The tour, including major concerts in each of China’s three primary cities — Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong — also involved cultural exchange events and concerts with Chinese choral ensembles.
The group performed its first concert in Beijing Concert Hall on May 13. Following a four-day stop in Beijing, where members visited the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, they traveled to Shanghai for a May 15 concert in Shanghai Concert Hall. In Hong Kong, the final stop on the tour, the group performed 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 organized a team which assisted 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 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 performed a wide variety of music specifically selected for audiences in China. The concerts included 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 were also used in cultural exchanges with other choirs.
