OUR ENSEMBLES
At Cosmo, we believe in the power of music to bring people together. That’s why we provide members with 9 ensembles to rehearse and perform in, covering the widest range of musical instruments and styles of any community band organization in the Edmonton Area.
Learn more about our ensembles - maybe there’s a place in one for you!
Concert Bands
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, Tour Band, and special small ensembles when available.
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 they rehearse on.
Monday Band (Advanced) rehearses Monday from 7:30-10:00 PM
Tuesday Band (Intermediate) rehearses Tuesday from 7:30-10:00 PM
Wednesday Band (Novice) rehearses Wednesday from 7:30-10:00 PM
Jazz Bands
Chorus
The Cosmopolitan Music Society’s Jazz program features two ensembles:
Jazz Big Band
The Jazz Big Band ensemble draws on the classics and standards of the swing era, and is open to intermediate- and above-level players of all wind instruments, guitar, bass, piano, and drums.
Jazz 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 Jazz Big Band rehearses Thursdays from 7:00-9:30 PM
Jazz Orchestra
The Jazz Orchestra is a high-level, audition-only group playing at a grade 4+ level. Instrumentation is restricted to saxophones, trombones, trumpets, guitar, bass, piano, and drums. Specialty doubling, such as flute, clarinet, and flugelhorn is often required.
Repertoire focuses on modern, contemporary, progressive jazz. A high level of technical, rhythmic, and musical skills including extended ranges and techniques is required.
The Jazz Orchestra performs multiple times throughout the year and at our season finale at the Winspear Centre.
Rehearsal Times
The CMS Jazz Orchestra rehearses Tuesdays 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 7:30-10:30 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 beginner and experienced ringers, and performs multiple times throughout the season, including the Finale at the Winspear Centre.
Rehearsal Times
Reverberations Handbells (Novice) rehearse Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 PM
Overtones Handbells (Advanced) rehearse Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 PM