Big Red Singers

Director: Peter Eklund & Jaime O'Neill

Congrats to new and returning members, listed below.
 

Directed by Professor Peter Eklund (founder, supervisor, and faculty advisor) and Jaime O'Neill, Nebraska's Big Red Singers, celebrating its 22nd year, 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, 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 Westbrook Music Bldg, room 130.

2024-25 Student Leadership Team:
Dance Captains (soprano/alto): Paige Vose (head), Maddie Miller & Mia Cacioppo (co-assistants)
Dance Captains (tenor/bass): Nick Heidelberg (head), Wyatt Almeida & Kyan Jurgens (co-assistants)
Section Leaders:
• soprano: Sara Kalamaja
• alto: Jenna Schweigert
• Tenor; Samyak Pandit
• Evan Mott
Costumes/Manager: Delaney Kigerl (head), Cole Peterson (assistant)
Merch/polos: Kirby Le
Social Media: Jennifer Castle

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 8–14, 2025) 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.