Writen by Leah Faust
Auditions for this year’s Spring Sing Hosts and Hostesses were held Sunday and Monday evening in the Administration Auditorium.
More than 20 people auditioned the first night, and 12 students were called back: six men and six women. Of all who auditioned, sophomore Nate White was the only returning host from last year.
Those who chose to audition Sunday night performed a song of their choice accompanied by their own pianist. Those who were called back on Monday performed 32 measures of their song from Sunday, as well as one additional song.
Auditions were open for students to watch on both nights; however, more came to watch callbacks, including senior Kalin Caruthers.
“I loved seeing my friends up there and just seeing their personalities come through in the songs that they chose,” Caruthers said.
Also present at auditions were the five judges in charge of the casting: Director of Spring Sing Dr. Steve Frye, Director of Host and Hostesses Dottie Frye, Spring Sing Vocal Coach Craig Jones, Spring Sing Music Director Dr. Warren Casey and Spring Sing Producer Cindy Stockstill.
Though the judges did not evaluate performers with a specific rubric, they did adjudicate based on musical ability and performance skills. They also considered raw vocal talent, polish, presentation, musical dynamics and the performers’ sight-reading skills.
“We’re always wanting triple threats,” Steve Frye said. “We want people who can act, dance and sing.”
After the 12 performers finished their songs on Monday, auditions were closed to the general public. The performers continued the audition process with vocal work and choreography.
It then came time for the judges to make their cuts.
“This was probably one of the most difficult decisions I think I’ve ever had to make in casting,” Frye said. “We wrestled with it for hours.”
The list was posted Tuesday morning in the Reynolds with a surprise – an all-male cast consisting of junior Sam Barker, junior Cameron Frazier, sophomore Stephen McBride, and sophomore Nate White.
This year marks the first time four men will host Spring Sing. Harding has produced a Spring Sing production for the last 36 years and, typically, two men and two women host Spring Sing. Only three other times in Spring Sing history have hosts and hostesses varied: in 1984, the show had one host and two hostesses; in 1991, there were four hostesses; and in 1997, there were three hostesses and two hosts.
“Every year is a matter of selecting music around a theme as well as the voices and personalities that are selected,” Frye said. “In that regard, this year is no different than any other year.”
McBride, a first-time host, is excited about his role alongside the three other male hosts.
“It’s new,” he said. “It’s never been done before, and I’m really happy to be a part of something that’s radical.”
The four hosts will go on a weekend retreat the first weekend in December to talk about and start planning for the show.
The theme this year is Spring Sing International. Frye wants to play on the idea of Harding being a “global village” because of its connections and involvement around the world.
Graduate student Joshua Lundin has been involved in Spring Sing for the past 11 years. He will participate in choreographing this year’s performance.
“We’re going to look at some Bollywood numbers [and] maybe some African numbers,” Lundin said. ” [The theme] opens up a lot of different song styles and dance styles we’ve never got to do before in Spring Sing.”
Spring Sing performances will be April 1 through 3, the weekend before Easter. There will be five performances: a children’s matinee on Thursday, a Thursday evening performance, a Friday evening performance and a matinee and evening performance on Saturday.
