The Ouachita Baptist University Concert Choir will perform George Frideric Handel’s magnificent oratorio Messiah on Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jones Performing Arts Center on the campus of OBU.
The 125-voice chorus is conducted by Dr. Gary Gerber, Director of Choral Activities at OBU.
Handel’s Messiah is the most popular and respected choral work among the musical public. After its first performance in 1742 it quickly gained acceptance among the musical world as one of the greatest oratorios ever composed. “Our students have enjoyed learning this music,” says Dr. Gerber. “This work is a dramatic piece in which the chorus portrays the gamut of emotions from the glory of the announcement of the birth of Christ, to the suffering and scorn of the crucifixion of Christ, to the final triumphant resurrection.” Since 1742, Messiah has been performed thousands of times by choruses around the world.
The soloist for Messiah include current and former music faculty from Ouachita. Dr. Glenda Secrest, associate professor of music, will sing the soprano role; Mrs. Cindy Fuller, lecturer in music, will sing the alto role; Dr. Jon Secrest, professor of music, will sing the tenor role; and Dr. Iwao Asakura, assistant professor of music at Mississippi State University and former OBU music faculty, will sing the bass role.
The chorus will be accompanied by members of the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and the OBU Wind Ensemble. The harpsichordist is Glenda Aldridge, OBU music faculty member and longtime Arkadelphia native and choral director at Arkadelphia High School. “We are excited about having an orchestra accompany the chorus and soloists,” states Dr. Gerber. “This is a work that needs the instrumental forces to bring it to life.”
Tickets for the concert are $5 for adults and $3 for students with an ID. To purchase tickets please call the OBU Box Office at 870-245-5563, or go online to www.obu.edu/finearts.
