Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will host NFMC Young Artist competition winner Matthew Lipman, a violist, in concert on Monday, Sept. 12. The concert, which is free and open to the public, is set for 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall at Ouachita. A reception following the concert will be hosted by the Arkadelphia Philharmonic Club, a local chapter of the NFMC.

The NFMC, a non-profit organization that seeks to provide musical opportunities for musicians of all ages, holds a biennial Young Artist competition. With a membership of more than 135,000 people, the NFMC is committed to nurturing and developing young talent through involvement in musical events, competitions and other festivities.

The Young Artist Competition awards artists in three categories: piano, voice and strings. First place winners receive $15,000 each and commit to two years of performances. Lipman, first place winner of the strings division, was selected to perform the annual Arkansas Young Artist Tour.

“Arkansas has always had the privilege of setting up a statewide tour to visit several colleges throughout the state to promote the winner but also to host an outstanding musician,” said Lipman, a native of Chicago, has been involved with music since age 10. Now in his mid-20s, he has continued to advance his career as an accomplished musician. Along with winning multiple international competitions and the Julliard National Competition, Lipman has performed with several symphonies including the Grand Rapids Symphony and Wisconsin Chamber.

Gerber said Lipman’s experience of “being a part of different groups or attending different schools makes him a well-rounded musician.”

Dr. Kyung-Eun Na, assistant professor and collaborative artist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will accompany Lipman on his tour around the state. Na has performed and coached music for numerous organizations such as the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music and International Music Academy.

“It’s going to be a really outstanding program,” Gerber said. “It’s more of later composers in music history, so I think it will be really interesting for the audience members.”

Among the featured works in the recital are “Nicht schnell,” “Lebhaft,” “Rasch” and “Langsam, mit melancholischem Ausdruck” by Robert Schumann; “Fuga libre” by Garth Knox; and “Fantasie,” “Thema mit Variationen” and “Finale mit Variationen” by Paul Hindemith. The performance continues with “Fantasia chromatic” by Bach and Kodaly, “Adagio” by Zoltan Kolday and a suite from Romeo & Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev.

For more information, contact Dr. Gary Gerber at 870-245-5128 or [email protected].

 

By Haley Martin