Halloween is over, the Badgers are away, yet the University of Wisconsin campus is abuzz with excitement for this upcoming weekend. The reason? UW's own Wisconsin Singers are back on campus. This Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., they will sing and dance their way across the Wisconsin Union Theater's stage in the only on-campus performance of a show that will be put on more than 40 times this year for audiences across the country.
This troupe is made up of 16 singer-dancers (eight men and eight women), a 10-piece band and three techs, all students ranging from freshmen to seniors. A non-performing student staff of marketing, PR and graphic arts interns is also included under the Singers banner, as well as an experienced director, arranger and choreography team, all of whom play key roles in the management and formation of the annual show.
The theme of the Wisconsin Singers' show changes from year to year, with the last two shows titled "Let's Go to the Movies" and "Hey Mr. DJ!" It is always a thrill to see what the troupe comes up with.
This year's show is called "Let's Get Loud." With songs covering all different kinds of media, the program features songs sure to be found on many students' iPods, and it also takes listeners all the way back to '40s radio, '70s eight tracks and '80s mix tapes. Current hits will be featured on the Singers' "iPod Shuffle" medley, including many songs audience members may recognize from their own playlists, like "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas and "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt.
A lot of planning goes into putting on a show that covers such a wide variety of musical styles and decades worth of songs, according to tenor and company manager Nick Coorough. The junior singer said the show this weekend will be the result of a year's worth of planning and preparation. The ideas for the medleys come originally from director Robin Whitty-Novotny and choreographers Chad Schiro and Michelle Hammar.
Each member of the troupe has his own reason for wanting to be a Singer, but in order to go through the competitive auditions for this group, a love of music is a necessary ingredient. However, few of the members in the Wisconsin Singers are actually music majors; their areas of study range from biology to Japanese and everywhere in between.
One of the great things about being a Singer, according to soprano and vocal captain Julie Athas, is "getting to travel and see the professional side of performing firsthand." Athas also mentioned how rewarding it is to work with the group's choreographers, both of whom have impressive dance backgrounds: Schiro is a Broadway dancer and Tony-nominated choreographer, and Hammar is the dance captain for the Radio City Rockettes. As performers, the Singers also realize their ability to touch the lives of others, Athas said, and it gives them a great feeling to accomplish this in their musical performances.
So why take the time to go see the Wisconsin Singers this weekend?
"Our show is a blast to watch," Coorough states confidently. "In summary, you should come because you will be entertained and leave feeling excited and wanting to sing and dance yourself!"
The show not only includes singing and dancing, but theater, comedy and multimedia as well, elements that separate the Singers from many other collegiate groups. The on-campus performances are highly anticipated by the members of the troupe, as they are one of the only times they will get to perform "Let's Get Loud" for their friends.
The preparation for this weekend's performance required everyone involved to dedicate a large amount of time and effort, and this year's show was put together over a three-week period this summer. First the Singers learned their vocal parts over a three-day weekend in July, with the band learning to sing their instrumental parts a cappella. Then the Singers learned the dances over 18 days of straight rehearsals in August, putting in 12-15 hours a day to perfect the moves. Since then, the Singers have been practicing eight hours every Sunday, as well as prior to each performance.
The Wisconsin Singers have already had about 10 performances this fall and are fired up and ready to show UW and the surrounding community what they can do. Don't wait any longer to call the Wisconsin Union Box Office and reserve your seats; Athas warns: "It will be the best entertainment in town that night!"
