2021-2022
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Welcome back! After an unusual year of limited arts events due to the pandemic, Ouachita is excited to present new concerts, recitals, theatre productions and art exhibitions. It is going to be a fantastic year for the Ouachita Arts Series! Ouachita is entering its seventh season of presenting world-class artists who entertain and amaze our audiences with remarkable creative endeavors by Ouachita students, faculty and guests. This year’s Arts Series will bring worldclass performers, musicians, art exhibitions and productions to campus. The season will feature a winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition, pianist Rachel Breen, as well as a host of instrumental talents including Dr. Robert Fant, horn professor at the University of Memphis; Dr. Thomas Burritt, percussion professor at the University of Texas at Austin; and Christopher Adkins, principal cellist for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and cello instructor at Southern Methodist University. Four guest art exhibitions will be displayed on campus this year, featuring the work of five artists. Our theatre and music programs will present two joint productions, “H.M.S. Pinafore” in the fall and “Godspell” in the spring. In addition to our guest artists, Ouachita faculty members Ms. Kara Claybrook, Dr. Mary Chung, Dr. Carlos Feller, Dr. Cai Lei, Dr. Ryan Lewis and Dr. Margaret Garrett will share their musical talents with our Ouachita community. Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts will complement the Arts Series with a wide array of concerts, recitals and opera; plays, musicals and dramas; and both faculty and senior art exhibits. You can find more information on these events at obu.edu/finearts or by following us on Facebook. Whether you are visiting us as a season ticket-holder, a member of the Friends of Fine Arts or just for a single event, your presence and partnership are invaluable. We’re glad to be back, so I hope you will join us for an exciting year of celebrating artistic excellence. Dr. Gary Gerber Dean of Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts
MUSIC
Christopher Adkins
Rachel Breen
Christopher Adkins held positions with the Milwaukee, Denver and New Haven symphonies before joining the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as principal cellist and Fannie & Stephen S. Kahn Chair. As the longtime cellist and conductor of contemporary music group Voices of Change, Adkins was nominated for a Grammy award for the group’s “Voces Americanas.” He serves as an adjunct professor of cello in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.
Juilliard-trained Rachel Breen has won prizes for outstanding piano performance in competitions across Italy, Spain and France. In 2021, she was among five musicians honored with a Young Artist Award by the National Federation of Music Clubs and was chosen to compete as a semifinalist in the Beethoven Vienna International Competition. She is pursuing dual master’s degrees at the Hochschule für Musik in Hanover, Germany, and the Yale University School of Music.
Carlos Feller
Robert Fant
An enthusiast of new music for flute, soloist and chamber musician Dr. Carlos Feller has performed at the International Computer Music Conference in New Orleans, the International Michel Debost Composition Competition in Curitiba, Brazil, and at the XV Biennial Festival of New Music at Florida State University. Feller is director of the Hot Springs Flute Ensemble, teaches at the International Flute Workshop in Roccasecca, Italy, and serves on the music faculty at Ouachita.
As a teacher, musician, composer and recording artist, Dr. Robert Fant brings a world perspective to his work. He has held the position of principal horn with the London Chamber Orchestra, Teatro Municipal de Santiago and Guiyang Symphony, and section positions with the Auckland (New Zealand) Philharmonia Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of India. He is also a past finalist for the Carnegie Hall ACJW Fellowship. Fant is assistant professor of horn at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis.
Thomas Burritt
Mary Chung
Margaret Garrett
Cai Lei
Active in the creation and performance of new music for percussion, Dr. Thomas Burritt has built a reputation in chamber music as a percussion soloist and a concert marimba player. In 2009, he received a Grammy nomination for his performance with the Austin, Texas-based choir Conspirare on “Conspirare in Concert.” Burritt teaches percussion and serves as director of percussion studies in the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Margaret Garrett’s musical interests range from opera to musical theatre and rock ‘n’ roll. Her program for the Arts Series explores art song settings of poetry by American writers including Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sylvia Plath, Dorothy Parker and Lucille Clifton. She will be joined by the Ouachita Percussion Ensemble for an encore performance of a chamber work titled “Twelve Virtues.” At Ouachita, Garrett teaches applied voice and vocal literature, as well as courses about The Beatles.
Dr. Mary Chung is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Music in the Dominican Republic. She is an award-winning soloist and collaborative artist who has performed nationally and internationally. During her doctoral studies, Chung received a University of Southern Mississippi Doctoral Assistantship Award, given to doctoral students who have demonstrated outstanding work. She serves as coordinator of the piano department at Ouachita.
