CCAs of NTU 25’: Guitar Ensemble
Written by: Soh Jieyi Victoria, Member, and Ryan Teng, Chairperson
Introducing: NTU’s resident guitar ensemble! Picture an orchestra, where every instrument is a guitar. We adopt the Niibori five-guitar system established by Dr Hiroki Niibori in 1957, but constantly push the boundaries of what a classical guitar ensemble can deliver with our annual concert, Nocturne. Look no further than Nocturne’s past editions: from Bizet’s “Habanera,” to John Powell’s iconic “How To Train Your Dragon” pieces and K-Pop stars SEVENTEEN’s “Pretty U,” we perform anything and everything (with guitars)!
We do three-hour practice sessions from 7 to 10pm, twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, with the sessions being a mix of sectionals and full-ensemble practices. It may sound daunting at first, but the time will fly by (trust) - and we’re also very dedicated to providing welfare and ensuring our guitarists’ happiness! :D Our weekly sessions are mainly to prepare for the Nocturne of the year, which is typically held on a weekend between late March and early April. Outside of Nocturne, we also do have an unofficial Jamband subclub and an affiliated alumni ensemble, both of which practise on the weekends and are open to all NTUGE members to join.
Our main ensemble is for any guitarist with any sort of prior experience in playing a guitar, no matter how little, who is looking for a new kind of playing experience with a welcoming community. If you’ve just graduated from a JC or polytechnic ensemble, we’d love to continue shaping your GE life with faith, trust and pixie dust (wink wonk)! Do register and come down for our NTUGE auditions - and fear not, as our auditions are mainly to get a sense of your playing and to get to know you better. Even if all you’ve got under your belt is a few weeks of plucking strings, we’d still love to have you - just talk to us and we can work something out!
Our main ensemble of 24/25!! :D
This year, alongside our main ensemble, we are proud to introduce a brand new junior ensemble, for individuals who are completely new to guitar. There will be no auditions for the junior ensemble, but slots are unfortunately limited, so do reach out to us as soon as possible if you’re interested!
You can find us on our Instagram page, where you can register your interest for either ensemble, as well as find out more about NTUGE. Should you have any queries, feel free to drop us a text there, or alternatively email us at cac-ge@e.ntu.edu.sg.
