Welcome Back: Spring 2016

The excitement and energy level at College of the Ozarks is running rapid as the students return for the Spring 2016 semester. Asa, a sophomore in computer science, said “It feels great to be back. I’ve missed my professors and friends over the break.” Professors scramble as they begin the hustle of organizing for classes and preparing the ensembles for performances. Dr. Cornish is proud to announce that for the first time in several years, the College of the Ozarks’ Chapel Choir will be preforming in concert (check the events tab for more information). This semester, the music department, together with the theater department, will be performing the Broadway show, Addam’s Family written by Andrew Lippa (check the events tab for more information).

The music department would also like to welcome a new voice instructor, Mrs. Melanie Clevenger. Melanie Holt Clevenger, from Webb City, MO, holds a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Missouri State University, where upon she earned is 4.0 grade point average. She received a Bachelor of Science in Education with an emphasis in Vocal Music Education K-12 from Missouri Southern State University, where she studied in the Honor's Program and graduated Summa cum laude. Melanie has performed on the Showboat Branson Belle as a Showbelle and has performed at Silver Dollar City in Choctaw Charlie's Frontier Follies, Extreme Stunts on Wheels, The Circus of Dreams Parade, and The Holiday Light Parade. She was Celebration City's dance party show host for Ignite the Night, and has shared the stage with Nickelodeon characters as well as Big Idea's Veggie Tales while performing for Silver Dollar City and Celebration City. Recently she was seen on the stage as a mermaid in Broadway of Branson's production of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Mrs. Clevenger served as guest conductor for the Southwest District Junior High Honor Choir Girl's Chorus in 2009 and enjoys giving showchoir clinics at showchoir competions. Melanie has been teaching private voice lessons since 2004 and is feels so very blessed to be a part of College of the Ozarks.
 
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Music Department Faculty and Staff, wishes everyone a Very Merry Christmas.

As the Christmas office prepares to close for Christmas break, we, the faculty, staff, and students, want to pause and wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We want to thank everyone for your support and prayers. You are a vital part of what we do. Remember to continue to check our blog for all news and upcoming events, both on and off campus. The office will re-open on January 4th to begin an exciting Spring semester. Until then, we would like to leave you with this Christmas Blessing:

During this Christmas season, 

May you be blessed 

With the spirit of the season, 

Which is peace, 

The gladness of the season, 

Which is hope, 

And the heart of the season, 

Which is love. 

Somehow, not only for Christmas 

But all the long year through, 

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you. 

And the more you spend in blessing 

The poor and lonely and sad, 

The more of your Heart’s possessing 

Returns to you glad. 

                                                                          ~John Greenleaf Whittier

Faculty and Staff Gathered for a Christmas Party 



Christmas Card to the Community

“Joy Has Dawned” was the theme for this year’s Christmas Card to the Community. On December 13^th, the Branson area community gathered to celebrate the birth of Christ with traditional hymns, carols, and scripture readings. The participating ensembles—the Orchestra, Chapel Choir, Chorale, the Handbell Choir, and Lower School Honor Choir—collaborated to create a truly exceptional concert. Senior C of O student James Zeller, a member of Chorale, said “Singing with such a large ensemble and singing songs with such a rich Christian tradition gave me a great sense of joy, worship, and unity with the body of Christ.”  The Orchestra opened with the prelude “A Christmas Festival,” and after a welcome from President Jerry Davis, the congregation sang “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Chapel Choir, under the direction of Dr. Cornish and with soloist Emily Rector, sang “Mary, Did You Know?” and “What Child is This?” The Handbell Choir performed “Go Tell it on the Mountain” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The School of the Ozarks students sang “Alleluia Medley.” Chorale, conducted by Dr. Gerlach, followed with “Sir Christemas” and “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day.” The combined choirs and a soloist Elizabeth Stuart sang “O Holy Night,” which was followed with the candlelit congregational hymn “Silent Night.” The combined choirs and orchestra ended the ceremony with a stirring rendition of Handel’s “Hallelujah” Chorus. The concert was, as Dr. Cornish said, “…a beautiful and worshipful service. Each ensemble’s contribution to the evening combined to create something truly special.”

