Singing Hoosiers to give director final call

Performing favorite numbers from the past 60 years, the Singing Hoosiers will perform their final concert under the direction of retiring Jacobs School of Music Choral Director and professor Michael Schwartzkopf at 8 p.m. Saturday in the IU Auditorium.

After serving as director for 17 years, Schwartzkopf said his departure is bittersweet.

“It’s time. I’ve reached the age of retirement,” Schwartzkopf said. “I look at it as a time for a new director, a new perspective and new ideas for the Singing Hoosiers.”

The Singing Hoosiers ensemble was founded in 1950 and is composed of about 90  student voices.

Schwartzkopf said the search for a new director is ongoing.

“We’ve kept the same format and traditions that have been with the Singing Hoosiers since before I was a director, or even since I was a member of the Singing Hoosiers in the ’60s,” he said.

Schwartzkopf attended IU for a degree in choral conducting and performed with the ensemble during his stay in Bloomington. In 1995, after completing his doctoral work, he became director of Singing Hoosiers, and said he has enjoyed it every step of the way.

“Every year, the group has different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s up to the director to pull those strengths and improve those weaknesses,” Schwartzkopf said.

Cody Butcher, senior vocalist and social chairman of the Singing Hoosiers, said Schwartzkopf did just that.

“He is so much more than a director,” Butcher said. “Yes, he does make us sound amazing, he does care about how professional we are and that we are good ambassadors for the University, but he also cares for us on an individual level. If we are struggling with anything, he has always been there to listen and talk about it. He is just such an amazing person.”

Sophomore vocalist Chris Yousif said he participated in show choir during high school and wanted to be a part of the traditions and legacy of the Singing Hoosiers.

“The sense of kinship that everyone brings is a great atmosphere to be a part of,” Yousif said. “Everyone is really involved, we all really love being there and I think it really shows when we perform.”

Butcher, who has participated in Singing Hoosiers for four years, said the tradition and legacy of the ensemble created a unique bond between the singers.

“We have a motto — once a Singing Hoosier, always a Singing Hoosier,” Butcher said. “At alumni events, we will talk with past singers, and it’s crazy how much our experiences overlap. They’ll ask us if we’re still practicing at the same time in the same room that they did. And we are. It’s just a really great set of traditions that bond all of us together regardless of when we participated.”

Yousif said he is looking forward to the final show with mixed emotions.

“I’m really excited for the final show this weekend,” Yousif said. “It’s going to be sad, but, as always, it will be really fun, too.”

Butcher agreed.

“I think it will be exciting because Singing Hoosiers can take a new direction but also because Dr. S will be leaving after such a long time, and it is going to be the final performances for the seniors,” he said.

Butcher said he will look back on his time with the Singing Hoosiers and Schwartzkopf fondly because of the experiences both have given him.

“Dr. Schwartzkopf is one of the most amazing men I know,” Butcher said. “He has been my constant mentor since I’ve been here. There will be times in the middle of class when he’ll just pause and look around at all of us and just say, ‘You know what? I love you guys.’ And I think moments like those are really what makes him stand apart.”