Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will present its annual “PRISM” concert on April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. It is free and open to the public. The concert will feature the Ouachita Wind Ensemble, Ouachita Symphonic Band and various small ensembles and soloists from the instrumental department.

“The PRISM program is one of my favorite concerts we perform,” said Director of Bands Dr. Craig Hamilton, OBU’s Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music. “It showcases many of our ensembles in the instrumental area. I know the audience will enjoy the variety of music and sounds of the various ensembles.”

Dr. Hamilton explained the name of the “PRISM” concert came from the spectrum of colors produced when light is shined on a prism. “We use these cues to show the different ‘colors’ of the Ouachita instrumental area,” he added.

“The concert is a showcase of all the different musical groups on campus. Everyone gets to show off the product that they’ve been working on all year,” noted saxophonist Brent Nessler, a senior music performance major from Rowlett, Texas. “It’s always a great experience to get to work with so many diverse ensembles. The styles of the ensembles all differ and keeps the program fresh.”

This concert is also unique from other ensemble performances because the audience sits in the middle of the auditorium encircled by the different ensembles. The music surrounds the audience from all directions.

“The PRISM concert is always fun because of the musical diversity,” said trombonist Drew Ervin, a junior music and computer science major from Springdale, Ark. “Experiencing the coordination of all the ensembles is always entertaining.”

The Wind Ensemble will perform “Rondo for Horns and Woodwinds” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Folk Dances” by Dmitri Shostakovich, selections from “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff and “Angels in the Architecture” by Frank Ticheli. The Wind Ensemble will be joined by the Symphonic Band to perform “Fusion” by Brian Balmages.

The Percussion Ensemble will play “Log Cabin Blues” by George Hamilton Green, “Postlude No. 6 for Bowed Vibraphones” by Elliot Cole and “Wart Hog No. 3.”

The Celtic Ensemble will perform a Celtic medley.

Several instrumental sections also will take turns in the spotlight. The saxophone section will play “Comedy for Saxophones” by James Christensen; the clarinet section will play “Klezmer Suite III” from “Doumka’s Freilach” by Alexis Ciesla; the horn section will play “Trippery No. 4” by Lowell E. Shaw; and the trombone section will play “Mille Regretz” by Josquin des Prez, Matt Niess’ arrangement of “When I Fall In Love” and “Foghorn Leghorn” by Michael Davis.

Three Ouachita professors will present pieces, as well. Dr. Ryan Lewis, OBU assistant professor of percussion, and Kristin Grant, OBU assistant professor of music, will perform John C. Moon’s “Musick of the Fifes and Drum.” Dr. Heather Thayer, assistant professor of music, will perform “Laudatio” by Bernhard Krol.

“The PRISM concert is a lot of work. There is so much organization of ensembles, lighting, practicing and time that is put into it. Seeing the efforts of so many different areas of fine arts being put together is really rewarding to me,” said Emily Tual, a member of the Wind Ensemble and a sophomore dietetics and nutrition major from Plano, Texas.

Tual gave credit to “all of the people behind the scenes and also to Dr. Hamilton for all the time and preparation put into the concert. It’s really an amazing concert thanks to them.”

For more information, contact Dr. Craig Hamilton at [email protected] or (870) 245-5137.

By Chelsea Whelpley