The Music Scene at Harvard

One of the advantages of a large university like Harvard with its many talented students is the multitude of musical and other extra-curricular opportunities available. The music community at Harvard is vibrant and diverse, which can make it difficult to figure out who all the groups are and what exactly they do.

The major orchestras

Most ensembles are student-run, and provide lots of social events and leadership positions, although many have professional and not student conductors. At Harvard there are four major orchestras, each with a different basic concept: the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO), the Mozart Society Orchestra (MSO), the Bach Society Orchestra (BachSoc), and of course the Harvard Pops Orchestra (Pops).

HRO is the largest orchestra, at about twice the size of the others. HRO tends to perform grand orchestral works, while the others play in much more intimate settings. To make matters more confusing for newcomers, the names of BachSoc and MSO no longer have much of anything to do with their repertoire. They both play more than just Bach or Mozart. BachSoc is unusual for always having an undergraduate conductor, while MSO is a more traditional chamber orchestra.

Pops is a little different from other student orchestras and from other pops orchestras. Because our concerts are complete with storylines and humor, we actually have a fair amount in common with theatre groups like the Gilbert and Sullivan Players and the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The best way to find out what we're all about is naturally to come see for yourself at our concerts or rehearsals. Auditioning for any of these groups takes so little time, there's no reason not to try several and see which you like!

Other groups, other resources

BachSoc has a longer guide similar to this one.

The music department has a decent-sized listing of student groups at Harvard complete with links to their respective web pages.