A capella group Hooshir seeks new members

Eighteen students rehearsed together in the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center recreational room Monday night as Hooshir Director John Zadlo led the a cappella group in their warm ups.

Hooshir one of IU’s a cappella ensembles, made up of  undergraduate students who share a passion for musical performance, rehearse twice a week, perform regularly in Bloomington and tour the country.

The name Hooshir, meaning “he who sings” in Hebrew, was given to the group when it was established in 2006. The International Hillel Organization requested that a Jewish singing group perform for then-President George W. Bush at the White House for a Hanukkah party.

“Today it has become something a little different,” said John Zadlo, junior and musical director. “About half of our members are Jewish, and our repertoire consists of 30 percent Jewish and Israeli pop music, and the other 70 percent is contemporary pop music.”

The group worked on a song titled “Al Hanisim” on Monday night and also covered artists such as Lady Gaga and Beyoncé .

Zadlo said the balance between fun and productivity is an important one to achieve.

“It’s a balance between being a leader and being a friend,” Zadlo said. “I have to put together a good show, knowing that the group gets something out of it, so if I put all that work forth so that we all have fun, it’s okay with me.”

The group has performed several times in the past months, including a packed Hanukkah performance at Hillel, a radio broadcast for The Smiley Show,  an appearance at the Kenya Dance Competition and a show at the Carmel Community Playhouse.

The group has toured Chicago, Los Angeles and New York and plans on going to Boston this March.

“We are basically just trying to get our name out there because we have talent like Straight No Chaser and Ladies First, but we are newer,” said Julie Wolmack, Hooshir president and member. “When I started it was really small, and I brought in five or six of my closest friends to audition, and it has grown into a big close-knit group where we don’t just perform but we hang out every day and are all best friends.”

Group members joked around and gave each other constructive criticism about working on improving their sound.

“They are pretty incredible for a group of college kids,” said Ilana Nadel, Hillel program director. “They are a group of college students who take initiative to practice as much as they can and they are great to listen to. I felt like a proud parent standing in the back at their radio show. It was awesome.”

After all the hard work and long hours of practicing, Wolmack said a successful performance justifies the effort.

“The satisfaction of performing a song to the best of your abilities and having an effect on people’s life musically is amazing,” Wolmack said.

Hooshir is having auditions for this semester 5 p.m. Sunday at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center.