My name is Leigh Wilder, and we're so excited that you could spend this afternoon with us instead of
hanging out with Netflix at your house. Isn't it fun to be with other humans? Well, we're thrilled that
you're with us, and we're excited to share the talents of over 90 performers. These students come from
around the world, across the country. They study music, they study journalism, they study nursing, and
in their spare time, somehow, they go to school
and they do this activity. And we love getting to spend this time together with you and share our efforts.
We featured on that first song called Sing, Brian Kress, Adele Poudriere, and Madison Miller on the
solo. Then you got to see the great work of our guest choreographer, Brennan Wilder. So much love to
you. Thanks for bringing that song to life.
You also had the opportunity to hear Samantha Thielen on Jean Perling's beautiful arrangement, America
the Beautiful. And then finally, you just saw Fred Waring's classic, Hit the Road to Dreamland,
as choreographed by our varsity choreographers, Graham Hawley and Jenny McPherson. So proud of the efforts
of these students.
So much of what you see on stage is a result of their leadership and their artistry. And so we're going
to feature a lot of that this afternoon. Right now I'm going to introduce you to a freshman. He hails
from Lebanon, Indiana. He is the winner of the Michael Feinstein Songbook Academy. He's performed at
Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall this year. So we thought it would be OK to have him perform at the
IU Auditorium. I'm glad you think the same. You're going to see him actually sitting
at that seat most of the time. But I'm here to tell you, I wouldn't ask all of my drummers to sing,
but this one has the voice of an angel. So, accompanied by four-year senior, June Lee at the piano,
and singing for you right now, welcome to the stage, Lucas DeBard. The mailman passes by
And I just wonder why he never stops and rings my front doorbell. There's not a single line from that
dear old love of mine. No, not a word since I last heard.
I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter And make believe it came from you I'm gonna write
words oh so sweet They're gonna knock me off my feet A lot of kisses on the bottom I'll be glad I got
them I'm gonna smile and say
Hope you're feeling better And close with love the way you do I'm gonna sit right down and ride my
Is that what it is? Honestly, I can't remember the last time I wrote a letter. So maybe this song can
be a little bit more relevant. I'm gonna sit right down and tweet myself a Twitter.
so small. You'll hardly know their words at all. A lot of hashtags on the bottom. I'll be glad I got
them. I'm gonna tag your mom, your dad, your friends and your
for that talented young man, don't you agree? I wanna introduce you to another talented young man right
now. He hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He's a master choral educator. He is full of wit and wisdom,
and we absolutely adore him. Won't you welcome to the stage our associate conductor, Mr. Dwayne Davis.
by Kirby Shaw featuring soloists Rusty Brost and Sam Feldt. In the singing Hoosiers, honoring our history
and our alumni is a tradition. In line with that tradition, our next piece will be Shenandoah arranged
by Mack Wilberg and conducted by Dwayne Davis.
Welcome to our concert. We're so happy that you're here. And I know many of you were singing along with
that, if not audibly, certainly in your heart, because it's just one of those songs that has part of
the American folk tradition. And this afternoon, you're hearing just a plethora of music, from the pop
to the jazz standards,
to beautiful solo singing, beautiful dancing. But right now, we want to feature a small ensemble that
is known as Singing Hoosiers Acapella, or the acronym is SHAC. You know what acapella means? That could
be a yes or no. You know what it means. And if you don't, it's all right. That's why you're here at
the university.
Just literally, it just means to be sung without accompaniment. So please help me welcome Singing Hoosier's
acapella, better known as Shaq, to the stage.
And forget this it's no secret
please is anybody else out there what's wrong oh my gosh I didn't think anybody else survived survived
survived what finals what happened let me tell you
featuring lyrics by her very own Lee Wilder. Lee is not only a very talented director, conductor, and
educator, but she is also one of the most sought-after arrangers in the country. Now, here to conduct
her arrangement of Coming Out of the Dark and Alabanza, and featuring soloist Isabel Carton, give it
up for Lee Wilder.
up to now for me it's been hands against stone spent each and
I should watch my arm, but coming out of the dark, because I was coming out of the dark, but now I'm
in the light. You are in the light. And I'm a survivor. You are a survivor. That lyric feels so good
to us. It does. Yeah, it's the place that we need to be living right now. Exactly, exactly. Isn't it
wonderful to welcome our dear friends to this concert? Hello, everybody. Hey, EJ, could we get the house
lights up just a little bit? Let's see who's in this house today. Hello. Hello, how are you?
