Performing Arts

Students in any major at Endicott 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, theater studio, and history courses; instrumental and vocal ensembles; club activities; and connections to world-class professional theater, dance, and music.

Of particular interest to those interested in the performing arts is the Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts. The 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 faculty and staff, and lounge areas. The entire facility, including performing arts spaces, is infused with state of the art technology.

Performing arts students benefit from Endicott’s affiliations with numerous dance, music and theater organizations including:

American Choral Directors Association
Beantown Swing Orchestra
Boston Ballet
Boston Children’s Theatre
Gloucester Stage Company
New York Film Academy (NYFA)
North Shore Music Theatre
Quicksilver Dance
Symphony by the Sea

Dance
The dance program at Endicott enables students to express their individuality and to become reflective, articulate individuals, as they study within a nurturing liberal arts atmosphere. The program prepares students for the multifaceted world of dance, teaches concepts for exploration and development that promote creativity, and cultivates students’ artistic abilities. Dance faculty and staff provide mentorship for students to reach their personal goals within the dance program and beyond. Students learn techniques in ballet, modern, contemporary, and many other genres from Endicott dance faculty and guest artists. Course topics include: techniques in multiple genres, the history of dance, mind body awareness, dance education, performance, and choreography. In addition to course offerings, multiple workshops and performance opportunities are available.

The Dance Minor
The dance minor is open to students majoring in any field, and students are not required to audition. The minor offers students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of dance in the areas of performance, history, production, and composition.

Ensembles and Opportunities
The following ensembles and opportunities are open to all students in any major or minor.

Repertory Dance Ensemble
Both a credited class and a club, the Repertory Dance Ensemble explores a wide range of dance styles and performs in their own productions. They work with dance faculty and Guest Choreographers from across the country, experiencing the creation process of all dance-making perspectives, which prepares students for the dance profession. Members of the ensemble perform at least once a semester, often in collaboration with other disciplines including visual art, video artists, instrumentalists, and beyond.

Master Classes
There are up to five master classes offered each semester in genres including; tap, hip hop, contemporary, jazz, modern, and world dance, which are available to all students of Endicott.

Dance Ensemble II/Community Outreach Performances
In addition to the Repertory Dance Ensemble and Master Classes, we have opportunities for students to perform on a smaller scale, such as opening for Dance Ensemble, and traveling to local events for specific performances. These opportunities vary each semester and are open to all students.

EDGE
Endicott Dance Group for Everyone (EDGE) is Endicott’s student-run dance group. It provides students the opportunity to dance, choreograph and perform in a student-collaborative environment. Dance genres include; tap, hip hop, jazz, ballet, contemporary, and modern. All levels of experience are welcome.

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 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 in the state-of-the-art ProTools recording studio, and edit their own material while learning about structural components of music to enhance their work. A course in improvisation offers students time to practice the skill of improvising in a structured setting. A host
of courses in non-performance areas cover other facets of music such as the history and the socio-cultural conditions that surround various genres. Listening critically to music examples and understanding the characteristics that make up each style is also practiced.

The Music Minor
The music minor is open to students in any major, and no audition is required. It offers students the opportunity to learn 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 minor.

Ensembles and Opportunities
The following ensembles and opportunities are open to all students in any major or minor.

Chamber Music Ensemble
Both a course and a club, the Chamber Music Ensemble allows students to play in small groups on any instrument. Focusing on classical repertoire and lighter fare, the group also performs as a small orchestra and prepares students for playing in the orchestra pit for student theater productions. Endicott shares a partnership with Symphony by the Sea, a professional orchestra north of Boston, and the Chamber Ensemble is able to work with their players throughout the year in class and in workshops. The Chamber Music Ensemble performs at special events and as part of the fall and spring showcase events.

Constellation Interfaith Music Ensemble
In this interfaith ensemble, students engage in music making as a common pursuit, using their voices to sing and affirm one another’s spirituality. Meeting once a week, participants design, implement, and offer music in monthly, interfaith worship services. The ensemble utilizes material from, or impacted by, a variety of styles, periods, faiths, and cultures. Though group singing is the ensemble’s focus, solos, spoken word, visual art, and playing instruments are encouraged.

The Endicott Singers
The Endicott Singers, 2017 College Champions from the television program Sing That Thing!, invites all students to find their voice in a community of versatile and talented singers. Both a credited class and a club, the group is, at times, a classical concert choir, a chamber choir, and a pop-style a cappella group. Members sing on and off campus at events such as the Intercollegiate Choral Festival, the holiday tour with the United States Air Force Band of Liberty, the Endicott College Holiday Open House, campus ceremonies, and at their own concerts throughout the year. In class, the group studies theory and harmony, using choral music to hone sight-reading skills and musical understanding. In performance, the Endicott Singers group brings music to life. Special projects include grants to perform commissioned world premieres, fund-raising concerts with great local and world impact, and competing on TV! Harmonelle and Bassline are the auditioned Soprano/Alto and Tenor/Bass (respectively) chamber choirs. Both groups are subsets of Endicott Singers and members participate in both groups.

