ATHENS, Ohio -- Spring break will mean warm, sandy beaches for the renowned male vocal group, the Singing Men of Ohio, which will be making several stops on its way south during its Florida 2002 tour. The men will kick off the tour by competing in the Music Teachers National Association conference in Cincinnati on March 17. The tour will end on March 23 when SMO returns to Athens.

The SMO concert schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, March 16
  8 p.m. at Amelia High School in Batavia, Ohio.
  

• Sunday, March 17
  10 a.m. at the MTNA Conference at the Regency Ballroom, Hyatt Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  8 p.m. in Tellico Village, Loudon, Tenn.
  
• Monday, March 18
  1 p.m. at Mall in Jonesboro, Ga.
  7 p.m. at McDonough Methodist University in McDonough, Ga.
  
• Tuesday, March 19
  1:50 p.m. at Leon County High School in Tallahassee, Fla.
  8 p.m. at Tallahassee Heights Methodist University in Tallahassee, Fla.
  
• Thursday, March 21
  8 p.m. at the Church of Epiphany in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Past tours have taken the ensemble through the Midwest, Washington D.C., East Coast areas of the United States, and to many high school and college campuses in a five-state area. In 1999 the men traveled to China for performances in Beijing, Suzhou and Shanghai.

The Singing Men of Ohio continue their proud tradition with a varied repertoire of musical styles that range from sacred to contemporary and is geared to please people of all ages.

This year's ensemble has broken new ground on a number of occasions under director and alumnus Raymond Feener. This includes a record-breaking 80 members, and an invitation to join the Marching 110 for the 2001 varsity show and a performance at Columbus' Ohio Theatre in November.

Founded in 1989 by the late Ira Zook, SMO membership is open by audition to all male students at Ohio University. Approximately one-fourth of the members are music majors, the remainder come from across the university curriculum.