It's great to see you, great to have you with us. How many alumni are in the house this afternoon? Nothing
but love, thank you. How about moms, dads, families? Okay, you have seats for tonight as well, right?
Yeah, you need to come again. And you need to have all your friends come as well, okay? We want the
alums to come up and join us, right? We would love that. Okay, so at intermission,
I hope the alums will just make their way back here and join us on that traditional battle hymn, song
that I've been singing since ninth grade. Oh, yeah. It's about five years ago. Right? Yeah, we'll meet
you backstage for sure. Let's see, I'm hoping that we have some friends in the house with us from, there
are a couple of communities that we have the great privilege of going to visit. Bell Trace, anybody
here from Bell Trace today?
Yeah. Welcome. And Meadowood. Hello. Welcome. We're so happy that you're here. I wonder if we have anybody
here from Bloomington Expressive Arts Training Beat? Oh, my gosh. Those are some of my favorite people,
and they keep growing. You know what? They're some of my favorite people, too. Hey, wave at me. They
expand exponentially. Love you. Do love you.
Is Dee Dee Bowman in the house? Hey, special birthday girl, thanks for spending your birthday with us.
Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. You know, this program is 66 years, and it's because of
the support of so many people that the program has continued. And we thank those people that
give emotionally, financially. We thank you, donors.
And if you're not a donor, you could feel free to donate because it helps these students. I agree with
him. I totally agree with him. Just dig in your pocket and give it. No, it really, the experience that
these students get is it's not inexpensive. And it's important that we have financial support because
we need costumes. We need money for transportation and so many other things. It's what makes us go.
So we're so grateful for that.
We right now are going to share with you the incredible talent of our students. They have produced these
medleys under the direction of Brandon Porter and Aaron Messer with help from Noah Katz. They have costumed,
they have choreographed, arranged, rehearsed, conceived of everything you are about to see on stage.
Do you have it? Yes, they did that.
And I went out for Starbucks. I went out for Starbucks. All right. That's great teaching. Yeah. Because
that's how I do. Yeah. I'm so excited. So am I. Are you excited? Then here it comes. This medley is Magic.
Join us, come and waste an hour or two. Doodly-doo, journey, journey to a spot exciting, mystic and exotic.
Yeah, the only time anyone ever looks at me is when they're cringing at my wart. I wish there was a
way we could control people, like magic. Oh, you're both bumbling idiots. We're witches. Of course we
can control people with magic. Oh, yeah, you're right. Of course, of course. Follow my lead. Double
double boil in trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Alex Trebek in the Daily Double. If you two witches
don't quit fooling around
I'm
I'm just here for the Chimes of Christmas concert. No, no, no, that's next December 3rd. But you can
put it on your calendar right now. See, you've distracted them. Now it's time to really put a spell on them.
about baseball. About as much as you know about girls. Come on, let's just go back the way we came.
Could it really be that simple? Aren't you worried we might disrupt the space-time continuum? Ron, don't
be superstitious. It's magic, not science.
on the wall. Very superstitious. A lot of spots to fall. A 13-month-old baby broke the looking glass.
Seven years of bad luck. But good things in your past.
Yeah.
Wendy, I don't think we need to make another spell. I think they like us just the way we are. Well,
do you? What a magical moment. This magic moment So different
Sweeter than wine. Softer than a summer night. Everything I wanna have. Whenever I hold you tight. This
magic moment.
A pretty man came to me, never seen eyes so blue, you know. I could not run away, it seemed. We'd seen
each other in a dream, it seemed like a dream.
They look like they're stepping out. Welcome back to the second half. 1944, one of Indiana's
great ambassadors of music, Cole Porter, was writing for the stage, had been writing for the stage.
And 1944, there was a review. And in this review, Cole Porter had written some songs.
Igor Stravinsky wrote a ballet, and Salvador Dali designed the set. It must have been an interesting
review. That's a few years before the founding of the Singing Hoosiers. In 2009, Dr. Steve Zagree asked
me if I would do an arrangement for the group that he was conducting at the time, Gold Company. Never
asked me or told me what piece he wanted. He just said, would you write something?
