The University of Texas Caribbean Ensemble is a group comprised of students, most enrolled in degree programs within the School of Music. A few have ties to the Caribbean or Latin America, but many have little firsthand knowledge of the languages and cultural forms associated with its many regions. All, however, have expressed a desire to learn more about Caribbean music and culture. Members meet once a week for general rehearsals, and one or more additional times per week in smaller groups to practice vocals, guitar, percussion, and rhythm section playing. The Ensemble specializes in music of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean (from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic) and circum-Caribbean (coastal Venezuela, Colombia, and Central America). It encourages participation by the general student body. The Caribbean Ensemble usually meets on Wednesday evenings in MRH 2.614

We will be focusing on repertory from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, for the most part, with occasional songs taken from coastal Colombia, Venezuela, Haiti, or elsewhere. The primary subdivisions of the repertory are:

1. acoustic music involving percussion, guitar, singers, bass, and perhaps solo instruments.
2. electrified dance music (salsa, merengue, chachachá,) involving percussion, horns/violins, singers, piano, and bass.

Rehearsal time will be divided. The first hour and a half (6-7:30PM) will be devoted to dance repertory, and the second (7:30-9PM) to acoustic music involving string instruments, voices, and hand percussion. Additionally, we will schedule shorter sectional rehearsals for the following groups as necessary: rhythm section, percussion, guitarists, singers.