With great sadness, already missing him, we unfortunately have to announce that Mike Jurken has decided not to sing with the Madhatters this semester, his last at UW-Madison.Mike was the face of the Madhatters for many people, singing solos like: Life is a Highway, Livin' On a Prayer, I Believe (When I Fall in Love), Everything, One Sweet Day, Forever, and September. He is the most recorded and nationally awarded soloist the group has ever had. He put the group on the national and international map by putting our music on iTunes, he created the website you are looking at right now, and most importantly, he was one of the most entertaining performers the group has ever had, touching thousands of fans every year with his awe-inspiring voice and electrifying stage presence. He will be sorely missed, but still a valuable part of the group, as his voice is all over both CDs to be released this year, and his company will be producing the Wisconsin A Cappella Showcase with all four groups (February 20th, MU Theater), and our big Spring show April 10 (Orpheum).

To explain further, Mike is the President/Owner of Majic Enterprises, a Milwaukee Audio/Visual company that employs 30 people, and needs to graduate after this semester, so he's taking 17 credits. With these big time commitments between two cities, Mike felt it was his time to retire from the group.