Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Tori Bateman in her senior recital and Aaden Jones in his sophomore recital on Friday, Oct. 23. Both performances will take place in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall and are free and open to the public. Bateman’s performance will be at 11 a.m. and Jones will perform at 2 p.m.

“A senior recital is often seen as the end of a journey, but I truly see it as a beginning,” said Bateman, a senior vocal music education major from Bonnerdale, Ark. “It may be the culmination of my time at Ouachita as a vocal performer, but it is also a way of showing others that I am ready to graduate and spread joy and music in other places. Because it is a music education recital, it also shows that I am ready to student teach and spread my knowledge of vocal practice to students in public schools.”

Jones, a musical theatre major from Little Rock, Ark., also noted that he sees his upcoming performance as a milestone in his time at Ouachita that allows him to put on display all that he has learned while also seeing where improvements can be made to foster further growth.

Bateman is a Presser Scholar, an Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholar, a Kristen Lewis Foundation scholarship recipient and a Southwest Region NATS finalist.

Her recital is titled “If Music Be” and will include the following selections: “If Music Be the Food of Love” by Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten, “II est doux, il est bon” from Hérodiade by Jules Massenet, “Die Lorelei” by Franz Liszt, “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” from La boheme by Giacomo Puccini, “Simple Song” from MASS by Leonard Bernstein and “A New Life” from Jekyll & Hyde by Frank Wildhorn. Phyllis Walker, OBU staff accompanist, will accompany her.

“I am looking forward to the rush of joy I feel on stage, the connection with God through the gifts He has given me and the possibility of bringing others a sense of joy by singing and telling stories in a new way,” Bateman added.

Jones’ recital is titled “Aaden Jones: A Sophomore Recital” and will include the following selections: “Who’s That Girl?” from Applause by Charles Strouse, “This Hurts” from Almost, Maine by John Cariani, “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” from Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser and “What Do I Need with Love” from Thoroughly Modern Millie by Jeanine Tesori. John Alec Briggs, OBU adjunct instructor of voice, will accompany him and Drew Hampton, OBU assistant professor of theatre arts, serves as his acting coach.

“My time at Ouachita has prepared me for this performance because I have had the opportunity to be a part of amazing ensembles, and I have a great voice teacher who pushes and challenges me to be my very best,” Jones said. “I also have taken great classes and have been a part of wonderful productions that allow me to develop my skills as an actor.”

Bateman's recital also will stream live at http://livestream.com/obu/bateman-oct15. For more information, contact Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

 

By Anna Hurst