In its final performance of the Fall semester, the Big Red Singers will premiere its second show of the season in anticipation of UNL’s Midwest Cup Show Choir Competition on January 14, 2017. In their initial performance in August, the Big Red Singers performed select titles of recent Nebraska Show Choir Camp songs. On Saturday, December 10th, the Big Red Singers will again perform its NSCC show from August as well as debut its customized show that has been built over the course of the Fall semester. Given the nature of show choir performance, there will be a 30 minute intermission between the two BRS shows to allow the BRS members to prepare for their second show. However, this intermission will feature about two dozen choral students from the GKSOM performing treasures from traditional choral literature repertoire for the audiences’ enjoyment. From the first note of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble through the conclusion of the Big Red Singers’ concluding song Nebraska Hymn, audience members can look forward to about two hours of quality and diverse music.

The Vocal Jazz Ensemble will present selections from their recent NMEA conference performance, including music of Vince Mendoza, Brad Mehldau, the Four Freshmen, Kelly Kunz, and other new arrangements. The ensemble includes vocalists and rhythm section, and is directed by David von Kampen.

Directed by Kirk Schjodt (Prof. Peter Eklund, faculty advisor), UNL’s Big Red Singers is an ensemble featuring some of the university’s finest musicians. Outstanding performers from all over the university, representing a variety of different majors from music education to engineering to psychology and including many students involved in the Greek system, work together in the development of entertaining, high-energy, fully-choreographed shows. The ensemble’s repertoire is chosen from a wide variety of popular music as well as music from Broadway.

The UNL Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by David von Kampen, is a small choir, open to all members of the University community by audition, which focuses on performing in the jazz idiom. Students are instructed in varying tonal and timbral production, the art of solo jazz singing, and vocal improvisation.