Ouachita Stories

Two compositions by Dr. Patrick Houlihan, professor and chair of music theory and composition at Ouachita Baptist University, recently were presented at national and regional conferences.

“Snoqualmie Passages” for alto saxophone and piano was selected to be presented at the joint national conference of the College Music Society and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors held last fall in Santa Fe, N.M. It was performed in historic St. Francis Auditorium by two Ouachita faculty members, Dr. Lei Cai, professor of music, on piano and Dr. Caroline Taylor, professor of music, on saxophone.

“Snoqualmie Passages derives its title from the Snoqualmie Pass, a route through the Cascade Mountains in Washington,” Houlihan explained. “Just as a visitor to the Snoqualmie area experiences rugged mountains, powerful waterfalls and serene valleys, the music travels through rigorous as well as tranquil passages.”

“Illuminations” for flute and piano was selected to be presented at the College of Music Society South-Central Regional Conference, held recently at Henderson State University. It was performed by Ouachita music faculty members Kristin Grant, assistant professor of music, on flute and Dr. Adam Haas, visiting assistant professor of music, on piano.

Noting that the presentations at each conference were peer-selected, Houlihan said, “It’s always an honor for a composer to have a work selected and performed at conferences like these.”

Praising his colleagues who performed, Houlihan said they are “amazing performers who bring out all the music has to convey. If you can imagine how a screenwriter must feel when incredibly talented actors interpret the written instructions and lines, then you know how I feel when I hear these Ouachita musicians perform my music.”

Houlihan’s “Snoqualmie Passages” will be included on the 2017 Society of Composers CD, which has been produced annually for more than 30 years. Inclusion on the CD is highly competitive and pieces are selected by peer composers. A week before Cai and Taylor performed this piece in Santa Fe, they recorded it on Ouachita’s campus. The CD is set to be released this summer and will be on Parma’s Navona label.

For more information, contact Dr. Patrick Houlihan at [email protected] or (870) 245-5130.

 

By Haley Wilkerson // Photo above: Dr. Patrick Houlihan, at right, presents his "Snoqualmie Passages" at the joint national conference of the College Music Society and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors; it was performed by Dr. Lei Cai, on piano, and Dr. Caroline Taylor, on saxophone.

April 17, 2017