Ouachita Singers set to go on tour

BY KAELIN CLAY Staff Writer

Ouachita Singers is set to depart for their second tour of the academic year on Feb. 5. The group is traveling to Northwest Arkansas to perform pieces like “Wena Weda,” a traditional Zulu piece; “Venite Exultemus Domino” by Jan Pieterszoo Sweelinck; “Beati Quorum Via” by Charles Villiers Stanford; “Thank You for the Music” from Mama Mia and many more. Another song they are taking with them is “Sing Unto God” written by Frances McBeth, who was on the music faculty at Ouachita for over 40 years.

On their way to the Northwest portion of the state, the group is making a pit stop and joining Ouachita’s Concert Choir at Geyer Springs Baptist Church in Little Rock to perform a set of worship music. With a selection like this, director of Ouachita Singers, Dr. Joshua Brown, is looking forward to a second stellar comeback tour.

“Singers tours at least once per year,” Brown said. “This year we are making up for the COVID years by going to two. We went to the Dallas area this past fall and are going to NW Arkansas this semester. “I have been planning to sing at Geyer Springs and tour Northwest Arkansas for multiple years, but COVID has prevented us from touring. So, this is the first time I have actually ever been to Northwest Arkansas. That said, it is always special when we get to tour and share our music with folks outside of campus.”

In addition to Geyer Springs attendees, students in Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville will have the joy of listening to Ouachita’s premiere choral ensemble while the musical faculty hopes that those students will choose Ouachita to master and grow their musical craft and capabilities.

“We tour to share our choral music outside of Ouachita – primarily with high school students in the hopes that they will consider coming to Ouachita for college,” Brown said.

One particular Ouachita student has an interesting, yet not unique, experience with being enticed by a tour much like this one in her high school days. Ouachita Singers president Julia Letcher shares her excitement for students who are in the position she was once in.

“I am most looking forward to meeting students who could someday come to Ouachita,” Letcher said. “I came here to pursue musical theatre because Ouachita Singers came to my high school, and it was cool when I got here to be able to sing with some of those students.”

Tours like this one not only create an attachment to Ouachita for high school students, but they also tie together the choir that has already been bonding throughout this school year. With church, scheduled meals and rides together, there are plenty of opportunities for the choir to curate memories that will remind them of the friendship found in their making of beautiful music.

“We get to spend a lot of time together on the bus and in between times, so we get to know one another well,” Letcher said. “This helps our music because we have trust with one another as an ensemble and our sound is more cohesive and balanced.”

You can keep up with Ouachita Singers’ adventures by following their Instagram handle @ouachitasingers.