Ouachita Baptist University’s Handbell Ringers will present their fall concert, “Ringers in the Round” Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the rotunda of McClellan Hall on Ouachita’s campus. The concert is free and open to the public.
“Since the ringers are all students who plan to one day direct their own worship programs, it is an opportunity for them to apply in a performance setting all the techniques they will eventually be teaching their own handbell choirs,” said Handbell Ringers director John Alec Briggs, adjunct instructor of music.
“Most of us had never rung handbells before, so we didn’t really know what to expect during our rehearsals,” said Shelby Sutton, a member of Handbell Ringers. “He’s been so encouraging during our rehearsals. He’s made it so much fun.”
The concert will include “A Joyful Peal” by Michael Bedford, “Prelude in E Minor” by J.S. Bach, “Lascia ch’io pianga” from “Rinaldo” by G.F. Handel, “Quiet Praise” by Dan R. Edwards and Edwards’ arrangement of “Fairest Lord Jesus.”
For guests, the concert will be “an opportunity to experience McClellan in a different way,” Briggs noted. “A space usually just walked through on the way to class, the acoustic is very much like that of an English village church. Come join us and discover one of Ouachita’s hidden gems.”
He added that the 30-minute concert was planned so that guests “will be able to enjoy the show between dinner and the performance in Verser Theatre that night.” Ouachita’s Department of Theatre Arts will present “Lord of the Flies” at 7:30 p.m. that evening.
Performers for Ringers in the Round include: Margaret Geoffrion, a sophomore worship arts major from Hot Springs, Ark.; Amy Catherine Lytle, a sophomore worship arts major from Plano, Texas; Annie McMurray, a senior worship arts major from Lindale, Texas; Bailey Morris, a senior music education major from Mesquite, Texas; Morgan Reynolds, a junior worship arts major from Allen, Texas; Wes Savage, a senior worship arts major from Rudy, Ark.; Shelby Sutton, a senior worship arts major from Little Elm, Texas; and Emily Weeden, a junior worship arts major from Rogers, Ark.
For more information, contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.
By Emily Grigsby
