Dordt offers a wide variety of ensembles for students to participate in, welcoming a broad array of interest and ability levels. Approximately 300 students are members of one or more ensembles or take private lessons. Private lessons are available for both instrumental and vocal students, with a faculty of 20 adjunct instructors, each an expert in their instrument.
Dordt is home to a variety of ensemble groups that are made up of both music majors and non-music majors who are passionate about performing. Many of our ensembles tour extensively throughout the United States and Canada. Recent tours have included frequent trips all around the midwest, as well as visits to Seattle, Grand Rapids, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. International tours have recently included the Netherlands, France, and Austria. Local off-campus opportunities at churches and schools also abound for interested students.
The 4th Avenue Band is a select group of 15 to 20 instrumentalists who perform a wide variety of jazz compositions, featuring music of the legendary big bands such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich just to name a few. In addition, the group plays music of such jazz masters as Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Strayhorn, and Sammy Nestico as well as music from the contemporary jazz genre of today. The band is directed by Mr. Kevin Linder.
Recent repertoire includes:
The 4th Avenue Band has also been a part of several recent music tours and has attended festivals like the Elmhurst College (Illinois) Jazz Festival.
Anyone interested in visiting a rehearsal of the Dordt 4th Avenue Band can come to the Instrumental Music Room (M108) on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships and to submit an audition form.
The 4th Avenue Singers is an auditioned group of 16 singers, drawn from the Chorale and Concert Choir. They maintain a busy performance schedule singing in concerts, campus events, and community engagements. The 4th Avenue Singers focuses on jazz choir repertoire (big band standards, jazz classics, Broadway and pop covers, etc.).
Dr. Ryan Smit directs the 4th Avenue Singers, as well as the Chorale and Concert Choir.
Recent repertoire includes:
Anyone interested in visiting a rehearsal of the Dordt University 4th Avenue Singers can come to the choir room Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:10 to 4:00 p.m. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. To receive more information, please fill out this form.
Bella Voce women’s choir is non-auditioned and consists of around 20-40 women, from beginning singers to advanced vocalists. They sing a variety of songs and styles, including folk songs, gospel, classical, modern compositions, and more.
The conductor for Bella Voce is Dr. Carrie Groenewold, Dordt University’s Associate Professor of Church Music and Organ, Director of Keyboard Studies, and University Organist. Dr. Groenewold has previous experience developing and directing adult and children’s choirs at churches, as well as directing Kalamazoo’s Bach Festival Chorus, the Bales Chorale, and The University of Notre Dame’s Schola Cantorum.
Recent repertoire includes:
Anyone interested in visiting a rehearsal of the Dordt University Bella Voce can come to the choir room Thursday evenings from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. To receive more information, please fill out this form.
The Canons of Dordt men’s choir is non-auditioned and consists of 30-40 male vocalists of all experience levels. They sing a variety of songs and styles, including folk songs, gospel, spirituals, barbershop, sea shanties, modern music, and more.
Mr. Tim Van Voorst conducts the Canons of Dordt and also serves as the choir director at Unity Christian High School in Orange City, Iowa.
Recent repertoire includes:
Anyone interested in visiting a rehearsal of the Dordt University Canons of Dordt can come to the choir room Wednesday evenings from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. To receive more information, please fill out this form.
Conducted by Matthew Poto, the Dordt University Campus-Community Band is made up of Dordt students and community members who want to continue performing at a high level. The ensemble is comprised of about 60% students and 40% community members — a wind band of nearly 70 musicians total.
The band performs four concerts per year on the Dordt campus. Students receiving a Music Activity Scholarship are required to audition for placement. Students without a scholarship may join without an audition. Community members simply need to speak with one of the Dordt Instrumental Ensemble Directors. The band welcomes members between the ages of 16 and 100.
Recent literature performed by the Dordt Campus-Community Band:
The ensemble rehearses on Thursdays from 7-9pm. To join, please fill out the form linked below.
Music Recruit Form
Conducted by Director of Instrumental Activities, Dr. Onsby C. Rose, the Dordt Chamber Orchestra is a group of 25-40 string instrumentalists that are dedicated to performing music for chamber orchestra and string orchestra. The ensemble performs four yearly concerts on campus and regularly tours throughout the country and abroad. All members of the Chamber Orchestra that are receiving a music activity scholarship also perform as a part of the string section in the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra (NISO).