The College of the Ozarks Chamber Orchestra 

Dr. Powers directing the Orchestra during the prelude

  

The College of the Ozarks Chorale Choir

Dr. Cornish led the choirs and congregation together in worship.

Dr. Gerlach directed the combined choirs and orchestra

Combined Choirs: The College of the Ozarks Chapel Choir and The Chorale Choir

Josh Pruitt's Senior Recital

On Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 PM, percussionist Josh Pruitt performed his senior recital. Josh performed a diverse and eclectic selection of pieces on a wide variety of percussion instruments. The program began with Josh’s own composition, “Life of a Secret Agent,” an upbeat jazz ensemble piece. Seven students joined Josh to create an ensemble including timpani, shaker, tambourine, and bass guitar, and featuring Ryan Moore, Maria Gramm, and Chris White on mallet percussion instruments. Josh took center stage on the drum set for this piece. The audience thoroughly enjoyed his opening number. Josh followed this with “Arithmetic,” a multi-percussion solo by Milton Kaye, and “Eyes Right,” a snare drum solo by Fred Hoey. Following an intermission, Josh commenced his recital with two movements of a playful marimba piece by Alice Gomez entitled Scenes from Mexico. Two pieces by Mitchell Peters followed: “Tribal Serenade,” a timpani solo, and “Sea Refractions,” a mesmerizing marimba solo. Josh’s sense of humor shone through when he played “Keyboard” on vibraphone with Maria Gramm. “Keyboard” is the piece that plays in Saturday Night Live while Jimmy Fallon pens “thank you notes.” Throughout the piece, Josh thanked professors and students who have helped him in his college career, using inside jokes to make the acknowledgements humorous. The recital concluded with the impressive Sonata for Solo Timpani by John Beck. This three movement sonata included a movement using hands instead of mallets and many difficult and quick rhythms. The recital displayed Josh’s diverse talents and hard work, and the audience responded enthusiastically. The Music Department is very proud of Josh’s accomplishment and looks forward to seeing how he uses his talents after he graduates in December.

Maria Gramm's Senior Recital

 

On Sunday, November 15, Maria Gramm performed her Senior Recital in the Newman Recital Hall at College of the Ozarks. The recital began with Maria and fellow percussionist Josh Pruitt playing field drums to Don’t Touch the Sun from Delta Soul Revival. Adding an element of humor, they reenacted an incident that occurred at a music festival in Springfield, Missouri, where a bum danced so close to Maria that her drumstick caught in his pocket. Al Lohman, former C of O Jazz and Pep Band director, played the role of the bum. After the amusing reenactment, Maria and Josh switched to the marimba and were joined by Dylan Coleton on the bells and Lucas Allen on the xylophone for an original arrangement by Maria and Josh of the Theme Song from The Rugrats. Maria and Dylan Coleton played marimba, Lucas Allen xylophone, and Josh Pruitt on vibraphone for Rainbows by Alice Gomez. For Night Piece for Morris Goldenberg by Norman Lloyd, and Four Pieces for Timpani by John Bergamo, Maria played multi-percussion and timpani, respectively. Following the intermission, Maria walked on stage in a vibrant orange gown and played Rocky Rhythm by Sidney Berg on snare drum. She played marimba, Dylan Coleton played vibraphone, and Lucas Allen played xylophone for AMALGATION by Michal Culligan. Maria played marimba for her last piece Gitano “Gypsy” by Alice Gomez. Maria expressed her appreciation of her friends and teachers at C of O, saying “…family isn’t just who you’re related to, it’s the people right here who love and care for you.” The Music Department is very proud of Maria and all she has accomplished, and looks forward to what she will continue to achieve musically.

