Caleb Vester Senior Recital

On November 11th, Caleb Vester performed his senior recital in the Newman Recital Hall. Caleb’s performance showcased his four years of piano lessons at College of the Ozarks. The audience was packed with Caleb’s friends and family all there to cheer him on. The program began with J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D minor and ended with a jazz piece called “The Girl from Ipanema” by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Caleb followed the intermission with one of his own compositions, “Night Air.” Caleb’s flawless performance of his piece portrayed the magnificence and ambiance of the evening air with two contrasting themes throughout the piece. A small jazz ensemble joined Caleb for the last piece. The ensemble consisted of Dr. Kevin Powers on trumpet, Taylor Dodson on guitar, Eric Green on bass, Dalton Jewsberry on tenor saxophone, Thomas Miller on baritone saxophone, and Isaya Disayakarin on drums.





In his program notes of the recital, Caleb acknowledges his former piano teacher, Dr. Huff: "When I came to college, I intended to end my music education. I did not believe it was practical to pursue, nor did I believe that I had the talent to be successful. I wouldn’t say that I am completely shaken of this belief; however, in my short time in your studio, you made deep inroads in changing my life course from what I had. You pursued me; literally, once you heard I was in the building, you would try and find me, but I would leave the practice room before you would get there. And then you caught me, and I am so glad you did. You cared enough about the students that you would pursue them without hesitation. You loved the students here so much that, when you saw talent, passion, ideas, dreams, or a calling on their life, you wouldn’t let them walk away easily. Thank you for not letting me walk away.”


Concluding his recital, Caleb also acknowledged his current piano teacher, Dr. Christian, thanking her for challenging him to go further than he even thought possible. In his Program Notes, Caleb wrote, “You set new standards and expectations when you taught that never wavered, and it was frustrating trying to reach for something that seemed so far away. However, once you reach what you are striving for, you have the satisfying privilege of looking back at where you were and feeling proud of how far you have come. You gave me that satisfying feeling of coming so far in just a short two years. The growth as a musician that I have experienced under you was unexpected surprise. Thank you for allowing me to surprise myself."

Bravo, Caleb! The Music Department is proud of your accomplishments, and can’t wait to see where you’ll go after graduation!

MMTA Piano Competition

On November 6, 2016, piano professor Dr. Clara Christian took applied piano students Loran Wiley, Caleb Vester, Brian Hofmann, T. J. Goze, Kaylen Draschil, and Daniel Tague to the annual Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA) piano competition at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. These competitions are held in different locations throughout the state of Missouri. MMTA is an organization dedicated to advancing the value of music study and music performance.

Since Dr. Christian’s tenure at College of the Ozarks, she has made it a priority to enter her students into piano competitions. Dr. Christian explained that “because applied students are required to have three pieces by the end of the semester, I think these competitions are excellent motivators to get students to start working on their repertoire for their juries during finals week.” Dr. Christian has required most of the piano majors and her advanced applied piano students to compete in a competition every semester. Dr. Christian stressed the importance of performing in front of an audience, saying, “The more you perform, the better you get at handling your nerves.”

Many students often come to appreciate competing at different colleges. “The more competitions I enter, the more I seem to enjoy them,” Caleb Vester, a senior piano major said, “I like listening to the other pianists in these competitions; it helps me gauge where I am at musically. I also enjoy listening to my peers at these competitions. Being in these competitions, I think, helps build camaraderie among the applied piano students.” 

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.

NATS Competition!

On October 22, 2016, eleven students from College of the Ozarks traveled to Southwest Baptist University to compete in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Students enrolled in applied voice lessons were chosen to compete in this challenging vocal competition. The students participating included Caroline Jackson, Josiah Mullins, Madeline Clem, Madeline Davis, Devan Spady, Jonathan Kirkland, Hannah Sanders, Lynsey Richardson, Miranda Palmer, Sierra Johnson, and Lydia Burnett.

NATS is comprised of two categories: Musical Theater and Classical. It is then broken into Upper Division and Lower Division. The lower division students prepare three pieces and the upper division prepare four. The adjudicators were comprised of music professors from the various colleges that competed, including College of the Ozarks, Southwest Baptist University, Evangel, Drury, and other universities in the area.
The day dawned cold and sunny as students loaded into the van at 7:45 am, waiting for last minute stragglers. Students traveled to Bolivar, Missouri. Anxiety permeated the atmosphere as some paced and other downed cups of water, preparing for their 10 minutes with the judges. Practice rooms were full to the brim with competitors squeezing in last minute preparation.
The competition is very demanding, but it provides a great experience for students. Furthermore, it gives them both positive and critical feedback from the judges. Josiah Mullins placed first in upper division Musical Theater and second in upper division Classical, Madeline Clem placed first in upper division Classical and third in upper division Musical Theater, and Madeline Davis placed second in upper division Musical Theater. We are very proud of them all!

MTNA Fall Piano Festival

On Saturday, October 15, 2016, the College of the Ozarks Music Department hosted the MTNA Chapter Fall Piano Festival. This festival is a chance for local elementary and high school students to perform in front of judges and receive feedback on their playing. At the end of the day, there was a recital featuring the students that played exceptionally well.

