RMIT Music

RMIT Music Collective is the paramount student music collective at RMIT University. In being so, the collective provides the students and wider community with opportunities to perform improve there musical talents. RMIT Music Collective belongs to RMIT Link Arts which is the campus affixed union, separate to the student union (RUSU. The collective sits on the RMIT Arts Council and has been a member since its creation.

RMIT University does not offer a music instrument degree, thus being one of the very few universities in Melbourne to have a thriving music scene outside of a music program or department. The collective consists of a number of bands including a Choir and an Orchestra.[2] RMIT Music is located on city campus of RMIT University, Building 12, level 3, room 97 at the RMIT city campus.[3]

The structure of RMIT Music Collective consists of five executive positions, ensemble managers and other music club leaders from RMIT University. The Executive branch consists of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Publicity Officer. There is a position on the committee for a representative from each ensemble, group or band. Beyond the internal ensembles representation if other music clubs are created within RMIT University, they are encouraged to participate as members of the RMIT Music Collective committee.[4]

The RMIT Concert Band was the first non-choral band formed as part of RMIT Union Arts. The RMIT Concert Band, in the past, has hosts the annual RMIT Music Regional Tours, where the RMIT Music bands travel to regional Victoria and perform in the local community. The Concert Band has visited the Mornington Peninsula, Woodend, Ballarat, Moe and Orbost.[5] The RMIT Concert Band, has in the past, also performs yearly at the Carols By Candlelight in Moe with the Latrobe Community Concert Band. The Concert Band performs regularly at the bi-annual RMIT Music Concert.

The RMIT Stage Band performs at all sorts of events and functions. The Stage Band is an unconducted and unauditioned ensemble, however, has been held in high regard by club members. The upbeat songs performed by the band has been the closing act for the bi-annual RMIT Music Concerts. The Stage Band performs Jazz plus anything else, as music selection is chosen by the band's members.[6]

The original RMIT Chamber Orchestra (RMIT CO) grew out of the String Ensemble that was formed in 2005 as a quartet. This ensemble in its earliest form steadily grew over the years. Over the years the ensemble has performed a mix of string only and orchestra (strings and winds) repertoire. By doing so, there is opportunity for the musicians to perform in a wider variety of styles and cater to performing chamber works. Repertoire for RMIT CO centres around a wide variety of music, spreading from early renaissance to 20th Century and cinematic music.[7]

The RMIT Occasional Choral Society (ROCS) was founded in 1999 by RMIT Music's first Life Member, Sandra Uitdenbogerd, and is the longest-running of the RMIT Music collectives. ROCS is RMIT's student-run choir and is strongly affiliated with other Australian university choral societies as a full member of AICSA.[8] From its inception, ROCS has maintained a tradition of performing and commissioning new choral works, often composed by members of the choir, and in 2007 ROCS sponsored a composition competition open to university choristers throughout Australia.[9]

Now, beyond its tenth full year, ROCS is no longer 'occasional', and rehearsals occur throughout the year, mainly on Thursday evenings. ROCS usually performs two or three major concerts a year, in addition to participation with the other RMIT Music collectives in the Showcase concerts, and has frequently collaborated with other choirs and orchestras. ROCS' musical director and chief conductor is Philip Legge,[10] who since 2006 has programmed major works by Monteverdi, Purcell, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Orff and Stravinsky.

ROCS is non-auditioned and all you need to join is a love of music, a willingness to learn, and the dedication to attend a regular rehearsal schedule.[11] ROCS is a strongly social choir, and choir members are active participants in the yearly Intervarsity Choral Festivals, held in turn in each of Australia's major capital cities (excepting Darwin). With the Melbourne and Monash University choirs, ROCS jointly hosted the most recent festival held in Melbourne, in 2005.

The RMIT Symphonic (RSO) was founded in Semester 2 of 2008[12] by the RMIT Music Collective Committee. It exists only as a small 25 member orchestra however is expected to grow larger over time. The RSO is made up of students from all colleges of RMIT and auditions are usually not required to join. Rehearsals are on Tuesday Evenings during the University Semester. The RSO had its Premiere performance at the 2008 RMIT Music End of Year Showcase performing the Tatarian Dances music suite.[13]

RMIT Music allows musicians to form their own small ensembles. Currently there is a Flute Ensemble, a Recorder Ensemble and a Cello Ensemble.

The Gap Fillers Flute Ensemble was created in 2007 to fill a gap in the program of the 2007 RMIT Music End of Year Showcase concert,[14] thus they became known as "The Gap Fillers". In Semester Two, 2008 the Gap Fillers started rehearsing weekly, purchasing music and is now an ad hoc group within RMIT Music, with semi-regular rehearsals and concerts.

The Recorder Consort started in Semester Two, 2008. This group is for people who play the recorders of all sizes. The ensemble, similar to the Flute Ensemble has had limited success over the years. The ensemble has fluctuated in membership of stabilising around the SATB format. Occasionally the Recorder consort has performed at various locations around RMIT University and at RMIT Music Collective events.[15]

The Secret Cello Society Ensemble is the newest RMIT Music band, started in Semester One of 2009. This group was for people who play the Cello and was an early attempt into creating a smaller chamber ensemble.

In 2008 RMIT Music ran a program for students to form their own bands outside the traditional "Orchestral-Choral-Jazz" formats. Three bands ran in 2008.[16] The two major groups are Liquid Ignition & Burning Eclipse. Liquid Ignition is a 10 piece Funk Fusion Cover band and Burning Eclipse is a 4 piece Symphonic Metal band.