Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will present Elisabeth Cross Hipp, a senior vocal performance major from Memphis, Tenn., in her senior vocal performance recital at 7:30 p.m. March 15 in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall on Ouachita’s campus. A reception will follow in Hammons Fine Art Gallery. The recital and reception are free and open to the public.

The recital is in partial fulfillment of Hipp’s degree requirements for graduation and serves as a culmination of her undergraduate career.

“It shows not only your ability to perform and how it’s grown, but also your technique, your interpretation, your presence on stage,” Hipp said.

Hipp has been a three-time winner of Ouachita’s Shambarger Competition for Singers, a two-time first-place finalist in the regional National Association of Teachers of Singers auditions and a two-time finalist in the Trinity Presents Collegiate Performance Showcase. She has been named to Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities and is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda national music honor society. Hipp has studied under Ouachita Professor of Music Dr. Glenda Secrest.

“It has truly been a blessing to work with Elisabeth. She has spoiled me!” Secrest said. “As a freshman, I had a little talk with her and explained that if she wanted to be serious about performance she would have to start practicing more. I always tell my students that ‘hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.’ She listened.

“She not only has a wonderful voice but the incredible work ethic to go with it,” Secrest added. “She is beautiful inside and out. I will miss her!”

“She’s been an incredible teacher,” Hipp said of Secrest. “She’s given me such great tools to grow my technique in the practice room and things like that, but she’s also been an incredible mentor. She pushes her students hard but is so encouraging along the way. I just can’t say enough good things about her.”

Hipp will present a varied selection of pieces that she has been refining for months, beginning with “Col piacer della mia fede” by Antonio Vivaldi, followed by Robert Schumann’s “Kennst du das Land? Op. 98, No. 1,” and Hugo Wolf’s “Die Spröde” and “Die Bekehrte.” She will then perform Kurt Weill’s “Youkali,” Léo Delibes’s “Sous le dôme épais,” Gaetano Donizetti’s “O luce di quest’anima” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Soave sia il vento.”

For the Delibes selection, Hipp will be assisted by soprano Caitlin Secrest, a freshman vocal performance major from Arkadelphia, Ark. Secrest and Andrew Miller will also assist Hipp for Mozart’s “Soave sia il vento.” Miller is a junior vocal performance major from Dalworthington Gardens, Texas.

The recital will continue with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14” and two selections during which Hipp will be accompanied by Aubrey Elliot on the flute, Ned Rorem’s “Pippa’s Song” and Lori Laitman’s “If I….” Elliot is a junior instrumental music education major from Bentonville, Ark.

“I’m really excited about the flute pieces,” Hipp said, “because they are pieces that aren’t normally done, and the flute really adds a neat layer.”

Hipp will conclude the recital with Douglas Moore’s “Willow Song” from The Ballad of Baby Doe and Scott Alan’s “I’m a Star.”

For more information, contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

By Brooke Zimny