OUR ENSEMBLES

At Cosmo, we believe in the power of music to bring people together. That’s why we provide members with many ensembles in which to perform, covering the widest range of musical instruments and styles of any community band organization in the Edmonton Area.

Learn more about our ensembles - there is a place for you!

Concert Bands

Beginner, Novice, intermediate, and Advanced Concert Bands

The CMS bands are traditional concert bands. These ensembles are made of woodwinds, brass, and percussion generally with multiple players per part. CMS bands perform multiple times throughout the year, including at the yearly finale performance at the Winspear Centre. In addition, members of CMS ensembles are offered the opportunity to perform in CMS Summer Band, Lab Band, Outreach Band, Tour Band, and small ensembles.

Repertoire for CMS Concert Bands ranges from classical masterworks by decorated composers, to pops and soundtracks, marches and dances.

The concert band genre is the epitome of sound variety and texture, and has become a staple in the world of community ensemble music! Join today!

Rehearsal Times

Each CMS concert band rehearses once per week and is led by professional conductors. Bands are referred to colloquially by the day of the week of their rehearsal.

  • Monday Band (Advanced) rehearses Monday from 7:00-9:30 PM

  • Tuesday Band (Intermediate) rehearses Tuesday from 7:00-9:30 PM

  • Wednesday Band (Novice) rehearses Wednesday from 7:00-9:30 PM

  • Beginner Band (Year I & II) rehearses Wednesday from 7:00-9:30 PM

Jazz Bands

Chorus

The Cosmopolitan Music Society’s Jazz program features two ensembles:

Big Band

The Big Band ensemble draws on the classics and standards of the swing era, and is open to intermediate+ level players of all wind instruments, guitar, bass, piano, and drums.

Big Band rehearsals include a history and theory component, as well as dedicated time for improvisation using standard blues song forms.

Like the Concert Bands, this ensemble performs multiple times throughout the season, including CMS concerts at OSPAC, the Winspear Centre, and at community outreach performances across Edmonton.

Rehearsal Times

  • The Big Band rehearses Thursdays from 7:00-9:30 PM

Cosmopoli-tone Jazz Band

The Cosmopoli-tone Jazz Band is for advanced musicians who desire to challenge themselves through more technical repertoire and intricate imrovisation. Generes performed by this ensemble include jazz standards, Latin, Funk, and modern jazz. Instrumentation is restricted to saxophones, trombones, trumpets, guitar, bass, piano, and drums. Specialty doubling, such as flute, clarinet, and flugelhorn is often required.

The Cosmopoli-tone Jazz Band performs multiple times throughout the year and at our season finale at the Winspear Centre.

Rehearsal Times

The Cosmopoli-tone Jazz Band rehearses Thursdays from 7:00-9:30 PM

The Cosmopolitan Chorus is a large, non-auditioned and inclusive mixed-voice adult choir made up of singers of all ages and skill levels. The chorus is divided into sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses featuring multiple singers per part, and is often one of our largest massed ensembles.

The Chorus performs a wide range of repertoire, from Renaissance to Romantic, Baroque to Broadway, Sea Shanties to Spirituals, and popular music of many eras.

Singing with the CMS Chorus offers the fantastic opportunity to collaborate with our other ensembles at many of our concerts. This allows for the performance of grander works, be it opera choruses, large-scale pieces like Carmina Burana, or soundtrack pieces like Duel of the Fates from Star Wars. The Chorus also performs on its own both a cappella (without instrumentation) and with accompaniment from piano, organ, and/or a rhythm section.

Choristers can typically expect a number of performances in line with other CMS ensembles.

Weekly Rehearsals include regular time with a split ensemble (Sopranos and Altos in one room, Tenors and Basses in another) to accelerate part learning and keep everyone more consistently engaged.

Rehearsal Times

  • The CMS Chorus rehearses Mondays from 7:00-9:30 PM

Handbells

The CMS Handbell program is the newest offering of the Cosmopolitan Music Society and is one of the only community handbell groups in Edmonton not associated with a church or school.

English Handbells are a unique ensemble wherein members ring pitched bells made of bronze, creating an ethereal and captivating sound. Each individual is responsible for one to two notes of a scale and plays them as part of a complete piece. This style of music making requires excellent rhythmic and literacy skills, and attention to other members of the Choir, to enhance and hone interpersonal communication and teamwork skills.

Repertoire includes classical and popular music transcriptions and original compositions featuring a wide variety of ringing and sound production techniques.

The CMS Handbell program includes choirs for novice and experienced ringers, and performs multiple times throughout the season, including community and formal concerts.

Rehearsal Times

  • Reverberations Handbells (advanced) rehearse Thursdays from 4:30-6:30 PM

  • Overtones Handbells (novice) rehearse Thursdays from 7:00-9:00 PM