The Singing Hoosiers and Southridge High School Choir first started their relationship almost exactly a year ago, in the spring of 2020. Roughly 50 members of the IU Singing Hoosiers hopped aboard a charter bus and headed off to Huntingburg for an all-day collaboration with the Southridge High Choir. Erich Kendall, the choir director at Southridge, and Chis Albanese, director of the Singing Hoosiers, planned a professionally paced rehearsal for the two groups to engage in. The rehearsal had focused segments where the singers honed in closely on musical details and techniques, as well as casual moments where the high school students asked Singing Hoosiers members about their college life and performance experiences. The day ended in a joint public performance that garnered an audience of approximately 200. Mayor Denny Spinner was even able to attend, as he put it, the “awesome performance!”
The two choirs planned to continue nurturing their relationship through in-person visits before the pandemic hit. This spring, the two choirs have finally reconnected in a reimagined, virtual fashion. They planned three virtual music clinics throughout February, March and April. It has been extremely exciting for both groups to work together again after such an unpredictable musical season, picking up where they left off last February 2020. Although public performances still are not possible, the virtual format has allowed the two choirs to dive deeper into musical curriculum and build even stronger, more resilient relationships.
Each of the three clinics led by the Singing Hoosiers brings a different focus. The first clinic involved an introductory panel between the Singing Hoosiers and Southridge students. This resembled the casual question/answer sessions from last spring, where the high schoolers were able to get to know the collegiate singers on a more personal level. Then, the two groups worked through virtual circle singing exercises. The primary focus of the second clinic will be vocal production and technique. Part of the clinic will be spent workshopping choral pieces that the Southridge Choir has been practicing, and the remainder of the clinic will be spent working on more general vocal technique with Singing Hoosiers director Chris Albanese. The third clinic is still taking shape, representing a culmination of the three collaborative sessions. An Education Committee from the Singing Hoosiers is also present at each virtual session, paying special attention to any questions students may have and working to make the virtual format as impactful as possible.
The Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers have enjoyed a seventy-year tradition of excellence in the contemporary vocal arts. With roots in the music of the Great American Songbook; the ensemble lends its voice to the telling of the American story through immersion into her varied musical traditions, both past and present. The Singing Hoosiers have entertained audiences across the United States and in more than twenty-five countries spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean. The ensemble has enjoyed collaborations with Bob Hope, Mel Torme, Sandi Patty, Sylvia McNair, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Erich Kunzel. The ninety-member ensemble is comprised both of students from within the Jacobs School of Music along with representing over twenty different majors across campus.
Director Chris Albanese is Pam and Jack Burks Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting and assistant professor of music in choral conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he teaches courses in choral conducting. Albanese came to IU by way of San Francisco, where he was a member of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble Chanticleer. A passionate educator, Albanese has facilitated master classes throughout the United States and Europe. He has served as a presenter, clinician, and adjudicator for the Indiana Music Education Association, Indiana State School Music Association, Ohio Music Education Association, Music America, Chanticleer Youth Choral Festival, and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, commonly presenting on topics related to vocal pedagogy and their application in the choral setting. You can read his full bio on the Jacobs School of Music website!
Merging the Southridge Choir and Singing Hoosiers has created a vibrant learning environment for both ensembles. Erich Kendall from Southridge clarified that the school year is typically so busy in Huntingburg that the choir often zooms through vocal technique lessons, missing the more detailed nuts and bolts of how the voice works. There also is a lack of auditioning opportunities in Huntingburg, which has inspired the Singing Hoosiers to incorporate a lesson on audition etiquette into a future workshop. On the flip side, the Singing Hoosiers – despite working in an array of performance and teaching environments – have a unique learning opportunity in connecting with rural Indiana communities. The students are stepping up and closely analyzing the impact of community engagement activity, unpacking how their workshops and activities can change to more specifically fit the curiosities of students in rural Indiana. It is clear that both ensembles are eager for Fall 2021 where hopefully they can come back together in an in-person format, and perhaps share another performance in front of the Huntingburg community.
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