Last modified: Thursday, April 14, 2011
IU Jacobs School of Music Singing Hoosiers to tour China
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Known as "the ambassadors of song for Indiana University," the Singing Hoosiers will embark on a 13-day performance tour of China beginning May 9.
A group of 40 members of the 90-voice ensemble from the IU Jacobs School of Music plan to participate in this "experience of a lifetime," along with music director Professor Michael Schwartzkopf.
The tour, including major concerts in each of China's three primary cities -- Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong -- also involves cultural exchange events and concerts with Chinese choral ensembles.
The group will perform its first concert in Beijing Concert Hall on May 13. Following a four-day stop in Beijing, where members will visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, they will travel to Shanghai for a May 15 concert in Shanghai Concert Hall. In Hong Kong, the final stop on the tour, the group will perform in a 1,000-seat theater in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on May 21.
The idea for the tour came from Ali Tuet, an IU alumnus and former member of the group, who currently resides in Hong Kong. He is active with IU alumni throughout China and has organized a team to assist in hosting the tour.
"We are deeply indebted to Ali Tuet and his associates for making this the experience of a lifetime for the students," Schwartzkopf said. "His support for this trip and the fact that he has assembled a team of IU graduates in these cities to plan and sponsor us is nothing short of amazing. This will indeed be a trip that will live with us forever."
The Singing Hoosiers plan to perform a wide variety of music specifically selected for audiences in China. The concerts will include music from the Broadway stage, popular music beginning with the music of the 1940s up to today's hits -- including the music of Michael Jackson -- folk music and a medley of Chinese songs that will also be used in cultural exchanges with other choirs.