Dr. Cai Lei began his piano training at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of six. He has collaborated with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and recorded and premiered works by renowned Chinese composers for Radio Shanghai. Cai has received numerous awards and has taught and performed internationally, including appearances at the Sydney Opera House and the International Piano Conference in Portugal. He is a professor of piano at Ouachita.
Ryan Lewis
Dr. Ryan C. Lewis has performed as timpanistpercussionist with many professional symphony orchestras and under the direction of maestros Keith Lockhart, David Zinman and Leonard Slatkin. He has given solo, chamber and lecture-recital presentations internationally and has appeared with Mannheim Steamroller, Smokey Robinson and Haiqiong Deng in her Carnegie Hall debut. Lewis is associate professor of percussion at Ouachita, where he also directs the percussion ensemble, Tiger Drum Line and steel ensembles.
Priscila Navarro
Peruvian pianist Priscila Navarro has won numerous awards in competitions including the LisztGarrison competition, the 20th International Chopin Competition of Texas, the Imola (Italy) City Awards, the Vigo (Spain) International Piano Competition: City of Vigo “Argerich Edition” and the Heida Hermanns International Competition in Westport, Conn. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance and pedagogy from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and serves as artistic director of the Parnassus International Piano Competition, hosted in Peru.
Caitlin Secrest
Vocalist, director and teacher Caitlin Secrest is performing her sixth season in Branson, Mo., where her credits include “Broadway’s Greatest Hits,” “Anthems of Rock” and “Sinatra & Friends.” She’s also been featured in productions at Wildwood Theatre in Minneapolis, Minn., the Missoula (Mont.) Children’s Theatre and the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Secrest received a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at Ouachita and is the daughter of Ouachita professors Drs. Jon and Glenda Secrest.
Ricercata Winds
Ricercata Winds is a newly-formed woodwind quintet whose members bring a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to the chamber music idiom. The group includes Dr. Carlos Feller, professor of flute and music theory at Ouachita; Dr Galit Kaunitz, assistant professor of oboe at the University of Southern Mississippi; Dr. Michael Rowlett, associate professor of clarinet and music literature at the University of Mississippi at Oxford; Dr. Daryn Zubke, professor of bassoon at the University of Memphis; and Dr. Emily Britton, who teaches horn at the University of Louisville. Ricercata Winds is joined in concert by soprano Mary Wilson, voice professor at the University of Memphis.
Guest Artist Series
ART AND DESIGN
“Be Here to Love Me” • Liz Sanders
Crowded Spaces • Treslyn Shipley
Liz Sanders is a photographer based in Little Rock. Her photo-documentary series Be Here to Love Me focuses on her father’s struggle with dementia as well as the bond of family during illness. She has shown her work in group exhibitions including the Helsinki Photo Festival, “On Site 2019” at the Trestle Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C. Her work has been featured in numerous print publications including The New York Review of Books, TIME and The Nation. Sanders is a recipient of both the Magnum Foundation and the Rita and Alex K. Hillman Foundation Fellowships for her documentary work and was recently named a winner of 1854 Media’s inaugural Fast Track initiative year as an open call for fresh, unsigned artists.
Whether fulfilling commissions or creating personal pieces, Treslyn Shipley strives to make art that is approachable to any viewer. Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Shipley seeks to highlight commonalities among all human beings, so she began painting crowds of people interacting in large, public spaces. This theme became more meaningful to her after COVID-19 dramatically altered social interactions. What began as an experiment in portraying relatable scenes quickly transformed from a subtle narrative of everyday life into a nostalgic and even ironic observation of elements missing during quarantine. The pieces included in “Crowded Spaces” offer a mixture of moments lost to a year of social isolation— relatable scenes reflecting simple luxuries often taken for granted, as well as the hope we are working toward as a people for a better future.
Ceramics Work • Logan Hunter & Hannah May Sticks and Stones • Donna Pinckley Louisiana native Donna Pinckley has lived in the South all her life. Her art deals with the human condition and has evolved into her current body of work that addresses racism. Pinckley received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Texas at Austin and is a professor of art at the University of Central Arkansas. Her photographs have been exhibited both nationally and internationally in more than 200 shows including the Griffin Museum of Photography and The Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 160 in Bath, UK. She is included in several public collections, such as the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and the University of Veracruz in Xalapa, Mexico.
