Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will present its annual “PRISM” concert on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center.

According to Dr. Craig Hamilton, OBU’s Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music and director of bands, “the ‘PRISM’ concert is a presentation of the Ouachita Wind Ensemble, Combined Bands, and various small ensembles and soloists from the instrumental department.”

The concert “is a unique presentation of the many talented instrumentalists at Ouachita Baptist University,” said Hamilton. It “offers a break from our traditional end-of-the-year concert,” he added, noting that “I am very proud of the work our instrumental students do throughout the year.”

“PRISM,” a name chosen to represent the different aspects of the instrumental program and to describe the mixture of different types of instrumental music and ensembles presented, is free and open to the public. It also will be webcast at www.obu.edu/band.

OBU’s Wind Ensemble will begin the concert with “Symphonic Dance No.3-Fiesta” by Clifton Williams, and later in the evening, will also perform John Barnes Chance’s “Incantation and Dance.”

The OBU Saxophone Quartet will present “Strange Humors” by John Mackey, and will be accompanied by Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Ryan Lewis on the djembe. OBU’s Saxophone Orchestra will perform H.L. Walters’ arrangement of Antonio Parera’s “El Capeo.”

The OBU Trombone Ensemble will perform Casey Thomas’ arrangement of John Rutter’s “I Am the Resurrection,” accompanied on the flugelhorn by Deborah Caldwell, a sophomore instrumental education major from Siloam Springs, Ark. Thomas is serving as a visiting assistant professor of music at Ouachita.

The OBU Percussion Ensemble will present “Away Without Leave” by Bob Becker.

Bringing the evening to a close will be the OBU Combined Band, which will present Keith Brion and Loars Schissel’s arrangement of John Philip Sousa’s “The Thunderer,” Ira Hearshen’s “Symphony on Themes of John Philip Sousa- II. After ‘The Thunderer’” and “A Galop to End All Galops” by Warren Barker.

Throughout the program, several students will also present solos on various instruments: Maegan Hodge, a freshman Christian ministries major from Springdale, Ark., will present “Syrinx for Unaccompanied Solo Flute” by Claude Debussy; Emily Anderson, a freshman Christian missions major from Siloam Springs, Ark., will perform “Ashoken Farewell” by Jay Unger on the violin; and Trey Gosser, a sophomore instrumental music education major from North Little Rock, Ark., will perform a marimba solo, “Valse in D minor” by Earl Hatch.

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

By Rudy Jones