Walker Boldman's Senior Recital

 
On Saturday, November 14, violinist Walker Boldman performed his senior recital. The recital consisted entirely of classical violin repertoire performed in chronological order. The opening number was the fifth movement of J. S. Bach’s Partita for Violin No. 2 in D minor (“Chaconne”). The “Chaconne” is a technically challenging, fifteen minute long Classical solo which Boldman performed from memory. Fellow students joined Walker on the next two pieces. Kaylen Draschil, a freshman piano major, played the duet part for the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major (“Allegro”). C of O students Thomas Nissen and Collin Hill on violin and cello, and Drury University student Celka Ojakangas on viola joined Walker to create a quartet for the first movement of String Quartet No. 2 in D Major (“Allegro”), a lush, melodic composition by Russian Nationalist composer, Alexander Borodin. After an intermission, Marilyn Dunn accompanied Walker for his last two pieces. Walker performed the first two movements of Ernest Bloch’s Baal Shem, “Three Pictures of Chassidic Life,” a dramatic, lyrical piece. The final piece was Austrian composer Ottokar Novacek’s Perpetuum Mobile, a piece consisting entirely of sixteenth notes played at a rapid pace with melodic themes woven throughout. Walker’s impressive and exemplary musicianship was met with an enthusiastic response from many beloved family, friends, and teachers who did not hesitate in giving a standing ovation. Walker ended the recital on a bittersweet note, playing Meditations by Massenet, the first song he ever performed at C of O, as an encore. Walker will graduate this December with a double major in math and music. He has been accepted to a graduate program in Material Science Engineering at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he also has an opportunity to play violin with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. The people in the Music Department look forward to seeing how the Lord guides Walker’s path and uses his gift of musicianship.

 

 

NATS Competition Audition

Students that competed in the NATS Musical Theater Division:

From left to right. Top row: Josiah Mullins. 2nd Row:

James Zeller, Josh Whisler. 3rd Row: Caroline Jackson, 

Haly Johnson, Madeline Clem. 4th Row: Sierra Johnson,

 Madeline Cherrito.

On Saturday, October 31, a large group of Applied Voice students from College of the Ozarks participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Student Auditions for the Ozark region at MSU. According to the NATS website, “NATS is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world,” and their mission is “To encourage the highest standards of the vocal art and of ethical principles in the teaching of singing; and to promote vocal education and research at all levels, both for the enrichment of the general public and for the professional advancement of the talented.” Student Auditions is one of NATS’s most widely recognized events. At the auditions, students sing multiple pieces they have prepared for a panel of teachers who provide comments and score the students. The scores are compared to determine first, second, and third place winners in various divisions. The winners receive cash prizes, and the first place winners perform in a winners’ recital at the end of the day. This year, College of the Ozarks had more participation in the auditions than ever before. Eight students sang for the Music Theater auditions in the morning and six students sang for the Classical auditions in the afternoon. Students represented the voice studios of Ms. Jennifer Wolcott, Mrs. Kristin Cartwright, Mr. Gregg Busch, and Dr. John Cornish. Cartwright, Busch, and Cornish participated in logistical roles and as judges at the auditions. Three C of O students placed in the competition. Jordan Hake, a sophomore music major, placed third in the Lower College Men division of the Classical auditions. Madeline Cherrito, a senior musical theater and studio art major, placed third in the Upper College Music Theater Men and Women division. Josh Whisler, a senior musical theater major, became the first student to ever place first in the Upper College divisions for both the Classical and Music Theater auditions in the same day. At the conclusion of the day, Whisler performed “Her Face” from Carnival and “Warm as the Autumn Light” from The Ballad of Baby Doe in the winners’ recital. The students represented the College of the Ozarks Music Department excellently with their performances. The Department is very proud of these students’ accomplishments, and especially proud of Josh Whisler for his outstanding achievement.

Josh Whisler placed first in the Upper College divisions
for both the Classical and Music Theater.