And I chose Every Time We Say Goodbye. You can hear a beautiful recording by so many singers, but our
own Tim Noble and Steve's Agree recorded that. So if you have an opportunity, listen to it. I decided
in this arrangement to get inside of the psychology of loving and losing and all the angst and all of
the joy that one experiences. So we hope that you enjoy Every Time We Say Goodbye.
Thank you, Professor Davis. As one of the most time-honored car ensemble at the Indiana University Jacobs
School of Music, we also have a tradition of rearranging and performing the most popular songs of the
year. Next up is a song originally performed by Pentatonix, Daft Punk Medley, featuring Brian McAllister
and Richard Baxson.
It fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it, charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it,
work it, quick, erase it, write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick, rewrite it,
plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag and drop it, zip, unzip it, lock it, fill it, call it,
bind it, view it, code it, jam, unlock it, surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it,
switch, update it, name it, rate it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax, rename it, touch it,
bring it, pay it, watch it, technolog it, one more time.
Legend of the Phoenix. All ends with the end. What keeps the planet spinning? A force of love beginning.
We don't stop to give up.
We're up all night to get lucky. We're up all night to get lucky. We're up all night, all night to get
up, all night to get sick.
It makes us stronger more than ever, hour after hour. Working harder, making better, doing faster. Makes
us stronger more than ever, hour after hour. Working harder, making better, doing faster. Makes us stronger
more than ever, hour after hour. Working harder, making better, doing faster.
University, we are home to the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music. Eight of their music students
are with us tonight in our band led by the wonderful Jess Henry. Next, they will be performing in the
September arranged by our trombone player Justin Chang. Ladies and gentlemen, the SH Band and Horns.
amazing music school. The Jacobs School of Music is home to such a diverse variety of musicians that
pursue every style at the highest level. We happen to be part of the choral department, and it's a great
honor to hear the beautiful classical music that they bring to life. Right now, we want to challenge
ourselves with something from that repertoire, but arranged in a popular manner. It's by Ward Swingle,
the wonderful arranger, and it is Rimsky-Korsakov.
It is a piece that is usually played by an orchestra, but we are the Singing Hoosiers, and we are up
for a challenge. So we have taken a gander at this next piece. It's called Flight of the Bumblebee.
This next piece holds a very special place in the hearts of the Singing Hoosiers. Commissioned by our
former director, Dr. Stephen Zagree, this piece was co-written by our very own Lee Wilder. When Dr.
Zagree came to IU to direct the Singing Hoosiers, this was the first piece he invited Lee to conduct.
Four years later, it was thrilling to return to the piece in a wonderful exchange with the Chicago Children's
Choir this March. We will now sing this piece in honor of Dr. Zagree as he
exemplified everything that it stands for. And we hope that you will take its message that with faith,
hope, and love, one person can change the world. And now please enjoy Stand Up and Make a Change. There's
only one way to reach across the border
can loosen heavy chains. If we have love, we can free the brokenhearted. It's time to
I'm ready to stand up and make a change. You look like you're already doing that. All right. Okay. That
was good. That was fantastic. Thank you. I really, really enjoy those young people. Yeah, I mean, I
can tell because you smile all the time, and you're intense, and they're happy, and who could ask for
anything more? You know what? And I certainly don't do it alone. I've got you with me.
the most amazing support staff that allows this to happen. So the first folks that we want to thank
are Smithville Fiber. We couldn't even be in this auditorium without them. So would you give some love
to Smithville Fiber? Thank you. Thank you. And our friends at the Jacobs School of Music Business Office
under Jill Piedmont and Teresa Price, we're just so thankful for them. We're part of a great department.
We are. We are. And many of these students are involved in so many organizations. And we share them.
We share them here. Tuesday, we have a major concert coming up with Kurt Elling over at the Buskirk.
Be there. Kurt Elling is one of the top. But to watch these students stand on stage and perform with
singing Hoosiers and then turn around and sing with vocal jazz or sing in one of the other organizations
or play in one, that's exciting. It is. It's great. That's a real education.
It means that they're stretched in a lot of different ways and they're learning how to navigate the
world. And we appreciate all of our colleagues and our friends in the choral department and the jazz
studies department. And of course, all of our friends here at the IU Auditorium, the front of house
folks do an amazing job. And this show is a direct result of the love and care poured into by the technical
staff here, EJ on the lights and Gene on the sound, Don on the rails and John calling the show. So give
it up for the technical staff of the IU Auditorium.
