Successful Orchestra Perfomances

CofO Community Chamber Orchestra, directed by Chris Benham

        The Music Department is proud to report that the College of the Ozarks Chamber Orchestra successfully performed two concerts on October 13th and 14th. Under the direction of C of O Alumnus Christopher Benham, the Chamber Orchestra has doubled in size and diversity, including students, faculty, and members of the community. The ensemble performed Camille Saint-Saens' The Carnival of the Animals and Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished") on both Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon. The Carnival of the Animals featured a duo piano part played by Dr. Clara and Mr. Brian Christian, both of whom are C of O music faculty The concert program was intended for the enjoyment and education on the community's children. On Wednesday, the orchestra performed the concert especially for an audience of students from the School of the Ozarks lower school.

        The concert featured narration by C of O senior James C. Zeller, who read American poet Ogden Nash's  "Verses for Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals" throughout the performance of the piece. James also read his original poem entitled "Unfinished Sailboat" before the orchestra performed Schubert's symphony.

        Tuesday night's audience responded with a standing ovation and the children of the School of the Ozarks responded with laughter and excitement throughout the Wednesday performance. Thank you to all who attended. Your support is sincerely appreciated!

Collins Hill, played the solo for Saint-Saens' Swan  

from Carnival of the Animals

Players focus while playing Saint-Saens' Aquarium

Keith Slater Performs Seinor Recital

On Saturday, October 3, music education major and trombonist Keith Slater performed his senior recital. Mr. Brian Christian provided piano accompaniment as Keith performed Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Trombone and Eugene Bozza’s Ballade, Op. 62. Mrs. Hannah Pruessner accompanied on piano for Eric Ewazen’s song cycle, Cancoes do Sol. The recital concluded with some lighthearted contemporary pieces, including Dizzy Gillespie’s A Night in Tunisia and Christopher Bill’s Video Game Symphony No. 3. Fellow students joined Keith to provide a jazz ensemble for the Gillespie piece, and to create a trombone quartet for the Bill piece. Slater’s friend Christopher Benham joined him to perform Clapping Music, a minimalistic composition by Steve Reich which uses clapping hands as the only instrument. The recital concluded with a surprise encore: Henry Mancini’s theme from the Pink Panther. Keith expressed that he worked very hard for this program and that he was satisfied with the results. The Music Department is proud of Keith’s dedication to his craft and looks forward to seeing how he will use his gifts in the future.  

     
 

Keith Slater to Perform Senior Recital

Senior music education major Keith Slater will perform his senior recital this Saturday, October 3, at 7:00 p.m. in the Newman Recital Hall. Keith’s primary instrument is trombone and he will be playing a diverse program including many modern and contemporary pieces for trombone. Slater says he hopes the program will be both educational and engaging. Please join the Music Department in celebrating Keith’s accomplishments and for a reception following the recital.

Introducing New Faculty Member

Dr. John Cornish has joined the College of the Ozarks Music Department as Assistant Professor of Music. He is the director of the Chapel Choir and instructor of voice, conducting, church music, and music exploration classes. Dr. Cornish also leads worship each Sunday at the college’s chapel services in Williams Memorial Chapel. Prior to joining the faculty at College of the Ozarks, Dr. Cornish taught at San Jacinto College in Houston, TX, where he directed the college choir and instructed a variety of music-related courses. Dr. Cornish also previously taught at Cameron University in Lawton, OK and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX.


From 2008-2012, Dr. Cornish was Associate Conductor of the Southwestern Seminary Master Chorale, Fort Worth’s largest professional choral ensemble. In addition to preparing the chorus for numerous classical and pops concerts with the Fort Worth Symphony, he conducted the chorus in performances of John Rutter’s Magnificat and other choral works, including his own compositions. Dr. Cornish was also featured as a tenor soloist with the Master Chorale in performances of Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Rachmaninoff’s Vespers. A life-long church musician, Dr. Cornish has served on the music staff of five different congregations in Texas and Oklahoma. Dr. Cornish is also an active choral composer, with one published work (Abide with Me, 2012) and several other works pending publication.


Dr. Cornish holds degrees from Cameron University (B. A.) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.M and D.M.A). Dr. Cornish has been mentored by conductors David Thye, John Stanley Ross, Michael Cox, and Kurt Sprenger, and by composers Stephen Johnson and Dan Forrest.


John is married to Rashel, and they are the parents of Claire (6) and Cameron (4).