Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host soloists John Ashburn and Iván Hernández in concert on Monday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall. The performance, which is part of Ouachita’s Guest Artist Series, is free and open to the public.

“We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to bring saxophonist John Ashburn and clarinetist Iván Hernández to our campus," said Dr. Caroline Taylor, professor of music at Ouachita. "These two musicians represent some of the finest upcoming talent on their respective instruments!”

Ashburn, a 2011 Ouachita graduate, holds a Master of Music in saxophone performance from Baylor University and is completing his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician around the U.S., including performing as a soloist with the National Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall.

Hernández, a graduate of the University of Texas at Brownsville, holds a Master of Music from Baylor University and is in his third year of doctoral studies at the University of Georgia. He is the co-principal clarinetist in the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra Wind Ensemble and has performed in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and the U.S. He was also awarded first place in the 2016 International Clarinet Association’s Orchestral Audition Competition.

Hernández will open the concert with a performance of “Première Rhapsodie” by Claude Debussy. Ashburn will then perform “Blue Caprice” by Victor Morosco, and Hernández will follow with “Concert Fantasia on Motives from Verdi’s Opera: Rigoletto” by Luigi Bassi. To conclude, Ashburn will perform four movements of “Sonate en Ut#” by Fernande Decruck.

Ouachita’s Guest Artist Series allows the university to invite musicians and artists both nationally and internationally to share their arts on campus and in the community.

For more information, contact Dr. Caroline Taylor at (870) 245-5139 or [email protected].

 

By Rachel Moreno

March 1, 2019