Singing Hoosiers to hold spring performance Saturday

More than 100 IU students filed into the Music Annex Monday afternoon to sing their hearts out.\nFor these students, IU's own Singing Hoosiers, rehearsals in the middle of busy days are routine. This week is no exception, as the Singing Hoosiers gear up for this Saturday's Spring Concert. \nFresh from a bustling spring break in Florida, the performers, directed by Michael Schwartzkopf, will present "A Celebration of American Song" 8 p.m. Saturday at the IU Auditorium. Featured songs will include Broadway, jazz, swing and pop tunes from such famous names in American standards as Cole Porter. New arrangements will be mingled with old favorites.\nThe Singing Hoosiers are a distinct entity, largely because of the type of material they perform. Although classical selections and spirituals pepper the group's lineup, the main core of its repertoire is composed of pop, jazz and show tunes. \nSenior Catherine Orzel, the group's student manager, said familiar tunes have a profound impact on audiences, especially pieces by such home-grown Indiana composers as Hoagy Carmichael. "It's nice to bring that kind of music back here," she said. \nA large contingent of the Singing Hoosiers' following is composed of IU alumni, some of whom were in the group as students. During the final number of Saturday's concert, these alumni will be invited to the stage to join the current members in a closing tune. Part of the appeal of the Singing Hoosiers, an organization that has been around for more than half a century, is its emphasis on tradition.\nIn fact, Schwartzkopf, an IU alumnus, was a member of the Singing Hoosiers during his time here as an undergraduate. Now in his 11th year as director of the group, he maintains that little about it has changed since he was a member. \nSchwartzkopf said the Singing Hoosiers' approach to performing is interactive, to say the least. Choreography and contagious energy engage the audience in the performance, but the music is what Schwartzkopf believes to be the most important method for reaching the audience. The feel-good, distinctly American sound of the choir fulfills what he refers to as the mission of the Singing Hoosiers, to expand the realm of musical possibility for both the student singers and their audience. \nSenior Dan Yarzebinski, a veteran Singing Hoosier who serves as the group's attendance coordinator, reflected that performing pop standards and favorites is immensely effective in evoking memories of a time when just hearing a few bars of a song "made you want to sing."\nSpecial to this concert will be a tribute to Al Cobine, a Bloomington area resident and musician who has written numerous arrangements for the Singing Hoosiers over the years. Recently, Cobine, who has performed with musical greats like Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and Perry Como, received a "Living Treasure" award from the Bloomington Arts Council. In Schwartzkopf's opinion, Cobine has been invaluable in building the Singing Hoosiers into the polished, poised and talented group they are today. Schwartzkopf, or "Dr. S," as his students refer to him, looks beyond Saturday's concert with optimism for the group's future, but adamantly preserves their vital connection to the past. As Schwartzkopf has been known to say, "once a Singing Hoosier, always a Singing Hoosier." \nThe performance will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday at the IU Auditorium. Tickets are available through the IU Auditorium Box Office (855-1103) or online at www.ticketmaster.com.