AU Singers has been around long enough to have its own greatest hits.
A few love stories, too.
There have been international tours, national television appearances, thousands of rehearsals and at least one duet called “A Stud and a Babe."
One of the original members even came back to run the whole thing.
Today, AU Singers brings students from across Auburn together, no matter their major, to share their love of music and performing.
They come for the music. They stay for the people.
“Most [AU] Singers will tell you the group is full of ‘their people,’” Mary Smith said, a 2009 graduate and former member. “That’s been a characteristic of the group ever since the beginning.”
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After more than five decades of performances, friendships and a whole lot of choreography, there is plenty of history to look back on.
And plenty more to come.
Every show starts with practice. Founder Thomas Smith leads the AU Singers through a rehearsal in 1982.
Prelude
In 1972, Thomas Smith had an idea.
Auburn had talented singers. College show choirs were gaining popularity around the country.
It just made sense.
AU Singers began with a love for music, a vision for something that would get audiences out of their seats and 24 students.
Dale Farmer, who was not expecting to be running the group more than 50 years later, was one of them.
When Smith retired in 2006, Farmer agreed to direct AU Singers for a year during the search for a replacement.
That was 20 years ago.
“So, as fate would have it, here I am,” Farmer said.
Farmer has grown the repertoire to include pop, Broadway, jazz, country and even a little classical music when the occasion calls for it. Performances have taken members across the United States and around the world.
Yet for Farmer, the secret to 55 years of success has little to do with what happens onstage.
"You don't have to be perfect, but you do have to have a good heart," he said.
His approach has shaped generations of performers.
“The standard has always been about singing,” said Eron Smith, founder Thomas Smith’s son and AU Singer alum. “The singing comes first. After that, how you dance and entertain is more about giving a gift to the audience than it is about any self-gratification.”
Matching vests. Bow ties. A brand-new sound. An early yearbook feature introduces Auburn to the AU Singers.
No music major? No problem
The rehearsals, music assignments, choreography memorization and performances count as a class, one you definitely have to attend.
But if you thought AU Singers was reserved for music majors, think again.
The group brings together students from all corners of Auburn, from future engineers and educators to accountants and musicians.
Conner Smith, a senior studying civil engineering, spends plenty of time surrounded by fellow engineering students. Rehearsals give him a chance to connect with people he might never have met otherwise.
"It's so refreshing to talk to people who aren't copy and paste versions of each other,” he said.
Freshman Finn Lightner remembers walking into his first rehearsal feeling intimidated by the talent around him.
"I was so scared," he said. "Within the first week, I already had like 20 friends."
LC Smith, a senior studying public relations, joined as a sophomore with little formal show choir experience. Now president and a dance captain, she helps coordinate 44 vocalists and 11 instrumentalists.
"The reason I can be a good leader is because of the people," she said. "They're so kind and they build me up."
Farmer has taught her a few things, too.
“I learned from Dale that tough love is the best way to lead,” LC said. “That means keeping the group in check but also having fun.”
“It’s business, but it’s not all business. We’re going to laugh. We’re going to make jokes in class.”
Some even wind up making vows.
The music brings them together. The friendships keep them close. AU Singers members pose during their 2026 annual retreat.
Love at first note
Eron Smith practically grew up with AU Singers.
His father founded the group. And as a kid, Eron spent hours watching performances from his favorite spot in Telfair Peet Theatre.
Front row. Seat 14.
“I remember going on tours with Singers and watching them perform. When I got old enough, I loved to help set up the sound system they traveled with,” Eron said. “I also remember having a lot of babysitters from Singers. I thought it was the best thing ever.”
Eventually, he joined the group himself.
That is where Mary comes in.
The two first met at a show choir camp in Illinois in 2002, dated and later reconnected when Mary arrived at Auburn.
“It was literally love at first sight,” Mary said.
Their college years included plenty of rehearsals, performances and one particularly memorable duet.
During the 2007 spring show, they performed “A Stud and a Babe.”
The photo of the performance still hangs in their house.
They married in 2008 and now have five children. Eron directs choirs at Auburn High School, while Mary serves as camp and creative director for Summer Show-Offs.
“Music plays a role in every part of our lives,” Mary said.
Apparently, marriage did not immediately change everything.
“When Eron and I got married, I continued to call my father-in-law ‘Dr. Smith’ for probably 10 years,” Mary said.
She eventually worked her way up to Tom.
Farmer has seen plenty of similar love stories unfold.
He estimates that 70 to 75 marriages trace their roots to AU Singers.
One former member, he recalled, was preparing for a fall wedding. Nearly all of her bridesmaids were former Singers.
Risers full. Sequins sparkling. The AU Singers put months of rehearsal into motion during a 2024 performance.
The hits keep coming
Certain songs never go out of style.
AU Singers has a few to prove it.
Known as “Singers Classics,” these favorites have been passed down from one generation to the next.
“We have some iconic songs from Singers history and Dale always finds a way to bring those songs back and sometimes gives them new life with new choreography,” Eron said.
Every spring, former members return to the stage to sing “What Would I Do Without My Music” alongside current performers.
“Just being a part of history and getting to sing all together, it’s really sweet,” said Elena Elkins, a junior studying accounting. “It really adds a lot of purpose to why we’re in the group.”
Other memories were made a little farther from home.
Alivia Marchione, a senior studying early childhood education, remembers performing near Central Park during a trip to New York City.
“It was so small and only a couple of us danced,” she said.
The crowd made it worth it.
“The energy we brought to that performance made it special,” Marchione said, thinking of how many people gathered to watch.
William Johnson, a junior and the group’s technical leader, remembers performing in German churches and chapels during an international tour.
The audience did not always understand the words, but they did not have to.
“You could see them sitting in the audience with massive grins on their faces, enjoying every second,” Johnson said.
Those experiences and lessons are exactly what Farmer hopes students take away from the Singers. Elkins has heard that message plenty of times.
"One thing that Dale reminds us of pretty constantly is that this group isn't about what you can get; it's about what you can give," she said.
Calvin Wheeler, a sophomore studying business administration, agrees.
"It's not just coming and singing and dancing," Wheeler said. "You also get taught and you learn how to be respectful to others, how to be respectful to yourself, how to hold yourself to a high standard."
Still got it
Thomas Smith retired in 2006, but he still visits the group he started, sharing stories and reminding members what it means to be an AU Singer.
Farmer has become quite the legend himself.
Just ask Parker Ragsdale.
The senior studying music education remembers watching Farmer perform "It's Not Easy Being Green" at a freshman-year retreat talent show.
"I'll never forget it," Ragsdale said.
He worried the performance was Farmer's way of hinting at retirement.
Four years later, Farmer is still directing. Twenty years after agreeing to fill in for a single year, he is still finding reasons to stick around.
"There's nothing better than knowing that you made a difference," he said.
As another generation takes the stage, Eron hopes they understand the history they are carrying forward.
"To have a legacy that extends past you is such an incredible achievement," he said, "because no matter how long Singers exists, it will all be because of what Dad started 55 years ago."
