The Singing Hoosiers Spring Concert has come around again, and this time it’s celebrating the 75th anniversary of the group’s existence. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 5 at the Musical Arts Center.
Chris Albanese, who has been the director of the Singing Hoosiers for the past eight years, said the upcoming show will be a retrospective look at the past 75 years of Singing Hoosiers’ history. The theme of the show is “Within the Stardust of a Song,” which is inspired by a lyric from IU alumnus and Bloomington native Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust.”
The concert program will consist of four different sets, and each one features at least two songs.
The first set is centered around Carmichael’s music; the second has pop standards and music theater tunes from the 1960s and ‘70s; the third focuses on performing songs from Walt Disney Pictures films such as “Hercules” and “Oliver & Company;” and the final set features music from the contemporary era, which includes the year 2000 through today.
As part of a long-standing tradition, Singing Hoosiers alumni will be invited to participate in singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” With this show being the group’s 75th anniversary, Albanese said many alumni will be attending the concert to celebrate.
“I think it will be a really special performance, not only for the students. I think the music is great. There’s a lot of hard work and good energy coming into the performance, and I think having our alumni with us too will give us that extra boost,” Albanese said. “It’ll be a great celebration of the last 75 years.”
Although the Singing Hoosiers is a collective group of about 100 vocalists, there are three small ensembles within the overall group; ResoluSHion jazz, Varsity Dancers and SH Acapella. Additionally, all Singing Hoosiers performances are student-choreographed.
Lauren Rohn, an IU junior, joined the Singing Hoosiers at the start of her freshman year after years of prior show choir experience. She is also a co-choreographer for the Varsity Dancers. She said she is excited to share the stage with Singing Hoosiers alumni.
“I am really looking forward to seeing all of the alumni come back and hearing their perceptions of what we were able to create for this concert,” Rohn said. “We’re very close with our alumni and have a really great relationship with them.”
While the show will feature the time-honored traditions of the Singing Hoosiers legacy, the accompanying instrumentals are a factor that will set this show apart from previous ones. Albanese said the singers will be accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra.
“This is different than our normal stage band, which is just nine players,” Albanese said.
The spring concert will be the last Singing Hoosiers show of the 2024 school year, but for IU senior Lucia Walker, the upcoming show will be the final performance of her college career.
Walker has been a member of the Singing Hoosiers since the beginning of her freshman year. She is part of both the ResoluSHion jazz ensemble as well as the Varsity Dancers. As a Bloomington native, Walker said she grew up watching the Singing Hoosiers perform, which inspired her to become a member of the ensemble.
“I grew up watching the Singing Hoosiers, and so I used to dream that I’d get to perform in the sparkly red dress someday, and now I get the opportunity to do that,” Walker said. “So it’s been a really special full circle moment.”
The concert will be held at 7:30pm on Saturday at the Musical Arts Center.
Tickets for the upcoming performance can be found at the Jacobs School of Music website. Prices will be reduced to $10 for IU students.