As studio art students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Logan Hunter and Hannah May met in the UALR ceramics studio and began an artistic collaboration that eventually led them to open their own studio. Since 2012, they have taught ceramics and helped set up community ceramics classes and spaces around the state. Because Hunter moved frequently as a child, his art often reflects his interest in the duality that exists between placement and displacement. His recent work explores themes of movement and place, incorporating imagery inspired by his travels in the Midwest and South. May considers the concept of security in her work, using chairs as symbols of rest, safety and the life cycle of material objects. Hunter and May live and work in central Arkansas.
T H E AT R E A R T S Clowning Intensive • James Peck
Saturday and Sunday, February 5-6, 2022 Ouachita Baptist University // Verser Theatre Director, actor, writer and producer James Peck brings more than 30 years’ experience in clown performance styles including Theater of the Oppressed, commedia, bufon and Brecht. He was an instructor for more than 10 years at the Dell’arte International School of Physical Theater, where he taught courses in play, the vocal body, ensemble devising, mask, clown, melodrama and tragedy. Peck is co-founder of OpenArt, a company committed to reflective change through the arts, and is a member of “The Mysterious Brandisher of Magic” — a clown trio recently selected to perform during the Play the Fool and New York Clown festivals.
Broadway Dance Masterclass • J. Austin Eyer Saturday, October 23, from 3-5 p.m. Henderson State University // Arkansas Hall Dance Studio
J. Austin Eyer started his performance career on Broadway, appearing in “The Secret Garden,” “Curtains,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Billy Elliot,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Evita.” He’s choreographed for Off Broadway productions, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For the past 15 years, he’s taught theatre at New York University, Penn State University and Collaborative Arts Project 21. Eyer holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU and a Master of Fine Arts from Penn State. He is assistant professor and area head of the BFA program in musical theatre at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Guest Artist Series
Music Ouachita Choirs Concert
Tuesday, September 14, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Faculty Recital: Kara Claybrook, soprano Monday, October 18, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Women’s Chorus & Ouachita Singers: Fall Concert Tuesday, October 19, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Faculty Recital: Dr. Cai Lei, piano Thursday, October 28, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Wind Ensemble: Fall Concert Monday, October 25, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Guest Artist Dr. Robert Fant, horn Tuesday, November 2, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Opera Workshop: “HMS Pinafore”
A Service of Lessons and Carols Monday, December 6, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Band Christmas Concert
Tuesday, December 7, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Steel Drum Concert
Wednesday, December 8, 8 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Concerto Competition
Friday, December 10, 3 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Virginia Queen Piano Competition Friday, February 11, 3 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Guest Artist Dr. Priscila Navarro, piano Friday, February 11, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Thursday-Sunday, November 4-7, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center Tickets: $12
Faculty Recital: Dr. Ryan Lewis, percussion
Guest Artist Dr. Christopher Adkins, cello
Shambarger Competition for Singers
Tuesday, November 9, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Tuesday, February 22, 2 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Jazz Band: Fall Concert
Faculty Recital: Caitlin Secrest, vocalist
Tuesday, November 16, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, February 22, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Chamber Winds Concert
Jazz Band: Spring Concert
Thursday, November 18, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Monday, February 28, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Guest Artist Dr. Thomas Burritt and Percussion Ensemble Concert
Wind Ensemble: Spring Concert
Monday, November 22, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
A Festival of Christmas
Friday-Saturday, December 3-4, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center Tickets: $12
Monday, February 21, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Monday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Faculty Recital: Dr. Carlos Feller, flute, and Dr. Mary Chung, piano Tuesday, March 8, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Symphonic Band: Spring Concert Thursday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Chamber Winds Concert
Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Guest Artists Ricercata Winds Tuesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Percussion Ensemble Concert Monday, April 11, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Faculty Recital: Dr. Margaret Garrett, soprano Tuesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Concert Choir: Spring Concert Tuesday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Prism Concert
Monday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Women’s Chorus & Ouachita Singers: Spring Concert Tuesday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
David Allen Glaze Music Competition Thursday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. McBeth Recital Hall
Steel Drum Concert
Wednesday, May 4, 8 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center
Student Recitals
Student recitals are held throughout the fall and spring. Please visit obu.edu/boxoffice for the most current information on these events. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Theatre “Into the Breeches!’