Jazz Band
The Jazz Band, also known as Jazz/Rock Ensemble, is comprised of talented students from various majors on campus. The band’s repertoire focuses on modern popular styles of jazz, including: “cool” jazz; hard bop; rock and funk fusion of the 1970s and 1980s; and progressive new music by today’s top arrangers. This vibrant ensemble gives students the opportunity to improve their rhythmic skills, sound and intonation, and to enhance their ability to improvise. The Jazz Band performs at College events, such as the Intercollegiate Jazz Fest and the Endicott College Holiday Open House, and hosts concerts that are open to the public. Students may participate for credit or as a club activity.

The Modern Band Project
The Modern Band Project encourages students to compose and arrange original music to be performed by the ensemble in concert and at campus events. Students conceive of original pieces and bring them to fruition with various instrumentation and vocals over the course of the semester. This creative ensemble performs at campus events and in their own concerts, and it is often a launch pad for independent bands to form. College credit is given for participation in this ensemble, or students may participate as a club.

Pep Band
Pep Band provides experience performing in a band with emphasis on instrumental music played at sports events. Students play popular tunes in support of athletic and other College events, and they participate in opportunities to celebrate and advance the College’s name and the reputation of the ensemble. Pep Band allows students to explore their musical interest, learn principles and foundations of music theory in practice, and connect with others to work collaboratively on musical pursuits. Students choose to participate for credit or as a club.

ECHO
Endicott College Harmonic Overtones (ECHO) is Endicott’s student-run, co-ed, a cappella vocal ensemble, which performs contemporary a cappella favorites for campus and community events. The group’s work is directed, staffed, and performed by students with the assistance of a faculty advisor.

Theater
The theater curriculum is designed to provide exceptional training and instruction in all areas of theater, on stage and off. The program offers courses in acting, music theater performance, directing, dramatic theory, and theater history. Recognizing the importance of work behind the scenes, instruction in technical theater is also offered. In addition to coursework, Endicott promotes theater on campus through the Performing Arts Department Mainstage shows. Between Mainstage productions, courses, and the Endicott Drama Club, students have frequent opportunities to perform for the public and participate in the technical aspects of shows. 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.

The Theater Minor
The theater minor is open to students majoring in any field, and students are not required to audition. The minor offers students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of theater in the areas of performance, history, technical theater, playwriting and dramatic literature, and directing.

Ensembles and Opportunities

The following ensembles and opportunities are open to all students in any major or minor.

Mainstage Theater
Each semester, any student may audition to perform in faculty and staff directed and designed productions for the Mainstage Theater. Typically one semester features a dramatic play while the other features a musical theater or operetta piece. Selections vary greatly each year to represent works from a wide variety of styles and genres. Recent shows have included: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, in which fairies danced on suspended silks; Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta The Pirates of Penzance; Rumors by Neil Simon; and The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum, in which it was implied that Dorothy’s tornado was in fact a swirl of confusion post college graduation, and Oz was a mirage of success in the modern world. With insightful direction and design, students grow in the craft as they participate for credit or as a club.

Technical Theater
With numerous theater, dance, and music productions produced by campus groups and outside guests of Endicott, student technicians for Tia’s Theater (a black box theater) and the Rose Performance Hall are in high demand. Students can study technical theater and audio in courses, and can also apprentice to learn as they go by being a part of Mainstage and other productions. With a full time arts technician on staff, students learn to operate and design lighting and audio, build and design sets and costumes, and create hair and makeup for actors. Students of any major/minor can participate, and some opportunities for credit and work study compensation are available.

Master Classes/Community Outreach Performances/Auditions
Up to three master classes are offered each semester in various aspects of theater, in addition to those offered in music and dance, which are open to all students. Past master classes and workshops have included audition seminars, monologue techniques, improvisation, stage combat, makeup for stage, and more. In addition to Mainstage Theater performances, students often have the opportunity to audition or perform on campus and in local communities for specific events. These opportunities vary each semester and are open to all students.

Drama Club
The Endicott College Drama Club, completely organized by students, presents several shows and events throughout the year. The group also supports local theater and theatrical events by organizing trips to see live performances. Typically, the Drama Club produces a musical theater show in the fall and a straight theater piece in the spring, along with other events such as a one act playwriting festival, Shakespeare readings, and fundraisers. All productions are staffed, directed, and acted by students with the assistance of a faculty advisor.