Big Red Singers

Director: Peter Eklund & Jaime O'Neill

We welcome new and returning members to this exciting ensemble for the Fall of 2025.
 

Directed by Professor Peter Eklund (founder, supervisor, and faculty advisor) and Jaime O'Neill, Nebraska's Big Red Singers, celebrating its 23rd year, is an ensemble featuring many of the university’s finest musicians. Outstanding performers from all over the university, representing a variety of different majors from Music Education, Vocal Performance, to Engineering to Pre-Professional degrees and including many students involved in the Greek system, work together in the development of multiple 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. Rehearsals are Sundays and Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:30 pm in New Westbrook Music Bldg, room 116 (the new 'choir room').

2025-26 Student Leadership Team:
Dance Captains (soprano/alto): TBA
Dance Captains (tenor/bass): TBA
Section Leaders:
• soprano: TBA
• alto: TBA
• Tenor: TBA
• Bass: TBA
Costumes/Manager: TBA (head), TBA (assistant)
Merch/polos: TBA
Social Media: TBA

Big Red Singers functions as an ambassador of the choral area, the Glenn Korff School of Music, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the entire State, and the region. It is designed to provide the university singer with guidance in performing, performance opportunities, experiences, and organizational/leadership skills (oh, and fun too). In fact, many of the Midwest's prominent show choir directors and choreographers all have significant and historic ties with Big Red Singers whether it be as a singer/performer, as an arranger, as a former director, clinician, or as a choreographer. One of the ensemble’s main objectives is to build advanced stage presence and professionalism while continuing to foster healthy singing. Within the ensemble is an atmosphere of collegiality among its musicians, and it provides the young professional with useful tools for future careers on stage. Although some performances occur in the fall semester, most performances are scheduled during the spring semester. The first semester is dedicated to developing ideal performance habits.

Big Red Singers seeks to represent the very best in show choir while providing numerous cross-curricular benefits. While maintaining its show choir roots, Big Red Singers is also active in the world of classical music, performing occasionally as an opera chorus and as the recital choir for graduate student master's and doctoral conductors. 

Big Red Singers runs its own summer show choir camp in June (the National Showchoir Camp scheduled for June 14–20, 2026, mark your calendars) and performs regionally. In addition, Big Red Singers has performed at Nebraska’s NMEA fall conference of music educators numerous times and has toured Midwest high schools and has performed at regional competitions. We are still in the process of building the calendar for Fall and Spring terms and look forward to returning to our on-campus performance site, Kimball Recital Hall.

We are seeking

• Students who are willing to make a year-long commitment to this pre-determined student-friendly schedule of rehearsals/performances (Sunday and Tuesday evening rehearsals). Students who are capable and willing to participate in the total choral experience at Nebraska. Very strong consideration will be given to those who are enrolled in another curricular choral ensemble (can register for 0 credit and $0).

• Students who are eager to learn more about how show choir shows are run and perfected (those future teachers who will one day, run their own ensemble).

• Flexible individuals who can work as a team/ensemble.

Audition Expectations:

• Use this GoogleDoc (TBA audition registration) to complete requested pre-audition information. Additional questions, contact pae@unl.edu before your audition date.

• Prepare the piece of music below ("Nebraska Hymn" — there are learning tracks listed under the downloadable music below — it need not be memorized at the audition. You will vocally audition in assigned quartets of similar voicing (SA, TB, for example). During your 10-minute time slot, quartets will sing through sections of "Nebraska Hymn" (sheet music posted below), possibly be individually vocalized by an instructor, and asked a few interview-like questions. Music sight-reading might be requested.

• Be prepared to change into more comfortable clothing for the dance portion of the audition. You will be asked to learn and memorize a short segment of music and choreography from a passage from a piece of music to be performed in the fall show. Auditonees will not be judged during the learning portion of this process. After a healthy amount of repetitions both singing and dancing, groups of four (SATB) will be asked to sing and dance the music and choreography for the new BRS Leadership Team. Multiple categories in both singing and dancing will be scored.

• Have your hair configured to represent the look you will recreate on stage for future performances.

• Please complete the form (above) and list any conflicts that you may have with either night, so that you may be scheduled accordingly. You may or may not get your preferred audition day depending on all preferences, so please be flexible.

Downloadable sheet music for "Nebraska Hymn")