NEBRASKATS NINE-CONCERT TOUR BEGINS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, IN BRUNING

Eileen Jahn
director of Nebraskats, 308.865.8618
 

The 2005-2006 University of Nebraska at Kearney Nebraskats Show Choir is set to begin their nine concert tour, Wednesday, March 29, in Bruning.
    
The Nebraskats will perform for the Bruning-Davenport High School and the Bruning Elementary School at 2:40 p.m. The show choir will also travel to Deshler on Wednesday for two performances. At 5 p.m. the choir will be in concert at Parkview Haven Nursing Home. The final performance on Wednesday will be at 5:30 p.m. at Meadowlark Heights Assisted Living.
    
The tour will continue on Thursday when the Nebraskats will travel to Davenport for an 8:40 a.m. performance at the Bruning-Davenport Middle School and the Davenport Elementary School. They will then travel to Red Cloud for two performances. At 2:47 p.m. they will perform for the Red Cloud High School, and are scheduled for a concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Red Cloud Opera House.
    
The final day of the tour, Friday, March 31, the Nebraskats will perform for the Franklin Public Schools at 8:45 a.m. and Minden Public Schools at 12:50 p.m.
    
The Nebraskats will conclude their concert tour with a home concert on Sunday, April 9, at 3 p.m. in the UNK Fine Arts Recital Hall.
    
Music selections for the tour and final concert will be selected from various Broadway musicals including Annie Get Your Gun, Rent, Mamma Mia! and What’d I Say: A Tribute to Ray Charles.

The Nebraskats, founded in 1967 by Dr. William Lynn, have been in existence longer than any currently performing collegiate show choir in Nebraska. Upon Dr. Lynn’s retirement in 1984, Dr. Annabell Zikmund became the director of the Nebraskats. Eileen Jahn was named director in 2002.

The Nebraskats singers and dancers are listed below, alphabetically by hometown:
Elkorn – Jordan House (first-year soprano)
Chappell – Clifford Holman (first-year bass)
Grand Island – Russtanna Faimon (third-year soprano), Alicia Spelts

(first-year alto) and Rutheah Williams (first-year soprano)

Holdrege – Erin Schledewitz (fourth-year alto)
Kearney – Tray Henricksen (first-year tenor), Joseph Knispel (second-

year tenor) and Logan Stickney (second-year tenor)

Leigh – Drew Marty (second-year bass)
North Platte – Brett Covington (third-year alto)
Ord – Benjamin Dennis (first-year bass)

The Nebraskats Band members are listed below, alphabetically by hometown:
Columbus – Bethany Potter, piano
Ravenna – Brad Bohn, bass guitar

COLORADO
     Windsor – Dillon Riley, electric guitar, and Dirk Riley, percussion

Each year approximately 40-50 students audition for the 14 singer/dancer positions in Nebraskats. Membership is open to all full-time UNK students.

Auditions for the Nebraskats and the Nebraskats Band are held each spring. Information about auditions may be obtained by calling the UNK Department of Music and Performing Arts at (308) 865-8618 or Eileen Jahn at (308) 865-8614.

Preliminary auditions for the 2006-2007 year must be completed by April 12; the final auditions will be held on Saturday, April 29.