'Singing Hoosiers' perform with innovative routine

Clad in classy black and white, the Singing Hoosiers took the stage Saturday night at the IU Auditorium with a presence suitable for their 54th anniversary. The group's sophistication keeps audiences coming back year after year.\nZach Frank, choreographer and a senior majoring in theater and drama, said he always tries to avoid the high-school-show-choir look, and this performance was anything but high school. Lighting changed in the first act set the mood for certain pieces. Red light flooded the stage during IU songs and changed to a calming blue during Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo." Also visually appealing was Frank's innovative choreography, stemming from his diverse background in various forms of dance. As choreographer for the exclusive group of dancers known as the Varsity Singers, Frank puts in many extra hours each week to achieve perfection. The outstanding "Porter Goes Funky" -- a medley of Cole Porter songs -- broke through barriers to combine funk and more modern jazz styles. \n"Riser Movement," a dance piece created by Hillary Scharmann, a sophomore majoring in voice, and Shanda Sasse, a senior majoring in voice, focused on clean lines and small, sharp movements. Occasionally, varying levels of technique among the performers proved distracting. Still, the dancing was consistently high-energy.\nAfter a rousing performance by Marcus Calderon, the student manager and a senior majoring in biology, and the ensemble in "Run, Freedom, Run," from the Broadway musical "Urinetown," director Michael Schwartzkopf jokingly proclaimed, "I think we need a little more energy up here!"\nBut the main focus was the music. Every song resonated with rich, full sound and excitement. No matter the style -- pop, classical or Broadway -- the Singing Hoosiers pulled through for its audience.\nWhile each one of the 19 soloists sang well, a few made stronger impressions on the audience, extracting shouts of "Bravo!" and loud cheers. Amy Linden, a sophomore majoring in voice, belted higher notes than should have been possible in Stephen Schwartz's "Ain't It Good" that set the audience aflame mid-show. \nThe second act featured selections from "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and impressive vocals from the singers. The presentation included vocals from Kelli Grant, a senior majoring in journalism, Daniel Yarzebinski, a junior majoring in voice, Scharmann and Maria Campos, a senior majoring in musical theater, who ended the set with a painfully believable rendition of "Gimme, Gimme."\nThe musical theater backgrounds of many of the performers were apparent in the first act sequences of the show, which included a cutesy tribute to Dr. Seuss by Alexander Meisner, a sophomore majoring in voice and Jenna Weinberg, a junior majoring in theater and drama.\nAt the very end of the show, Schwartzkopf announced the classic "Battle Hymn to the Republic." Like many other choral ensembles, the Singing Hoosiers end their shows with this song and invite alumni to join them onstage. What seemed like hundreds of smiling dots emerged from their seats to accompany the choir.\nThe group has a strong alumni base, including newsletters to keep in touch and special luncheons before the spring concert every year. Frank said the Singing Hoosiers are like a close-knit family that is always rehearsing together. \n"We're all best friends, and there's great camaraderie," he said. "College is hard for a lot of people -- you're on your own. But we're a big group of people you can become close with."\n-- Contact staff writer Stacey Laskin at slaskin@indiana.edu.