The 100+ clubs at the University of Saskatchewan can help students build their resumes, maintain their hobbies or meet like-minded people. From concert bands to space teams, there’s something for everyone.

Here comes treble: wind orchestra crescendos into new season

Comprised of approximately 45 wind and percussion players, the U of S Wind Orchestra is open by audition to any student at the U of S.

Students in all programs are welcome to audition which includes performing some pre-selected material as well as bit of sight-reading. The orchestra performs an artistic and challenging repertoire, which requires a high level of skill and practice.

“We have rehearsals twice a week for an hour and 45 minutes each, and our performances follow a pretty strenuous schedule,” said director and U of S professor Darrin Oehlerking.

The band has planned a large concert at the end of the first semester, two concerts in the second semester and is scheduled to perform at convocation as well as the Mayor’s Cultural Gala on Sept. 20 at TCU Place. The group also tours both inside and outside the province.

This year, the orchestra was invited to attend a bi-annual world conference in San Jose, California. The World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles host the conference, which takes place in July.

“If students enjoyed high school band and played at a high level, they can come and audition for us,” Oehlerking said. “It’s a great way to keep connected with music and keep connected with people on campus who love to play in band.”

Instruments not your forte?

Gerald Langner directs the Greystone Singers mixed-voice choir. The all-student choir is open by audition and contains approximately 50 singers.

“About half the students in the Greystone Singers are music students and the other half are from across campus who just enjoy singing,” Langner said.

The group travels within the province every year and occasionally travels internationally.

Auditions for the Greystone Singers will take place Sept. 3–5. The Greystone Singers have two 90 minute rehearsals per week.

“If people like to sing along with a chorus of people who are like-minded and like-talented, it’s really motivating,” Langner said. “It’s fun to sing along with a huge group of people who are making beautiful harmony… it’s very stimulating and encouraging. You can make friends that last a lifetime.”

Lookin’ sharp: start school on a high note with Newman Sounds

The Newman Sounds Glee Club has its first meeting of the semester on Sept. 10. The club does not require auditions for chorus members, but does require them for students who want to be soloists.

The club plans to hold its first concert on Nov. 28 and 29, but will also be singing at the Galliard Foundation concert on Oct. 19.

“Glee Club is a lot of fun and it brings together students from a variety of backgrounds and levels of experience to share a love of music and dance,” said club president Richard Medernach.

Music Theatre measures up

For students interested in drama, the Music Theatre Ensemble, directed by Garry Gable, aims to involve students in both classical and non-classical theatre.

“In one semester we’ll do something more classically-based, like an opera or operetta, and in the other semester we incorporate some Broadway,” Gable said.

Last year the group performed a full production of The Beggar’s Opera.

“We are still deciding what this fall’s shows will be. I typically wait until I know what my enrollment is… if I name it first and then don’t get the enrollment I wind up having to change my mind anyway,” Gable said.

Gable hopes to produce a show that he wrote himself, titled Let the Shadows End. The show borrows music from the First World War and pays homage to the families and soldiers involved in the war.

Snare a fantastic opportunity with concert band

The University of Saskatchewan Concert Band under the direction of Glen Gillis is comprised of approximately 65 members and includes both music and non-music majors.

The ensemble performs a wide variety of artistic repertoire in various Saskatoon venues. There is no formal audition for the band. The group rehearses once per week and performs two concerts per semester.

“Non-music majors have the opportunity to continue to hone their instrument skills from high school,” Gillis said. “These university students are from all areas of study on campus, thus new friendships can be built.”

Fly me to the moon: space design team is blasting off again

The U of S Space Design Team (USST) is dedicated to the development of next-generation space technologies.

Founded in 2005, the team works on a variety of space design projects and strives to provide an experiential learning environment to students across the U of S.

The USST has a history of international success. In May, the team placed seventh at the 2014 University Rover Challenge, a competition that involved designing, constructing and testing a Mars rover. Rovers competed to perform a variety of tasks, including retrieving and testing rock and soil samples and traversing rough and challenging terrain.

“When we finished URC, we got our results and we thought we were going to do really bad,” said team president Thomas Johnson. “We had a major malfunction with the arm where software got overwritten… when we got seventh we were blown away with how well we did.”

Johnson discovered USST through an first-year engineering class.

“It’s fun to know you put a lot of hours into a project and see the benefits of that,” Johnson said.

The team has already begun designing a rover for the next URC. Their goal is to have the design completed and parts ordered by January, as well as to begin assembling and testing the rover in the second term. The USST plans to also compete in the European Rover Challenge in 2015.

Boasting 30 members in strength, the club is open to students of all disciplines as well as members of the community.

“We’re pretty interdisciplinary right now,” Johnson said. “Anybody can join… we have mostly engineering students, but we have students from biology, commerce, medicine, arts and science and computer science.”

According to Johnson, the USST gives students an opportunity to do something that complements their degree and stands out on a resume by offering both engineering and leadership experience.

“If you can have real design experience, it puts you ahead,” Johnson said. “If you want to be a great engineer and show that you’re ambitious, [USST] is a great place to start.”

Snark attack: debate team has serious issues

The U of S Debate Society hosts and attends a plethora of events throughout the year, including tournaments, socials, practices and volunteering.

The USDS is a non-profit student-run organization with a focus on developing debate skills in a friendly environment. Debaters compete in many interscholastic, national and international tournaments — though there is no obligation to compete.

“I started debate in high school… at this point I’ve been debating for six years,” said president Stefan Belev. “I was encouraged to do it by one of the teachers I had at the time. I tried it out, went to a tournament and I ended up loving it.”

Debate aims to bring people together to discuss a wide variety of topics and improve public speaking skills and persuasion.

Debaters are expected to show up for one meeting per week. There are also opportunities to travel across Canada and meet like-minded students.

“Following recruitment, we’ll have three or four meetings where we’ll be training anyone who’s interested in debate, and at that point we’ll have an internal novice tournament to get everybody ready for the [Fall Open novice] tournament,” Belev said.

Fall Open is the first tournament of the 2014-15 debating season and is scheduled to take place in Calgary Oct. 24–26.

“What’s common to everyone in debate is that they have broader interests than simply what they’re studying,” Belev said. “They care about current events; they care about having intelligent discussion; they care about the community and the international community as a whole.”

Debate is useful for students who want to develop valuable and transferrable skills. According to Belev, the skills learned through debate will help students in their careers, regardless of where they end up.

“It gives you skills which carry over not only into public speaking but into your writing and the way you communicate with other people. Fundamentally, being able to persuade others to see things your way and being able to communicate with others are fundamental pillars of any career,” Belev said.

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Graphic: Stephanie Mah/Graphics Editor