The ensemble is directed by Professor Hugh Whalum, one of St. Louis's most distinguished pianists and singers. The Jazz Singers perform works from arrangers and composers such as Gene Puerling, Paris Rutherford, and Steve Zegree, as well as groups including Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, and Rare Silk. The ensemble presented a program of works by Webster faculty composer Kim Portnoy on texts by e. e. cummings at the 2000 International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in New Orleans. The Jazz Ensembles are combos of three to eight members and is directed by a faculty member or graduate teaching assistant. The combos perform a wide range of music from composers such as Coltrane, Corea, Davis, Ellington, Liebman, Mingus, Shorter and Silver.
Students work on improvisation, ensemble balance and interaction, and stylistic awareness.
Each combo performs on these programs regularly and on the Monday night jazz concert series. The Big Band is an 18-piece ensemble that performs literature from all style periods of jazz, including composers such as Corea, Davis, Ellington, Holman, Jones, Nelson, and Wheeler. Focus is placed on developing individual skills of improvisation, reading, stylistic awareness and ensemble interaction. The Webster University Symphony is an orchestra of outstanding student, faculty and professional musicians. The ensemble presents five programs during each academic year and also performs for the winter Opera Studio productions.