Ouachita Stories

Listen while you read. Enjoy a live audio recording of the Ouachita Singers performing “Tu es Petrus” at St. Nicholas Collegiate Church in Galway, Ireland.

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Ouachita Baptist University’s audition choir, the Ouachita Singers, recently returned from a tour of Ireland, highlighted by their June 20 performance at Music Celebrations International’s Dublin Choral Festival in historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The trip marked the latest chapter in the group’s nearly 70-year touring history, which has spanned North America, Europe and Asia.

After arriving in Dublin on Wednesday, June 17, the Ouachita Singers spent the following two days exploring the city and rehearsing for their festival performance alongside a full orchestra and more than 100 other singers from the University of North Texas and Indiana’s Munster High School. The 75-minute concert took place within Ireland’s largest cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is more than eight centuries old.

“It was an excellent opportunity to perform for a very full, fantastic crowd in a glorious space,” Dr. Alex Favazza, director of choral activities and assistant professor of music, said.

On the day of the concert, the Ouachita Singers also learned they had been selected to perform at the Arkansas Music Educators Association’s February 2027 conference, held in conjunction with the Arkansas All-State Music Festival. Each year, the Arkansas Choral Directors Association showcases choirs from one middle school, one high school and one university in Arkansas during a special Friday night concert. This year’s peer-reviewed application process saw a record number of submissions, with Ouachita receiving the university selection.

“It’s huge for us,” Favazza said of the selection. “A lot of our students sang in the Arkansas All-State Choirs as high school students and remember watching the selected choirs’ performances. Some of them performed as part of the selected choirs themselves in high school. They’re excited for the opportunity to continue their choral legacy here in Arkansas.”

In addition to the Dublin Choral Festival concert, the Ouachita Singers performed at St. Kevin’s Kitchen in Glendalough, St. Nicholas Collegiate Church in Galway and St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney. Some of these places of worship date back to the Middle Ages.

“The tour was nothing short of wonderful,” Sophie McFarland, a rising senior worship studies major from Alexander, Arkansas, said. “Seeing new places, meeting new people and, of course, singing in multiple cathedrals was a life-changing experience. The Lord reminded me of our smallness in such a beautiful and diverse world. The majesty and goodness of God was especially shown through our music selections of ‘Be Thou My Vision’ and ‘Flower into Kindness.’”

During their trip throughout the country, students visited other sites of natural, cultural and historical significance.

“Seeing incredible views like the Cliffs of Moher and experiencing the historical architecture of castles and churches was so memorable,” Deanne Puryear, a recent worship studies graduate from Jonesboro, Arkansas, said. “Getting to do it all with fun and talented college friends made it a trip I’ll never forget.”

These perspectives are exactly what Favazza hoped students would get out of the tour.

“I think the greatest takeaway our students could have as artists is getting to see so much beauty in creation; to realize that God is a creator and an artist,” he said. “I hope they realize that God is also a singer because, as it says in Zephaniah 3:17, he rejoices over us in singing. Therefore, singing is an act of sanctification. God blessed us with these unique experiences to see Him through another lens, further solidifying his presence in our lives.”

To learn more about singing in Ouachita’s choral ensembles, visit obu.edu/choral or contact Favazza at [email protected].  

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