Orchestra

Founded in the 1940s, the UL LAFAYETTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA continues as a premiere musical/cultural experience for the University and Lafayette community at large. Musicians include students at UL Lafayette and instrumentalists from the surrounding communities. This combination of young, energetic musicians and well-seasoned professionals makes for a unique and welcoming musical environment.

Participation in the orchestra is open to all qualified students regardless of major. We have openings for strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and piano. The orchestra is AMUS 190 in the Course Catalog and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00–9:30 p.m.

Current and past student orchestra members also perform for several regional orchestras, including the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra, and the Pensacola Symphony.

Performances

Annual concert highlights include a Halloween Concert, Christmas Concert, Student Soloists Concert, and our "String Day Performance" where high school students from around the state perform side by side with the ensemble. The UL Symphony also performs for many collaborative projects including opera, dance, and with visiting guest artists. Recent acclaimed and/or Grammy Award winning guest soloists include Project Trio, The Turtle Island Quartet, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and Beau Soleil. The conductor of the UL Symphony is Michael Blaney. Performances by the UL Symphony can be viewed in the lower right-hand area of this page and also on the UL Symphony YouTube channel.

Master Classes

Many leading artists visit the School of Music and Performing Arts to perform and present master classes. Recent guests include the Turtle Island Quartet, Project Trio, Lara St. John and the Ahn Trio.