Lee. Dwayne. I just like to say Lee. It sounds so good. Well, thank you. My mom is going to appreciate
that. I know. I know. I can't say it quite the way she would. Yeah. But you know, we have, we hope these
folks put on their calendar concerts coming up. Yes. Like chimes. Like the chimes of Christmas. Yeah.
December 3rd. That's right. And then look out for our fall concert date.
And, of course, we'll see you next Tuesday. There's... There's time to get on with this show, because,
you know what, there's one or two more things left. Yeah, those students, they've been hard at work
on a second medley. Oh, my gosh. You probably didn't know about that. But it's got a really cool theme.
What do you mean I didn't know? Did you know? Yes, I did, of course. Okay, well... Then I think these
folks would like us to tell them that the next medley
and fortune. Hey, baby, how you doing? What's up? Are you forgetting something? Nah. Today is my birthday.
Where are my presents? Where is my party? Oh, you know, we ain't got no money for all of that.
Well, I guess you can't afford this then. Oh, baby, you know I got bills.
But we need to come home with 50,000 50,000
to pay.
It's a hard-knock life for us. Static treated, we get tricked. Static kisses, we get kicked. It's a
hard-knock life. Santa Claus we never see. Santa Claus, what's that? Who's he? No one cares for you.
A smidge when you're in an orphanage. It's a hard-knock life. Mama, I don't have time for dancing. That's
just going to have
Ain't got time for messing around. And it's not my style. This whole town can slow you down. People
taking the easy way. But I know exactly where I'm going.
I just wish I knew what it felt like to be noticed, even for just one day. When I grow up, I wanna be famous.
green.
after college debt? I would need two billion for that. Can you imagine what life would be like if we
had a billion dollars?
or fame will bring you happiness, but that's not always the case. But should that stop you from following
your dreams? No. If you follow your dreams, you'll be truly happy instead of the wealth of the fame.
You're right. Some people think that fame and fortune solves all your problems, but sometimes it just
makes it worse.
I sit around and wait for my life to start. I could make a difference, put a little happiness in someone's
heart. The fancy cars, the glitter and the fame, it's all nice but it won't be worth a thing.
Love is bigger, don't almost stand up for love, yeah. People seem to think that you'll be happier once
you reach the top and you'll have it all.
I'm not waiting, I'm not waiting for the confetti to fall
You can be anything you want to be. You can go anywhere you want to see. A little hard work and you
can do it. Faith will get you through it. There's so many possibilities. You've got to believe it,
see it, then you can be it. The answers are all inside yourself. The universe has plenty of space and
the gift that it gave to the whole
by how much money you have or how many people know your name, only you can define how successful you
are. She's right, and we're all the stars of our own lives.
So the Singing Hoosiers, and I couldn't be more proud of the investment of time and energy and talent
they've put into sharing that effort with you. I hope you've enjoyed this afternoon. We certainly have
been honored by the time that you've spent with us. You know, great art is a reflection of experience.
You can see the experience that we've gone through in the past year has informed the songs, the journeys
that we've needed to move through. And so we are so grateful to be able to share this next piece with
you. I arranged this many moons ago. It was a lyric that just came to life. If you believe in the impossible
and reach deep within your heart, you can overcome any obstacle. Just let your dreams show you the way.
And this has really allowed us to find a place of healing and a place of hope. You maybe have heard
that theme over and over again because we believe that a song has to have a message and a story to move
us forward and make the world better. These young people do so in such
wonderful powerful way I know we have so many people in the audience that are moving through that pursuit
and we want to encourage you to keep doing it keep allowing art to grow you and expand your heart we
have been supported by so many wonderful people throughout this year our alumni bring a legacy of
excellence and a tradition that we work hard every day to uphold. We hope that every note that we sing
honors you and the effort that you put forth on this stage in years past. We have a wonderful dean at
the School of Music, and we are grateful to Dean Gwyn Richards for the support that he's shown us over
the past year, helping us to continue to move forward in the face of challenge and transition. I am
so proud not only of the singers, but of this amazing band that, yes!
This amazing band that goes above and beyond to put their hearts into the process that we move through
as the Singing Hoosiers, which is a little bit unique. So we share this last piece with you in hopes
that it will continue to inspire you as it has inspired us. Featuring Abby Smith on the solo, This Is
I Believe.
Find your pot of gold. Never catch a shooting star.