The Cleveland State Chamber Collective will take the stage at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, in Drinko Recital Hall, offering an hourlong concert built entirely by students, for students.

The ensemble is a fully student-run initiative within Cleveland State University’s School of Music. No professors or administrators organize the groups, plan the set lists or coordinate the concert. Instead, the collective operates on student creativity and drive.

“It’s a student-run thing,” said Logan Hovorka, a junior trombone performance major who founded the collective last semester. “We’ll put on concerts and tell people any genre, any instrumentation, any gimmick – just have fun and do it ourselves.”

Friday's performance will feature a wide range of styles and ensembles representing the interests of music students, including a jazz combo and the Lake Effect Trombone Choir. From horn-driven jazz to modern percussion works, the concert aims to deliver variety while maintaining high musical ability and energy.
 

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The idea for the collective came from Hovorka’s desire to create more collaboration beyond scheduled ensemble rehearsals.

“We come to our ensembles, we do our homework and then everyone just goes home,” Hovorka said. “When else are we going to be surrounded by a bunch of like-minded people who are willing to work together? Let’s do something.”

The first Chamber Collective concert featured four groups. After students saw what was possible, interest grew quickly, and the second performance doubled in size. Hovorka hopes to continue that momentum this spring and eventually expand opportunities even further.

While the collective primarily features music majors, Hovorka said students outside the department are also welcome to get involved.

“If someone wants to get involved and they’re not a music major, I don’t see any problem with that,” he said.

The March 6 concert is free and open to the public. Hovorka hopes students across campus — not just those in the School of Music — will attend.

“My original idea was to just start playing in the student center,” he said with a laugh. “The hope is we can engage other parts of the student population.”
 

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In addition to founding the Chamber Collective, Hovorka also leads the Lake Effect Trombone Choir, an eight-member ensemble that explores the versatility of the trombone family. The group will perform as part of the Chamber Collective concert.

Still, Hovorka sees the collective as something bigger than any single ensemble.

“It is a genuine big plus for the School of Music,” he said. “We’re creating opportunities for student musicians.”

As the Chamber Collective continues to grow, its mission remains simple: give students a space to create, collaborate and share their work with the campus community.

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, in Drinko Recital Hall. Admission is free.