Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Concert Choir will present George Frideric Handel’s Messiah on Tuesday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. The concert also will feature members of the OBU Wind Ensemble and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra as well as OBU faculty, staff and alumni. The concert will be held in Jones Performing Arts Center on Ouachita’s campus, and tickets are $10 each at www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

“It’s a work that really never gets old,” said Concert Choir Director Dr. Gary Gerber, chair of OBU’s Division of Music. “There’s always something new that you can find in the music and something interesting you haven’t caught in years past. So for me it’s kind of like visiting an old friend that you’ve visited in times past that you’re bringing back.”

Ouachita’s performance of Messiah will condense the three-part, two hour and 45 minute masterwork to one hour and 30 minutes. It will still include selections from each of the work’s three parts: the Christmas story, the Easter story and the celebration of victory over death.

“I hope the audience will take away a sense of awe of putting that much music together in that short of time and being such well-crafted music that it has spanned centuries,” Gerber said. “Hopefully it will bring together or bring out the message not only of the birth of Christ, but of His suffering, final victory over death and resurrection.”

While Concert Choir performs large-scale works with an orchestra each spring semester, members of Ouachita’s faculty, staff and alumni were invited to join the choir for this year’s performance.

“Singing in Messiah always is a special experience, especially with such a talented choir,” said Phil Hardin, assistant to the president for administration. “I'm enjoying the opportunity to sing with our students and prepare for the concert.”

Soloists will include Dr. Margaret Garrett, associate professor of music; Aaron Harp, a 2007 Ouachita graduate; Dr. Becky Morrison, assistant professor of music; and David Stanley, instructor of music.

For more information, contact Dr. Gary Gerber at [email protected] or (870) 245-5218. To purchase tickets, call the JPAC Box Office on weekdays from 1 to 5 p.m. at (870) 245-5555 or visit www.obu.edu/boxoffice.

 

By Taylor Black