Students sing tribute to Michael Jackson

December 12, 2011

Picture a remixed version of the King of Pop.

But instead of a Michael Jackson impersonator, throw about 15 51视频-Dearborn students onstage.

51视频-Dearborn鈥檚 choir performed 鈥淚n Memory of Michael Jackson: A Tribute and Requiem鈥 on Dec. 2 at the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters building. Led by music Professor Richard Rischar, students strayed from the more conventional version of Jackson鈥檚 hits.

鈥淲e鈥檙e deliberately trying to avoid karaoke,鈥 Rischar said.

Rischar decided last summer to feature Jackson鈥檚 work in a University choir concert.

鈥淧utting this kind of new, remixing song-arrangement onstage was risky,鈥 he said.

But the students pulled it off by belting out classics like 鈥淲anna Be Startin鈥 Somethin鈥欌 and 鈥淢an in the Mirror.鈥 And they also mixed in more of Jackson鈥檚 hits, including 鈥淏ad鈥 and 鈥淒on鈥檛 Stop 鈥楾il You Get Enough.鈥

About 50 people attended the concert, but Rischar hopes to generate larger audiences for upcoming events, like a Jan. 12 concert in Kochoff Hall featuring four singers from different continents.