Secrest named two-time finalist at Trinity Presents, performs April 6
March 27, 2014
- Jessica StewartSenior Ouachita Baptist University student Caitlin Secrest, a vocal performance major
from Arkadelphia, Ark., has been named a finalist in the Trinity Presents Collegiate
Performance Showcase. She will perform at the showcase at Trinity United Methodist
Church in Little Rock, on Sunday, April 6, at 6 p.m. This is the second consecutive
year Secrest was named a finalist.
“It is purely an honor to be chosen to compete in the finals of the Trinity Presents
Collegiate Showcase,” Secrest said. “It is a blast to get to know the other competitors
while sharing the blessing of music with a diverse audience.” Secrest also earned
honorable mentions in the contest in 2011 and 2012. She will perform with her accompanist,
Phyllis Walker, in the 2013 showcase.
“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen once for the final showcase; to be afforded
the opportunity twice as an undergraduate student is truly a blessing,” said Dr. Jon
Secrest, professor of music and coordinator of Ouachita’s vocal studies program.
The showcase is the annual finale of the Trinity Presents Performance Series, a program
of Trinity United Methodist Church to extend their reach beyond its local congregation
by presenting musical performances to central Arkansas. Undergraduate and graduate
students from universities across the state audition to perform in the competitive
showcase.
Ouachita junior Chad Burris, a musical theatre major from Van Buren, Ark., was named
a runner-up in the competition. In previous years, only finalists and honorable mentions
were named; the runner-up category is new this year. Yuta Nishimura from Arkansas
State University also received this honor.
“The selection committee struggled to narrow our selection down to only five finalists,”
explained Robert Hughes, showcase coordinator. “The talent of the students chosen
as runners-up was of such high caliber that if we had more positions the runners-up
would have been selected as finalists.”
“It’s such a promising moment in your college career when you have been working hard
on your craft to have someone acknowledge it,” Burris said. “I always take moments
like these to remind myself that I am on track and the training I am receiving here
is invaluable.”
Other finalist who will perform in the showcase include: Ting-Huan Chang from the
University of Central Arkansas, on piano; Adonias Finch from Arkansas State University,
on trumpet; Madeleine Hogue from the University of Arkansas, on flute; and Matthew
Walker, counter tenor, from Henderson State University.
For more information on the showcase, contact Trinity United Methodist Church at (501)
666-2813. For more information about Ouachita’s vocal studies program, contact Dr.
Jon Secrest at [email protected] or (870) 245-5134.
By Jessica Stewart
Download: Headshot of Caitlin Secrest
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