Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host a joint concert by Ouachita Singers and Women’s Chorus on Friday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held in McBeth Recital Hall on Ouachita’s campus and is free and open to the public.

The first half of the concert will present the Women’s Chorus, while the second half will present the Ouachita Singers. These audition-only ensembles will perform a variety of music from Renaissance to 20^th century pieces.

“People should come prepared to hear beautiful music sung in the most excellent way, to be inspired, to be moved and to be blessed by music,” said Dr. Becky Morrison, OBU assistant professor of music and director of Women’s Chorus.

“Hopefully the audience will take away the quality of the choral program at Ouachita and the high caliber of musicians,” added Dr. Gary Gerber, chair of OBU’s Division of Music and director of Ouachita Singers. “There’s enough variety that they will enjoy choral music and how choral music can musically, emotionally and spiritually talk to the soul in ways that mere words cannot communicate.”

The set list for Women’s Chorus will include: Z. Randall Stroope’s “Song to the Moon,” Posaphyne Powell’s “Still I Rise,” Michelle Roueche’s “Lux Aeterna,” Craig Courtney’s “Amazing Grace,” John Rutter’s “For the Beauty of the Earth” and Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory’s “Ain’t No Grave Can Hold My Body Down.”

A highlight for the Women’s Chorus this year is that there will be a student conductor. Baily Morris, a senior music education major from Mesquite, Texas, will conduct “Amazing Grace” for the concert.

The set list for Ouachita Singers will include: Han Leo Hassler’s “Cantata Domino,” Joseph Haydn’s “The Heavens Are Telling,” Maurice Durufle’s “Ubi Caritas,” Gyorgy Orban’s “Daemon Irrepit Callidus,” Norman Dello Joio’s “Come to Me, My Love,” Andrew Fischer’s “Bonsa Aba,” Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on This Shining Night” and Moses Hogan’s “Elijah Rock.”

For more information, contact Dr. Gary Gerber at [email protected] or (870) 245-5128 or contact Dr. Becky Morrison at [email protected] or (870) 245-5143.

 

By Taylor Black