Welcome to BUMS- Bristol University Music Society are a Bristol SU Gold Accredited Group and Bristol's biggest music performance society! We are directly affiliated with the academic music department and based in the beautiful Victoria Rooms. Welcoming 100s of students every year, we are made up of 10 ensembles both auditioned and un-auditioned, including a high standard Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir as well as an award winning Brass Band. We also have two networks fostering a lively community of Chamber Musicians and Composers. We put on two jam packed concert seasons every year representing all of our ensembles at venues such as St Georges and the Victoria Rooms, as well as weekly chamber music concerts and an annual international tour.

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Are you new to the University? Bristol has over 35 music groups and ensembles spread across 12 different societies, so it can get a little confusing. But don't worry, we've made a really easy online guide to all the music performance societies at the university, sorted by instrument and genre. Find it here!  

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Ensembles

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BUMS is an umbrella society made up of 10 ensembles. All ensembles rehearse weekly and have at least 3 concerts per year. These are...

• Chamber Orchestra (AUDITIONED)- Monday 19.00-21.15 Victoria Rooms  

• Chamber Choir (AUDITIONED)- Monday 19.00-21.15 Victoria Rooms  

• Symphonic Winds (AUDITIONED)- Wednesday 17.00-19.00 Victoria Rooms  

• Baroque Ensemble (AUDITIONED)- Thursday 19.00-21.00 Victoria Rooms   

• Wind Orchestra (UNAUDITIONED) - Monday 17.00-18.30 Victoria Rooms 

• Brass Band (UNAUDITIONED)- Thursday 19.00-21.00 Victoria Rooms 

• String Orchestra (UNAUDITIONED)- Wednesday 17.00-18.30 Victoria Rooms 

• Flute Choir (UNAUDITIONED)- Friday 17.00-18.30 Victoria Rooms 

• Minerva Choir (UNAUDITIONED)- Tuesday 17.00-18.30 St Paul's Church Clifton (just behind the Victoria Rooms)

• Clarinet Choir (UNAUDITIONED)- Thursday 17:00-19:00 St Paul's Church Clifton (just behind the Victoria Rooms)

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Please note: auditions for Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir happen during the last few days of Freshers Week, and you must sign up in person in the Victoria Rooms for a slot. Auditions for Baroque Ensemble and Symphonic Winds are in the following weeks, and exact details will be advertised on our social media. Some of our groups will occasionally do re-auditions at Christmas time, so keep an eye out on our socials and our newsletter for this. 

 

Give it a Go!- The first two weeks of rehearsals for our un-auditioned ensembles in September will be Give it a Go! Sessions. This means you can come along and try it out, before buying a BUMS membership. If you want to continue attending after this period, you must purchase a membership.

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Networks 

We also run thriving Chamber Music and Composition networks. CompNet meets weekly on Fridays from 17.00-19.00 in the Victoria Rooms and provides a space for people of all levels of experience to workshop and get feedback on their compositions. This cumulates in annual composition showcase concerts, which gives you the opportunity to premiere and record your work, with musicians from the chamber network. This year we have joined the undergraduate and postgraduate composition networks to facilitate even more music creation!

 

Our Chamber Music Network helps like minded musicians form small ensembles, such as string quartets, wind quintets and piano trios. We organise multiple chamber showcase and soloist concerts each year and even facilitate paid opportunities for some groups. We have lots of new exciting thing planned for chamber groups this year, so you're not going to want to miss it.

 

Here's how to get involved.

• Register your interest to join to the chamber network here and join the Chamber Music Facebook Forum

• Find out more on our website, and read our chamber coordinator's 'Guide to Chamber Music at Bristol'

 

Membership Benefits 

This year membership costs just £20 for the entire year. Here's what you get:

• Access to play in all 10 BUMS ensembles (alright, it might be tough to play in ALL of them, but we'd like to see you try!)  

• Access to join our chamber music network and composition networks  

• Access to join all of our society socials, including discounted nights out and alcohol free socials  

• Access to our BUMS Sundays series, which covers a wide range of weekly talks and workshops

• Discounted summer formal tickets  

• Discounted or free tickets to all of our concerts (Over 30 per year!)  

• Opportunity to sign up for our international tour!!!

• Opportunity to buy BUMS merch  

• Discount at Headwind Music Bristol, who have partnered with us for an exclusive discount! (10% off reeds online)  

 

What are you waiting for, come and join the BUMS family! 

• Buy your membership on this page

• Sign up for our weekly newsletter here . This year featuring all BUMS news and updates, plus events happening around all of Bristol. Anyone can sign up to the newsletter, not just members.

• Follow us on social media- our Instagram (@b_u_m_s_) is the most active, but you can find all of our socials on our linktree  

• Join our members Facebook Forum to see member only perks and events

• Come visit us in the Arts, Hobbies, Interests and Adventure Tent at the SU Welcome Fair and pick up your iconic 'I love BUMS' or 'I play with BUMS stickers' ;)  

If you have any queries at all contact our president Grace Whillis at bumspresident@outlook.com or look on our contact us page for specific people