Singing Hoosiers debut show

They sing, they dance and they entertain.

The Jacobs School of Music’s Singing Hoosiers will perform their Fall Preview Concert at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Auer Hall.

An eight-piece band will accompany the Singing Hoosiers, now in its 64th season, during the concert.

“We do everything: pop, Broadway, jazz, hip-hop,” said Steve Zegree, the Pam and Jack Burks professor of Music at Jacobs and director of the Singing Hoosiers.

This is Zegree’s second year directing the ensemble, which he described as “energetic, entertaining and fun.”

“If you come to a Singing Hoosiers concert and you don’t have fun, then something’s wrong with you because we really intend for our audiences to have a lot of fun,” he said.

The 86 students who make up the Singing Hoosiers come from a variety of backgrounds, as there are no specific major requirements for members.

“What’s really cool about the Singing Hoosiers is that it’s mostly non-music majors,” Zegree said. “The singers have to audition, but they can be any major on campus.”

For the preview concert, the group will sing 16 songs that will be featured throughout their upcoming season.

IU Professor of Voice Marietta Simpson, a mezzo-soprano, will give a guest performance as well.

Additional Singing Hoosiers concerts this year include the Chimes of Christmas in December and the Annual Spring Concert in March, both at the IU Auditorium.

“This is just kind of our fall campus debut,” Zegree said.

Jared McElroy, a senior music education major, currently serves as the student manager of the Singing Hoosiers. He said his favorite part about his role is “the loving, caring relationships” he creates with all of his peers.

Steven Berlanga, graduate assistant for the group, said it was difficult for him to adapt to the dance aspect of the Singing Hoosiers.

“The choreography is something that’s very new to me, coming from a classical singer background,” he said.

Zegree said he believes the combined singing and dancing the Singing
Hoosiers are expected to do is very educational for members because it pushes them outside of their comfort zone.

He said he hopes audiences come away from the show feeling great and loving the Singing Hoosiers.

“There’s going to be a lot of love coming from that stage, so we just want a little love coming back our way,” Zegree said.

Follow reporter Rachel Osman on Twitter @rachosman.