Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will present Aubrey Elliott, a senior instrumental music education major from Bentonville, Ark., in her senior flute recital at 11 a.m. Sept. 23 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.

In the recital, a partial fulfillment of her degree requirements for graduation, Elliott will present a varied selection of pieces that she has been refining since last spring. The recital will begin with “First Sonata for Flute and Piano” by Bohuslav Martinu, followed by “Sonate pour Flûte et Piano” by Francis Poulenc and”Syrinx” by Claude Debussy. She will conclude her performance with Pattápio Silva’s “Primeriro Amor: Valse, Op. 4.” For the Poulenc selection and the Martinu pieces, Glenda Aldridge will accompany Elliott on the piano.

“This recital has helped me learn to persevere through times that aren’t easy and always stay motivated to do my best,” Elliott said. “Performing has always been a huge part of my life, whether it be through playing the flute, dancing, playing in the band, singing, being in pageants and even being a Tiger Tunes hostess in 2010. I am anxious to get on stage and share with others what I love most: music.”

Inspired to pursue music in middle school, Elliott will pay tribute to her former band director, Tiffany Key Stanley, a 2002 alumna of Ouachita.

“I dedicate this recital in loving memory of her,” Elliott said. “Her passion and love for music inspired me to major in music education and believe that anything is possible. I hope to touch children’s lives in the way that she did mine.”

Elliott was named the Friends of Fine Arts 2010 Outstanding Instrumental Major, performed as a 2010 Tiger Tunes Hostess and was a winner of the 2011 Huckabee School of Education Sylvia Gates Webb Award. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, OBU Wind Ensemble, marching band, flute choir and saxophone ensemble. Elliott has studied under Ouachita Instructor of Music Kristin Grant.

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

By Breanne Goodrum