Singing Hoosiers To Present Spring Concert at IU Auditorium 4/2

The Singing Hoosiers, otherwise known as Indiana University's "ambassadors of song," will perform a concert of American popular songs at IU Auditorium Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m.

Led by Jacobs School of Music professor Michael Schwartzkopf, the Jacobs School ensemble -- widely considered the finest collegiate show choir in the United States -- will perform an entertaining program of Broadway favorites, jazz selections and other American popular songs, all with dazzling choreography, energy and style.

"It's always thrilling to be back in the IU Auditorium for our spring concert," Schwartzkopf said. "After traveling far and wide during the year, it's our opportunity to celebrate this great music with Bloomington audiences and the many choir alumni who visit for the event."

With approximately 90 vocalists, the ensemble is made up of collegiate performers from the world-renowned IU Jacobs School of Music as well as students with a variety of other majors at IU Bloomington, from business to chemistry to political science. An intense calendar of performances around the U.S. each year keeps the ensemble in top gear.

In addition to the Spring Concert, the ensemble's Bloomington performances include participation in the annual Chimes of Christmas concert, IU Opera Theater and oratorio productions and Big Ten basketball games. Also included in the lineup this year is a guest performance by the IU Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by Christopher Ludwa.

Schwartzkopf said energy at this year's Spring Concert will be particularly high, as it precedes a concert tour by the Singing Hoosiers to China at the end of the semester.

About the Singing Hoosiers

The Singing Hoosiers continue more than half a century of tradition as IU's ambassadors of song. In the early 1950s, the Men's Concert Choir was one of only three choral ensembles in the fledgling IU Jacobs School of Music and had 50 members.

After a performance at a football rally, an announcer said, "With a basketball team like the Hurryin' Hoosiers and a football team like the Fighting Hoosiers, we oughta call these guys the Singing Hoosiers!" The name stuck. Soon, female voices called the Hoosier Queens were added and the ensemble has steadily grown.

The ensemble has entertained millions in 18 states and more than 26 countries, including Europe, Australia, the Far East and the Caribbean, appearing with such legendary entertainers as Bob Hope, Alan Sherman, Red Buttons, Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington and Indiana's favorite son, Hoagy Carmichael. The group has also performed with opera legend Sylvia McNair and with several professional symphony orchestras, including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic, South Bend Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops.

With Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, the Singing Hoosiers performed at Carnegie Hall in 1995 and appeared on a televised PBS Christmas special with Mel Torme. The partnership with the Pops resulted in the release of several recordings on the Telarc International label. These include the Grammy-nominated A Disney Spectacular and The Music Man. The group has also recorded The Magical Music of Disney, Hollywood's Greatest Musicals and Magical Musicals.

 

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