Recent literature performed by the Chamber Orchestra:
The Chamber Orchestra is also involved in a variety of tours throughout North America, and in May of 2012, the group performed in Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
The ensemble rehearses on Wednesdays from 5:05 to 6:10pm and on Mondays (when NISO is not in session) from 7 to 9pm. In order to join the Chamber Orchestra, contact Dr. Onsby C. Rose, Director of Instrumental Activities at onsby.rose@dordt.edu.
The Chorale is the largest of the choral ensembles at Dordt with 80-100 members. Incoming first-year students audition for the Chorale, yet it includes singers from all class levels. They explore varied selections of music, and also give specific attention to the development of vocal technique and ensemble singing skills.
Dr. Ryan Smit conducts the Chorale, as well as the Concert Choir and 4th Avenue Singers.
Recent repertoire includes:
Anyone interested in visiting a rehearsal of the Dordt University Chorale can come to the choir room Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:10 to 2:00 p.m. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. To receive more information, please fill out this form.
The Concert Choir is an advanced auditioned ensemble of 54 vocalists who dedicate themselves to performing choral literature at the highest level of musicianship in a wide range of styles and genres.
Dr. Ryan Smit conducts the Concert Choir, as well as the Chorale and 4th Avenue Singers.
Recent repertoire includes:
The choir tours extensively throughout the United States and Canada and was selected to perform at regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association in 2004, 2006, 2010. 2022 featured a performance tour of Austria and the Czech Republic. In May of 2026, the choir embarked on a tour of France, and included a performance in the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris.
Anyone interested in visiting a rehearsal of the Dordt University Concert Choir can come to the choir room Mondays from 4:10 to 5:00 p.m. as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. To receive more information, please fill out this form.
Conducted by Dr. Onsby C. Rose, Director of Instrumental Activities, the Dordt University Wind Symphony is the premier performing ensemble in the instrumental program. Made up of approximately 65 of the most advanced wind and percussion students at Dordt, the ensemble performs both new works for wind band and recognized masterworks of the band repertoire.
The Wind Symphony is dedicated to the creation of new music. Recently commissioned composers include Julia Wolfe, Peter Boyer, John Mackey, Nicole Puinno, Kevin Day, Katherine Bergman, and Grace Baugher-Dunlap, among others. The ensemble has been recognized three times by the American Prize for the Performing Arts in the University Wind Band category as one of the nation's finest wind bands. It has also recorded two compact discs: Music With Friends and Patchwork (both on Mark Custom). In 2024, the Wind Symphony was invited by blind peer-reviewed panel to perform at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference in Des Moines.
The ensemble tours yearly, either nationally or internationally. The Wind Symphony is filled by auditions held at the beginning of each fall semester.
Recent Literature performed by the Wind Symphony:
The Wind Symphony rehearses Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships. To receive more information, please fill out this form.
The Dordt University Symphonic Band is a concert ensemble made up entirely of students currently enrolled at Dordt, drawn from across the university's academic programs. Music majors and non-majors alike perform side by side, united by a shared commitment to musical excellence and the study of the wind band's repertoire.
One of the ensemble's distinctive features is its flexibility. Depending on the instrumentation of its membership in a given semester, the Symphonic Band performs either as a full wind band, with woodwinds, brass, and percussion, or as a brass and percussion ensemble. This adaptability allows the group to explore a wide range of literature, from the core wind band canon to the rich and often overlooked repertoire written specifically for brass and percussion, and to present programs shaped by the strengths of the musicians in the room.
Under the direction of Dr. Onsby C. Rose, Director of Instrumental Activities, the Symphonic Band rehearses Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 7-8am and performs 4 concerts each academic year, offering students a rigorous and rewarding ensemble experience within Dordt's instrumental music program.
The Dordt University Defender Band is a select group of instrumentalists who provide spirit and energy at Dordt athletic events. Founded in Fall 2022. Under the direction of Dr. Onsby Rose, Director of Instrumental Activities, the Defender Band performs at selected events each fall and spring. Members receive additional scholarship support for participating.
Rehearsals take place at the start of each semester, with performances throughout the athletic season. To inquire about joining, please fill out the form linked below.
"I wanted to continue to grow in my musical abilities and I thought that band would be a good way to build a community at college. I stick with it because I'm growing so much all the time and I've made great friends in band. We've had so many wonderful opportunities to make music together and it brings so much joy to us and the people who we perform for."
- Olivia Dahl, English: Writing Major
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