Performing Arts

Students in any major at Endicott College may choose to be involved in one or more of the many performing arts opportunities on and near campus. Some of the options include; private voice, acting,and instrument instruction;dance, music and theater studio, and history courses; instrumental and vocal ensembles, club activities; and connections to a world-class professional theater, dance, and music.

Of particular interest to those interested in the performing arts is the new Center for the Arts. The new 65,000 square foot facility is a modern building beautifully located on a sloping site with views to the ocean and campus ponds. The Center includes a 100-seat black box theater, a 250-seat recital hall, private practice rooms, group rehearsal studios, and a 3-D design studio. The facility also houses a museum quality art gallery, office space for student organizations, faculty, and staff, and lounge areas. The entire facility, including performing arts spaces, is infused with state of the art technology.

Dance
Students at Endicott can participate in dance through the courses offered in techniques and production, ballet, and composition (choreography.) Workshops and mini-courses are offered throughout the year to any interested students. Students interested in performance are invited to join the Repertory Dance Ensemble. Endicott is pleased to have a student-centered collaboration with faculty and dancers from the Boston Ballet School.

Drama and Theater
The aim of Endicott College’s theater program is provide training in and exposure to the art of theater. Through coursework, off-site opportunities and on-campus production and events, the theatre program serves to train students to be self sufficient in their theatrical interests.

The theater curriculum is designed to provide training and instruction in all areas of theatre, on-stage and off. The program offers courses in acting, music theatre performance, directing, dramatic theory, and theater history. Recognizing the importance of work behind the scenes, instruction in technical theatre is also offered. In addition to coursework, Endicott College promotes theater on campus through the Performing Arts Department shows. Between the Endicott Drama Club and acting courses, students have frequent opportunities to perform for the public. Classes are open to both the beginning and advanced student. Auditions are not required for coursework, and open auditions are held for all on-campus productions.

Endicott College is closely affiliated with the nationally recognized Boston Children’s Theatre. BCT staff serve as instructors at Endicott, lending an inviting and professional atmosphere to classes. BCT provides Endicott students with access to private vocal and acting coaching, as well as extensive internship opportunities in all areas of theatrical production. Students receive credit at Endicott for successful completion of these internships.

Endicott’s Drama Club, established in 2005, partners with the Performing Arts Department to produce full-length plays and musicals in conjunction with the dance, music, and theater faculty. The group also produces student-directed shows and is a haven for all theater and stage enthusiasts who want to practice their skills in front of an audience or in the wings and technical booths. From procuring performance rights to casting to lighting design and stage direction, Drama Club members learn to produce theater from every angle, preparing them to follow their passion into their lives or careers.

Music
The Music curriculum is designed to provide students with proficiency in the fundamental areas of music: performance, music history, music theory, and composition. A wide variety of courses and private lessons provide a foundation for musical development at any level of undergraduate study. Endicott College promotes music on campus and actively supports student progress in the area of performance. Students perform regularly at College events and student ensembles offer concerts each semester. College credit may be earned for participation in the ensembles and for private instrumental and vocal lessons.

Several popular courses include Composing with Software and Songwriting where students create their own compositions. Students create, record, and edit their own material while learning about structural components of music to enhance their work. The Improvisation course offers students time to practice the skill of improvising in a structured setting. There are a host of courses in non-performance areas that cover other spectrums of music such as the Rise of Rock and Roll, and Foundations of Jazz, in which students survey the many variants of rock and roll and learn about the socio-cultural conditions that surround each style. Listening critically to music examples and understanding the various characteristics that make up each style is also practiced.

The Music Minor
The Music Minor program is open to students majoring in any field. The Music Minor offers students the opportunity to pursue learning the fundamentals of music in the areas of performance, music history, theory, and composition. Private lessons in either instrumental or vocal music are an important component of the Music Minor. The Music Minor requires a minimum of 18 credits. Several courses in the minor also count as general education core requirements. Students interested in the Music Minor are not required to audition. Students choosing to minor in music have a set of courses to fulfill. Several of these courses are specifically designated while students chose the remaining electives.

Jazz Band
The EC Jazz Band is comprised of talented students from various majors on campus. The band’s repertoire includes many styles of jazz: “cool” jazz goes back to classic Miles Davis of the 1950s; hard bop and mainstream like Art Blakey; rock and funk fusion of the 1970s and 1980s; and progressive new music by today’s top arrangers, like Don Sickler and Jim Snidero. This vibrant ensemble gives students the opportunity to improve their rhythmic skills, sound and intonation, and to enhance their ability to improvise. The EC Jazz Band performs at College events and hosts concerts that are open to the public. College credit is given for participation in this ensemble.

The Endicott Singers
The Endicott Singers is a versatile group of talented singers. Both a credited class and club, “EC Singers” is a classical concert choir, a chamber choir and a pop-style a cappella group. Members sing at the President’s Holiday Open House, honors ceremonies, special services, Convocation and at their own concerts throughout the year. In class, the group studies theory and harmony both in texts and in practice, using choral music to hone sight-reading skills and musical understanding. In performance, Endicott Singers brings music to life, performing everything from Vivaldi and Mozart to the Beatles and Madonna. In 2010, the Endicott Singers received a grant to perform a world premiere of a piece they commissioned by composer Elizabeth Alexander with texts by student poets. Harmonelle is the all-women select chamber chorus. It is an auditioned group of 8-10 women who sing all styles of music. Bass-line is the all-men’s select chamber chorus; an auditioned group of 4-6 men who sing in all styles. Both groups are sub-sets of Endicott Singers and members participate in both groups. With professional accompanists and chamber orchestral guests, the Endicott Singers present musically diverse programs for the Endicott campus and greater community.

ECHO
Endicott College Harmonic Overtones (ECHO) is Endicott College’s student-run, co-ed, a cappella vocal ensemble which performs contemporary a cappella favorites for campus events.

Repertory Dance Ensemble
Both a credited class and a club, students in this group explore a wide range of dance styles and perform in their own productions and in collaboration with other student ensembles. Members of the Repertory Dance Ensemble perform at least once a semester, often in collaboration with other performance ensembles or artists.