Ouachita concert and lecture to honor McBeth
February 27, 2025
- Matthew CheathamOuachita Baptist University’s Division of Music in the School of Performing Arts will host a concert to honor the legacy of Dr. W. Francis McBeth (1933 – 2012), professor emeritus of music, on the 50th anniversary of his being named Arkansas’ composer laureate. The concert featuring Ouachita’s Wind Ensemble will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in Jones Performing Arts Center.
Dr. Francis McBeth conducts band students at Ouachita
Ouachita alumnus Dr. Mark Bowles, a composer and cardiologist from Wichita, Kan., will return to campus for the world premiere of “Defenders of the Faith,” composed in McBeth’s honor by Bowles and Charles Davis, adjunct instructor of music and assistant director of athletic bands at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan. Bowles will also deliver a lecture titled “Honoring God Through Our Talents and Calling” at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 7, in McBeth Recital Hall on the Ouachita campus.
The program will also feature McBeth’s “Grace Praeludium,” “Chase,” “Let’s Give Them a Hand,” “Flourishes” and “Of Sailors and Whales,” in addition to works by two Ouachita alumni, “McBeth: Fanfare & Hymn” by Stephen Hill and “Dusk” by Steven Bryant.
“I’m excited to honor the former Ouachita professor and renowned composer who had such a profound impact on the musical landscape of Arkansas, the United States and abroad,” said Dr. Austin Motley, assistant professor of music and director of bands. “The School of Performing Arts would not be what we are today without the impact of W. Francis McBeth.”
McBeth, who served at Ouachita from 1957 until his retirement in 1996, was Ouachita’s composer-in-residence, Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music and chair of the theory/composition department of the Division of Music. In addition to his honor as composer laureate, McBeth conducted the Arkansas Symphony and performed and served as a conductor on stages in Europe, Australia and Asia.
Both events are free and open to the public. Students may receive arts engagement credit at the Thursday concert. For information about Ouachita bands, contact Dr. Austin Motley at [email protected] or at (870) 245-4192.
Lead photo by Sarah Dean
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