Students to Perform and Conduct in OBU’s Concerto-Aria Concert Feb. 19
February 14, 2023
The OBU Division of Music will present the 49th annual Concerto-Aria concert in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium Sunday, Feb. 19, on the OBU campus in Shawnee. Eight students will perform as soloists, all accompanied by a full orchestra, while one student will conduct the orchestra for Andante Festivo. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. and the public is invited to attend the free event.
The first Concerto-Aria concert was organized in 1974 as a way for outstanding musical performers to have the opportunity to appear with a live orchestra and perform repertoire from the great catalogues of piano concertos and opera arias. Some years later, instrumental concertos and other works were added to the performances, including original compositions by student composers.
The Concerto-Aria Orchestra is composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the public. Dr. Timothy Kaiser, assistant professor of instrumental music education, will conduct the orchestra.
Catherine Burgess, soprano and junior musical arts major from Shawnee, Oklahoma, will perform V'adoro pupille (Giulio Cesare) by George Frideric Handel.
Katelynn Fair, soprano and junior musical arts major with a minor in education from Moore, Oklahoma, will perform Dearest Mama (The Ballad of Baby Doe) by Douglas Moore.
Brock Brown, tenor and senior musical arts major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will take the podium and conduct the orchestra in Andante Festivo, a composition by the famed Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
Makayla Freeman, soprano and senior vocal music education major from Seabeck, Washington, will perform Caro nome (Rigoletto) by Giuseppe Verdi."
Emily Day, soprano and junior music education major from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, will perform Ah! Je veux vivre (Roméo et Juliette) by Charles Gounod.
Kaylee Spangler, flute player and freshman music performance major from Glenpool, Oklahoma, will perform Sonata for Flute and Piano, No. 1 Allegro malinconica by Francis Poulenc.
Natalie Bright, soprano and junior graphic design major from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, will be singing Steal Me, Sweet Thief (The Old Maid and the Thief) by Gian Carlo Menotti.
Cason West, baritone and senior musical arts major from Bushland, Texas, will perform Soliloquy (Carousel) by Richard Rodgers.
Ryleigh Andrews, junior vocal music education major from Choctaw, Oklahoma, will perform Prés des remparts de Séville (Carmen) by Georges Bizet.
Learn more about the Division of Music at OBU.