University Singers

The Auburn University Singers, an auditioned group of 32 singers and 9 instrumentalists, is under the direction of Dr. Thomas R. Smith, Director of Choral Activities. The group was founded in 1972 for the purpose of adding an extra dimension to choral music at Auburn University. Since its formation, the Auburn University Singers has been in constant demand as the group has performed for television specials, conventions, community concerts, and various campus events. The group has entertained guests from all country and abroad. In 1974, the Singers made its first trip overseas by taking the message of music and friendship to the people of Romania. In 1977 and again in 1987, the Singers toured Poland and the Soviet Union as a part of the Friendship Ambassadors program. In 1979, the group toured Guatemala under the sponsorship of the Partners of the Americas program. The summer tours of 1984, 1990, and 1993 were spent in performing in several countries of Western Europe. Other summer tours have included special performances in Opryland U.S.A., the President's Park in Washington, D.C., Rockefeller Center and Lincoln Center in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver. In addition to the concert tours, the Auburn University Singers has performed with many celebrities including Bob Hope, Anita Bryant, George Lindsey, Roy Clark, and the Oak Ridge Boys. In 1984, 1992, 1994, and 1998, the group was invited to perform at the Southern Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association in Atlanta, Savannah, Knoxville, and Charleston, respectively. In the summer of 1995, while on tour in New York, the group made an appearance on the NBC Today Show. This past summer the Singers toured Austria, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Wherever it may be, the Auburn University Singers has a spirit of its own that it shares each time it sings, whether at home or around the world.