Light reflected off the red sequins of the Singing Hoosiers’ costumes Saturday night at the Musical Arts Center during the ensemble’s spring concert. The two-act performance was themed “American Snapshots,” showcasing music from different time periods in U.S. history.
Led by director Chris Albanese, the concert began as the purple curtain of the Musical Arts Center rose, revealing the large student group and their accompanying band.
Seniors Leah Corcoran and Jack Lengerich then took to the microphones at the front of the stage, welcoming the audience to the spring concert and introducing Dancing in the Street,” the program’s first piece.
Afterward, junior A.J. Wilson grabbed a microphone from the front of the stage, introducing the next set titled “Billy Sunday” in a skit-like fashion with large movements and boisterous energy. The first two songs of the set were Fred Fisher’s “Chicago” (1922) and Bloomington-born Hoagy Carmichael’s “Memphis in June” (1945).
The sound of heels clicking against the stage tapped throughout the Musical Arts Center as most of the Singing Hoosiers left the stage, transitioning into feature acts from two smaller groups within the Singing Hoosiers: ResoluSHion and SHAcapella.
ResoluSHion consists of 12 singers within the Singing Hoosiers that perform in campus performances and on tour. SHAcapella is a student group within the Singing Hoosiers that only performs a cappella music.
ResoluSHion performed Edgar M. Sampson’s “Charleston Alley” at the front of the stage, each member holding a hand-held microphone.
SHAcapella performed three upbeat and lively songs in the same fashion as ResoluSHion, at the front of the stage and into their individual microphones. Both groups stood in formation throughout their songs, slightly swaying back and forth to the beat.
The large ensemble then came back onto the stage to finish the first act of the show with a set titled “Cowboy Carter,” during which they performed country songs including Beyoncé’s “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM.”
The group also danced in country styles and showcased the moves of different songs. Junior Van Foresman is a varsity dancer for the Singing Hoosiers and said performing as a group is one of his favorite parts of being in the ensemble.
“I think one of my favorite parts of the group is just performing with everyone and just making music with everyone,” Foresman said. “It’s just such an amazing feeling.”
After a 20-minute intermission, the Singing Hoosiers began the second act by inviting Singing Hoosiers alumni onstage to perform the classic songs “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Hail to Old IU” and the “IU Fight Song.”
As the alumni left the Musical Arts Center’s stage, seniors Emma Grimm and Annie Libs took to the microphones at the front of the stage, introducing the next set titled “Sherwood Sisters in NYC” in a skit-like upbeat and comedic fashion.
Annie Libs is a theater major and has participated in the skits before for the performances. She said this year, the skits that introduced all the sets Saturday night have evolved into something more theatrical. Past years had them, but not between every set.
“I’ve done the skits the past couple of years that I’ve been in the group, and we definitely took a new spin on it this year, but it was really a really fun new way to get to introduce the sets kind of more seamlessly,” Libs said.
The performance’s last set was titled “Student Medley: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel,” where students choreographed and arranged the entire lively medley.
The final song of the concert was titled “Crowded Table” and honored all the Singing Hoosier seniors at the front of the stage. The song was somber and allowed the students to express emotion through their vocals.
Zoe Munn, a senior environmental science major, said she is proud of the past three years she has spent in the group.
“There’s a lot of mixed emotions,” Munn said. “It’s been, like, a really great last three years, and I think we’re all, like, really proud of, like, everything that we’ve done, but also sad that, you know, it’s coming to an end.”
The next performance on the Musical Arts Center’s stage will be the Spring Ballet April 3 and 4.
