director Thomas C. Duffy, by email at thomas.c.duffy@yale.edu. Also, feel free to contact the Yale Bands Officers with any questions you may have.
Still have questions?
Send an email to Ana Rodrigues, the YCB President, with any additional questions you may have.