Set in 1942, “Into the Breeches!” details the story of the Oberon Play House and its production of Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” The play house’s director and its leading men are off fighting in the war, which inspires the director’s wife to put on an all-female production of the show. These inexperienced yet determined actresses soon discover the difficulties of theatre as they embrace the true meaning of the phrase, “The show must go on!” Thursday-Saturday & Monday, September 23-25 & 27, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, September 26, 2:30 p.m. Verser Theatre • Tickets: $10
Broadway Dance Masterclass
A masterclass for current theatre students taught by J. Austin Eyer Saturday, October 23, from 3-5 p.m. Arkansas Hall Dance Studio at Henderson State University
“H.M.S Pinafore”
Written by Gilbert & Sullivan, this comic opera portrays a satiric understanding of class systems. The story takes place aboard a
Royal Navy ship where the captain’s daughter is forced to choose between love and duty. Thursday-Saturday, November 4-6, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 7, 2:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center Tickets: $12
Student-Directed One-Act Plays
Thursday-Friday, December 9-10, 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, May 5-6, 7:30 p.m. Verser Theatre
Clowning Intensive
A masterclass for current theatre students taught by James Peck Saturday and Sunday, February 5-6 Verser Theatre
“Tanglewood” Written and directed by senior musical theatre student Sammy Campione, “Tanglewood” is a musical production about a forest imbued with magical qualities courtesy of the mystical Gardener.
Thursday & Saturday, February 17 & 19, 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, February 19-20, 2:30 p.m. Verser Theatre • Tickets: $10
Ten-Minute Play Festival
The culminating performances of the All Night Theatre Festival sponsored by Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Fraternity. Saturday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. Verser Theatre
“Godspell”
With music by Stephen Schwartz, “Godspell” depicts Jesus and a group of people who help him tell a series of parables—particularly those from the Gospel of Matthew— interspersed with songs reflecting a wide variety of musical theatre genre and influences. Schwartz’s fun-natured score and John-Michael Tebelak’s script create a show that truly portrays Jesus’ overarching lessons of kindness and love. Thursday-Saturday, April 7-9, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10, 2:30 p.m. Jones Performing Arts Center Tickets: $12
Art & Design Guest Artist Exhibit: “Crowded Spaces”
Treslyn Shipley Tuesday, August 24-Sunday, October 3 Rosemary Gossett Adams Galleries, Moses-Provine Hall
Guest Artist Exhibit: Ceramics Work
Logan Hunter and Hannah May Wednesday, January 19-Friday, February 18 Rosemary Gossett Adams Galleries, Moses-Provine Hal
Guest Artist Exhibits: “Sticks and Stones” & “Be Here to Love Me”
Donna Pinckley & Liz Sanders Monday, February 28-Friday, April 1 Rosemary Gossett Adams Galleries, Moses-Provine Hal
Juried Student Exhibit
Student works selected by a professional juror; sponsored by the OBU Art Club April-September 2022 Hammons Gallery, Mabee Fine Arts Center
Graduating Senior Exhibits
Student gallery exhibits are held throughout the fall and spring. Please visit obu.edu/boxoffice for the most current information on these events. All events are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Additional receptions and workshops in conjunction with exhibits will be announced at a later date. Visit obu.edu/boxoffice for the most current information on these events.
Friends of Fine Arts M E M B E R S H I P I N F O R M AT I O N The School of Fine Arts at Ouachita seeks to produce artists, educators, scholars and spiritual leaders who integrate their intellect and faith with their art, and their art with their Christian worldview. We appreciate your interest in our work, and we invite you to partner with us by becoming a member of the Friends of Fine Arts. This group of dedicated donors inspires and encourages the creative endeavors of Ouachita’s arts students and faculty through contributions that directly support their ongoing work. Each tax-deductible gift funds student scholarships and special projects proposed by faculty to improve the quality of our performance and instructional environments. When you join this valuable effort, you’ll receive First Look emails that will help you stay connected by providing you with the latest information about upcoming performances and exhibits, as well as glances behind the scenes. As a token of our gratitude, you’ll also find your name included in the programs on our Donor Support Board when you attend our productions and concerts.
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS q $50 Patron’s Circle q $100 Performer’s Circle q $500 Artist’s Circle
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$1,000 Conductor’s Circle $5,000 Dean’s Circle
PLEASE VISIT OBU.EDU/GIVE TO JOIN AND DESIGNATE “FRIENDS OF FINE ARTS”
Ticket Info TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT OBU.EDU/BOXOFFICE, BY PHONE AT 870-245-5555 OR IN PERSON MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 1-5 P.M. AT THE JONES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. QUESTIONS? EMAIL BOXOFFICE@OBU.EDU.
OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
410 Ouachita Street • Box 3771 Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71998-0001