Community Music Opportunities at Clayton State

Community Ensembles

We invite you to join one of our community music ensembles at Clayton State – the CSU Jazz Ensemble, CSU Pep Band, Clayton State Concert Band, the Masterworks Chorus and the Southern Crescent Symphony. Below you will find a brief description of each group along with audition dates and requirements. Also included is a brief bio of the conductors of each of our groups.

Note for CSU Students: If you want to get course credit for being in an ensemble you will need to audition by August 15th – email Dr. Bell at richardbell@clayton.edu to schedule an earlier audition.

CSU Jazz Ensemble and CSU Pep Band

Auditions

Monday, August 11, 2025
6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

The CSU Jazz Ensemble is a traditional jazz band performing standards from the jazz repertoire. The group presents 2 concerts each year in Spivey Hall. Rehearsals: Mondays from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

The CSU Pep Band plays for select CSU home basketball games and other university events. Rehearsals: TBD

Audition Requirements

A prepared piece of your choice in any style (jazz, classical, rock, blues, etc.– play something that you’re comfortable with!!)
Sight reading selected from traditional big band arrangements provided at audition
A few scales (Major, minor, modes, – dorian, mixolydian, etc.)
Improvisation – OPTIONAL – if you have some improvisation experience or you’d like to have soloing opportunities, improvise over a blues or jazz standard of your choice.
Rhythm section players (piano, drums, guitar, bass): please be prepared to perform comping in swing, latin, funk and other styles at various tempos.

Clayton State Concert Band

Auditions

Complete the audition registration form and Dr. Anderson will be in touch with specific audition information.

The Clayton State Concert Band is made up of CSU students and members of the community. The group presents two concerts of traditional concert band music in Spivey Hall each academic year. Rehearsals: Thursday: 6:30 - 8:30

Masterworks Chorus

Auditions
By appointment. Please complete the registration form for auditions at the link above.

The Masterworks Chorus is open to anyone who can match pitch. If you sing in the car, shower, or around the house, you are the kind of singer we’d like to have. The choir sings a wide array of literature that spans all time periods of music, in addition to performing major works in collaboration with the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra and/or the CSU Orchestra. Rehearsals: TBD

Audition requirements

A short vocal placement to determine your voice part is required.

Southern Crescent Symphony

Auditions
Tuesday, August 19th, 2025, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. or by appointment

The Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra devoted to meeting the cultural needs of audiences and performers in the Southern Crescent area of Metro Atlanta. Members of the orchestra include professional musicians, music educators, amateur musicians and students, all of whom strive to utilize their full potential in presenting a quality musical product. The group presents 4 concerts each year in Spivey Hall and other areas venues. Rehearsals: Tuesdays from 7:15 – 9:15 p.m.

Audition Requirements

Solo of your choice
Sightreading
Interview concerning your playing background

Kyle Bryant – Jazz Ensemble/Pep Band

Kyle Bryant is a jazz guitarist, composer, and educator who joins Clayton State after recently earning his graduate degree in Jazz Studies from the University of South Carolina. He is an active performer across the Southeast, leading his own ensembles and contributing as a sideman for jazz bandleaders. Currently, he is preparing to release an album of original music in the fall of 2025.

Consisting of both students and members of the community, The Clayton State University Jazz Ensemble performs arrangements of both traditional and modern jazz standards. Featuring improvised solos by the performers and dynamic interactions between the musicians, the group's performance is sure to excite!

Steven Anderson– Concert Band

Steven Armon Anderson, Ph.D., is currently the Coordinator of Fine Arts at Drew Charter School and Adjunct Instructor of Music at Clayton State. He has over 21 years of teaching experience in collegiate, high, and middle school classrooms, as well as Fine and Performing Arts leadership. He has taught students from various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds and has built award-winning bands in NC and GA. Dr. Anderson was born and raised in Richmond, VA, and graduated valedictorian of his high school class. He is a proud alumnus of North Carolina A&T State University, where he received his Bachelor's in Music Education. He received a Master’s in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Ph.D. in Teaching & Learning (Music Education concentration) from Georgia State University. Although he is a woodwind specialist, he has performed in numerous bands, orchestras, gospel choirs, and as a solo artist throughout his lifetime.

Ariel Alvarado photo

Ariel Alvarado – Masterworks Chorus

Ariel Antoinette Alvarado, from the Metro Atlanta area, is a conductor, vocalist, and scholartist dedicated to restorative justice and student empowerment through culturally responsive pedagogy. Recently, Ms. Alvarado served as the Education & Outreach Coordinator for Elevate Vocal Arts, the Assistant Conductor and Director of Community Programs of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, and the Assistant Director of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus. She is proud to return home to serve as the Young Artist Director of the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir Program and the conductor of the Masterworks Chorus at Clayton State University.

Ms. Alvarado earned a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from The Ohio State University. There, she served as a Graduate Teaching Associate for the Choral, Music Theory, and Music Education departments, studying with Dr. Robert Ward, Dr. Robert Bode, and Ms. Jordan Saul. Ariel is a proud graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She had a dual concentration of Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting. She studied voice with Ms. Laura English-Robinson and studied conducting with Dr. Kevin P. Johnson and Dr. David Morrow.

Ariel makes meaning with the world around her through music and is journeying to leave the world a more beautiful place than she found it.

Richard Bell – Southern Crescent Symphony

Dr. Richard Bell is currently Professor Emeritus at Clayton State where he conducts the CSU orchestra and the Southern Crescent Symphony. Prior to his 10 years as Associate Professor at Clayton State, he taught middle school and high school orchestra in the Clayton and Henry County schools for 30 years. He served as president of both the Georgia Music Educators Association and the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Dr. Bell has presented sessions at the GMEA In-Service Conference, the American String Teachers Association National Conference and the Music Educators National Conference. Awards received during his career include the Georgia Music Educators Association Distinguished Career Award, the Georgia String Teachers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the Georgia String Teachers Association Advocacy Award, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation Award, the Wal-Mart Foundation Teacher of the Year Award, the STAR Teacher Award, and the Clayton State University College of Arts and Sciences Gene Hatfield Service Award.