Chamber Ensembles

The UNM Department of Music has a vibrant and exciting chamber music program

This program includes established resident student ensembles like the Abraham Franck String, the UNM Wind Quintet, and the Sandia Brass Quintet. These ensembles give students an outstanding professional experience in an academic environment. The combination of New Music New Mexico and the Early Music Ensemble provides interested students the opportunity to explore both the future and the past of music.

The UNM Percussion Ensemble has a long and important history at UNM and students enrolled in percussion ensemble have performed the works of major composers such as John Cage, Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell, and Carlos Chávez. The Mariachi Juvenil de la Universidad de Neuvo México allows students to explore the rich tradition of Mariachi music.  Founded in 2014, the UNM Honky Tonk Ensemble is the only collegiate ensemble in the country focusing exclusively on country music of the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, also known as “honky-tonk.” Inspired by the community music ethic of Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and focusing on country music as a form of verbal art, the class is open to community members and UNM students and is offered each fall and spring semester. The class is taught collaboratively by performing country artists, scholars, and numerous guest artists, and is designed to teach musicians how to play as a band. In addition to these ensembles, there are countless other ensembles that interested students can join.