ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Tom Burge in a guest trombone recital Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. The recital will be held in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall, and it is free and open to the public.
A native of Australia, Burge is a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and serves as an announcer for WDAV, the public radio station of Davidson College, where he is also an adjunct faculty member.
He “has studied in-depth with two of the premier trombonists living today, Michael Mulcahy of the Chicago Symphony and Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic,” noted Dr. Justin Isenhour, OBU assistant professor of music.
Burge “brings extensive performance and teaching experience to OBU with an international background that fits our liberal arts mission,” Isenhour said. “Bringing in artists like Tom is like bringing a sliver of the study abroad experience to campus.
“Furthermore,” he added, “it is my hope that our students will grow in their own playing through interaction with Mr. Burge and be inspired by his commitment to the art of music-making. He is dedicated to performance at the highest level and truly believes in the transformative power of music.”
The Jan 29. recital will include the prelude to Bach’s “5th Cello Suite,” “White Night and Beaver” by Martin Wesley-Smith and “Jazz Etudes” by Jack Gale. Isenhour will join Burge for Michael Davis’ “Trombone Institute of Technology.” The recital will conclude with two additional standard selections from the trombone repertoire, Camille Saint-Saens’ “Cavatine” and F. Alexandre Guilmant’s “Morceau Symphonique.” For these two pieces, Burge will be accompanied by OBU’s Dr. Adam Haas on the piano.
During his visit to Ouachita, Burge will also give a masterclass for music students and speak with mass communications students about his work at WDAV.
Burge has performed with numerous symphonies throughout the U.S. and Australia and has performed solo at a variety of musical festivals around the world. He holds a master’s degree from The Juilliard School in New York and has served on the faculties of South Carolina State University and the Australian National University School of Music and has given masterclasses at many more.
For more information, contact OBU’s School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.