This festival also allowed C of O piano majors to practice critical listening skills by letting them judge the competitors. Kaylen Draschil (sophomore) said, “It was wonderful to be able to see what it’s like to actually judge a competition after being judged for so many years.” The judges also got a chance to showcase their talents at the encore of the afternoon recital.

Dr. Clara Christian, C of O piano professor, said that “This was an exciting opportunity for college piano students to judge beginning through high school students and provide feedback for them; the college students did a wonderful job, writing comments, evaluating performances, and providing grades and written feedback.  Then the college students finished off by performing at the end of the recital! 

The community teachers were very appreciative, and thanked me multiple times. The students loved having the chance to perform in a recital hall and play for a new audience on a lovely 9-foot Steinway piano.”

 

 

Faculty Recital October 5, 2016

This past Wednesday, October 5^th, College of the Ozarks Music Department presented recital featuring music faculty in the Newman Recital Hall. A total of seven faculty members performed various pieces ranging from Mozart to an original composition written by Dr. Carlson, our newest full-time professor.

            Dr. Cornish, chorale and choir director, performed “Anthem” by Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, and Bjorn Ulvaeus, from the musical Chess. Dr. Cornish also performed “Chanson Triste,” a piece by Henri Duparc. 

            Next was Mr. Bob Smither, brass instructor. Mr. Smither performed the first movement of Johann Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto, “Allegro con spirit,” accompanied by Mr. Caleb Lawson on the piano. 

            Brian Christian played “Prelude in G# minor” Op. 32, No 12 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, an intense, melancholy piece featuring cascading notes and a stirring climax.

            Following Mr. Christian’s performance was adjunct voice professor, Mrs. Melanie Clevenger, who performed “Tomorrow’s Work Undone,” which was written by Dr. Carlson and features the poetry of Paul Duggan. Mrs. Clevenger was accompanied by Dr. Clara Christian. Dr. Carlson said, “I was thrilled and ecstatic by the sensitive performance of Mrs. Melanie Clevenger and Dr. Clara Christian. They brought the music and poetry to life in a thoughtful and vivid way.” Mrs. Clevenger also performed a humorous piece from the one act operetta, “The Telephone,” entitled “Hello! Oh, Margaret, It’s You” by Gian Carlo Menotti. Mrs. Clevenger was accompanied on this piece by Caleb Lawson.

            Dr. Kevin Powers played the trumpet on the piece “Most Saint Michel” by Geoffrey Robbins, and was accompanied by Dr. Clara Christian.

            Our professor of Music History and Piano, Dr. Clara Christian, performed the third movement from Mozart’s Sonata in F Major, “Allegro Assai”.

The Faculty Recital was a fantastic show of musicianship and vocal prowess which was received by an enthusiastic audience.

Guest Recital: Genevieve Fulks and Brian Christian

On September 22nd, College of the Ozarks students had the opportunity to hear an assortment of American pieces by composers such as Bernstein, Copland, and Barber; and premier performances of piano arrangements of Ozark folk songs by pianist Brian Christian. 

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Performing as a guest artist was Genevieve Fulks, a local vocal performer, former member of the Knoxville Opera Ensemble, and currently working with the Springfield Regional Opera.

Brian Christian, graduate of Peabody Conservatory of music and currently working as faculty at College of the Ozarks, is a freelance composer, having written an operetta based on "The Little Prince", several pieces for solo piano, and arrangements for piano, as were performed during this concert.

The program began with Leonard Bernstein's light-hearted song cycle I Hate Music, a piece sung from the perspective of a ten-year-old girl named Barbara who expresses her child-like outlook on science, art, and life.

The next piece was "Laura's Song" from the opera The Tender Land, by Aaron Copland.  The song is a soliloquy by Laurie, a high school senior due to graduate the next day, pondering on the vastness of the opportunities before her: "The time has grown so short;" the piece concludes, "the world so wide."

Then came the song cycle Hermit Songs by Samuel Barber, a collection of poems written by irish monks, translated to English and set to music.  Most deal with spiritual topics, such as The Crucifixion, and St. Ita's Vision while others deal with the everyday life of a monk like The Monk and his Cat, and The Desire for Hermitage.

After the intermission, Ms. Fulks and Mr. Christian performed Cowboy Songs by Libby Larsen, a collection of songs that capture the spirit of the young, wild west, in its romance, its strong work ethic, and the danger of uncivilized folks.
The next piece was a spiritual song, In That Morning singing of the hope of Jesus's return and our resurrection into new life.

The final section of the program consisted of three Ozarks folksongs, arranged for piano and voice by Brian Christian.  The first piece, Blind Boy, was a sweet but sad song about a young blind boy who despite his lack of sight remains cheerful and hopes in God's goodness even to his death.  The second piece relates the fevered dreams of a drunkard who, horrified by the visions pervading his sleep, vows to give up the drink and lead an honorable life.  The third song is a heartfelt cry of a mother to her wayward son to return home to her, where he shall find forgiveness for his ways.


Students enjoyed the presentation, and were inspired towards their own further study in music:  Jordy Hake shared that he was "inspired by the compositional techniques employed both by Barber in his monk songs, and Mr. Christian in his arrangements."  Laura Berthold said "While I enjoyed the entire selection of songs, I particularly enjoyed Mr. Christian's arrangements and Ms. Fulks' interpretations."