Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will present Seth Russell in his senor voice recital Tuesday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. The recital, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall. A reception will follow the recital in Hammons Gallery.

Russell, a senior vocal performance major from Crossett, Ark., is a three-time National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) regional finalist and a two-time NATS state finalist. He has held three lead roles in the Ouachita opera performances and is a young artist for The OperaMaya Foundation in Mexico and Musica nelle Marche in Italy. He will be attending graduate school at Longy School of Music of Bard College following graduation from Ouachita in May. He is the student of Dr. Jon Secrest, professor of music and chair of the Department of Applied Music.

Russell noted that his time in the Ouachita music program “has prepared me for having experience on the stage. OBU has truly opened doors for me I might would not have had if I had gone to a state school. It has also taught me that there is more to singing than just making beautiful tones but adding connection to the piece and to the sound. The mere beauty of singing is not how you sing it, but how you communicate.”

Russell titled the recital “Reflection,” saying, “It is a reflection of my work and training at OBU. Being able to share that with the OBU community, friends and family is very special.”

The pieces Russell will perform include: J.S. Bach’s “Quia fecit mihi magna” from Magnificat; Gabriel Fauré’s “Mandoline”; W.A. Mozart’s “Donne mie, la fate a tanti” from Cosí fan tutte; Claude Debussy’s “Mandoline”; Gabriel Dupont’s “Mandoline”; Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “The World Would See Thee Smile” and “I Came to Her” from 12 Romances, Op. 14, “Like Blossom Dew Fresh” from 6 Romances, Op. 8 and “Oh Stay, My Love, Forsake Me Not” from 6 Romances, Op. 4; Franz Schubert’s “Das Wandern,” “Wohin?” and “Halt!” from Die schöne Müllerin; Mark Adamo’s “Kennst du das Land?” from Little Women and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s “Javert’s Suicide Aria” from Les Misérables.

Phyllis Walker, OBU staff accompanist, will accompany Russell on piano. Alexis Morgan, a senior music education major from Frisco, Texas, will assist him in W.A. Mozart’s “Papageno, Papagena Duet” from Die Zauberflöte. Dr. Adam Haas, visiting assistant professor of music, will also accompany him on the organ in Gabriel Fauré’s “Hostias” from Requiem.

“I would like to thank the OBU community for being supportive of me and every student here,” Russell said. “The faculty truly does care for the success of their students. I give my thanks to all teachers, friends and family who invested and believed in me. I give my utmost thanks to God. Without him gifting me, I would not have had the opportunity to do this major and career path.”

For more information, contact OBU’s School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

 

By Anna Hurst