Madeline Clem and Josiah Mullins Senior Recital

On Sunday, November 6, 2016, Madeline Clem and Josiah Mullins performed their Senior Recital in the Newman Recital Hall. Madeline is a Musical Theatre Major and Josiah is a General Theatre Major. Both have frequently performed prominent roles in C of O’s plays and musicals. The program featured a variety of music: Madeline began with “Fair Robin I Love,” a 20th century classical style opera, and Josiah followed with Tosti’s Ideale. The remainder of the program consisted of works by Ralph Vaughn Williams, Musical Theater selections from The Fantasticks, Dogfight, The Secret Garden, Hamilton, and more. Josiah learned under the instruction of Mr. Gregg Busch, and Madeline studied under Ms. Jennifer Wolcott. They were accompanied by Mrs. Danielle Hardin and Mr. Caleb Lawson.

Mr. Busch said that “Perhaps the greatest joy as a teacher at C of O is to have the blessing to watch young men and women grow through their time within the college. This is not simply in terms of their physical age, but rather in their dedication to their art and to the Lord. Working closely with Josiah and Madeline, I was privileged to witness exactly that. Each of them chose to dedicate their performance to the Lord, in witness and as testimony to His amazing Grace and goodness. It truly was an honor to come alongside Miss Wolcott as we prepared for the recital. In her I saw a woman of talent and commitment living in her faith and sharing that openly with the students. There are so many moments of blessings that I have shared at College of the Ozarks, the recital yesterday is something that I know I will cherish. There are simply no words that can fully express my sense of pride in the accomplishment of these two truly gifted artists. I pray they will venture into the world and continue to carry the light of Christ which was so evident in their performance yesterday.”

Ms. Wolcott said that "it is a prerequisite of an artist to be passionate. You simply cannot take on the role of true artist without having a passion for what you're doing. As a professional performer walking into my first semester of teaching at C of O three years ago, I was excited to share my passion and knowledge with the students . . . oh, how naive. There has not been a single lesson or class that I've lead and been a part of where I have not learned something new about music, performing, and the Lord from my students. Through the work of Madeline and Josiah, Mr. Busch and I were able to see our students grow in their craft and in their faith, and ultimately pass the torch to our 'newest colleagues in the arts'. Working alongside such an accomplished performer as Mr. Busch was an incredible blessing from which I learned daily. The encouragement that everyone felt throughout the process of putting together this recital is what true Christian Artists and collaborators should strive to enact. Madeline and Josiah started the semester and this project by writing their artist statements, and through their ultimate decision to pursue those statements of faith and artistry the recital was a gift to all who came. I am blessed and humbled to have been a part of something  such as this."

Madeline and Josiah captured the audience’s attention with their beautiful performances. In their artistic statements, Josiah wrote that “if I can offer somebody and hour or two of joy and comfort, to forget about their problems for that long, then I feel like I have done the work that God has put me here on this earth to do.” In her artistic statement, Madeline said that “as a Christian artist, I desire for people to experience the presence of God during my performance and to see the light of Christ within me.” In this recital and in the past performances, Madeline and Josiah have truly fulfilled these goals. The Music Department is very proud of all they have accomplished is excited to see where each will go.