糖心vlog官网 will present its annual time-honored Christmas tradition, Service of Lessons and Carols, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel.

There is no cost for admission and the public is invited to attend.

The service will include scripture readings by U of O students, faculty and staff as well as performances by the University Choir, under the direction of Professor Jill Van Buren.

The choir will perform three pieces:  Veni, veni Emmanuel arranged by Zoltan Kodaly; Riu Riu Chiu (a Spanish carol)  with soloists Pablo Cospin De Leon, Sherlyn Silva Hernandez, Chelsea Sauceda Rodreguez, and Zach Hanson; and O Come All Ye Faithful with soloist Marilou Crow and percussionist Doc Fulbright

Dr. Sharon Gorman, professor emeritus of music, will be playing the organ for the other pieces with congregational singing.

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Jill Van Buren and Eduardo Guzman have joined the 糖心vlog官网 Music Department as adjunct faculty members for the 2025-26 academic year.

Van Buren, who has previously served as an adjunct voice instructor at Ozarks, will serve as the director of the University Chorus. She has been an active music educator in the Arkansas River Valley since 2014, with a broad teaching background that spans K鈥�12 public schools, private instruction, and collegiate-level voice. She has taught a wide range of musical disciplines, including choral directing, general music, music theory, and private voice and piano.

Van Buren also served as an adjunct voice instructor at Don Tyson School of Innovation in Springdale, Ark.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in music education with a vocal emphasis from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and is currently pursuing a master’s of music education degree at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Guzman, who has 15 years of experience in the music and theater industry and nearly 100 production credits, is a professional pianist, music director, and producer 鈥� and recent Arkansas transplant. He will accompany Ozarks choir rehearsals, teach voice lessons to students of all levels, and offer beginner piano lessons.

Guzman said his approach is focused on a concept called Growth Mindset, which simply says “the harder you work, the better you can become.” This approach has proven effective with students and creative professionals alike, earning Guzman local and national recognition for music direction, vocal coaching, and student performances.

In 2014, Guzman founded PMT Productions, a Houston-based production company focused on contemporary, fringe musical theater and commercial music productions. In 2018, he launched PMT YAS! Studio (PMT Young Artist Series), a youth theater company in Friendswood, Texas, that focused on creating an environment where students could become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the stage.

Guzman holds a bachelor’s degree in music in voice performance from Houston Baptist University. He is also a dual master of public service and master of business administration candidate at the University of Arkansas.

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Dr. Jisook Park has been hired to join the 糖心vlog官网 faculty as assistant professor of music 鈥� piano/staff collaborative pianist, beginning the 2024 Fall Semester.

Park most recently served as visiting assistant professor of piano and collaborative piano at Eastern New Mexico University, where she managed the piano program and accompanied students, guest artists, and faculty concerts.

Park holds a doctor of musical arts (DMA) degree in piano performance with a minor in opera coaching and accompanying from the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison. She has master鈥檚 and bachelor鈥檚 degrees in piano performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

At ENMU, Park said she worked with students at various levels of musical ability, 鈥渇rom complete beginners to those who were passionate about pursuing a career in music and piano. Additionally, I collaborated with local high school music teachers to organize a piano day event, where I performed concerts and recruited students interested in learning the piano.鈥�

Park has also worked as a full-time music teacher at a high school in Phoenix, and as a foreign lecturer at the UCSI University of Institute of Music in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In addition, she has served as a visiting music instructor and accompanist at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, a collaborative pianist at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and an artist pianist at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in New Orleans. She also taught piano and accompanied the school choir and musical productions at one of the most prestigious boarding schools in Switzerland, Leysin American School.

鈥淗aving such a diverse teaching experience all over the world during my early career has helped me to become a better educator,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned to collaborate with all sorts of staff members and students regardless of their racial or ethnic background, gender, age, language, religion, physical or mental limitations, or country of origin. As a Korean immigrant who has spent most of her adulthood in the U.S. while also teaching extensively in Europe and Asia, my multicultural background and teaching experiences have helped me become a better communicator, mentor, performer, and educator. Embracing diversity, I can relate to and interact with a broad spectrum of ethnic groups, utilizing various aspects of international cultures, along with my passion for music, to accomplish my mission as an educator.鈥�

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糖心vlog官网 senior Eber Mart铆nez Renteral will present his senior recital at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, in the Rowntree Recital Hall in the Walton Fine Arts Center.

The event is free and open to the public.

The tenor from Veracruz, Mexico, said he will be performing primarily classical songs from different countries.

鈥淭here will be some classic French romance, elegant Italian, and dramatic German,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, a pinch of musical theater, pop, and Mexican folk music.鈥�

Mart铆nez said knowing this will be his final concert at Ozarks 鈥渆vokes conflicting emotions.鈥�

鈥淚 feel ready to get closure from my college journey, and I know this recital will bring it to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淥n the other hand, I will miss the energy and acceptance of the Ozarks community towards the arts. There is a constant interest and support for artists that is hard to find outside. Nonetheless, I will try to make this performance the best possible, not only for me but also to encourage other students to share their talents and ideas. I hope that this recital can inspire someone to one day do the same or something even better.鈥�

Mart铆nez will be accompanied on the piano by Walton Professor of Music Dr. Sharon Gorman, who is retiring at the conclusion of this semester.

鈥淚n my four years here, I have developed great respect and admiration for Dr. Gorman as a professional, as well as a genuine appreciation for her,鈥� Mart铆nez said. 鈥淪he has been really encouraging and helpful to me, both as a student and as a person. Every time we have had the opportunity to perform together, it feels natural. For me, it is an honor that we can simultaneously leave this University and with an experience that will remain in our memories.鈥�

Mart铆nez, who is a math and music major, plans to attend graduate school following his graduation from Ozarks.

鈥淩ight now, I am looking forward to getting a master鈥檚 degree in data analytics while both producing and releasing music of my own,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y goal is to merge both of my majors in music production and analysis of the music market; mainly to give people the opportunity to share their talents, especially from Mexico and Central America. These are countries where artists have struggled for years to have decent incomes. I want to inspire a new culture where artists can obtain a quality lifestyle so they can keep our souls alive through their talents.鈥�

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The University Choir will present its annual Spring Concert at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, in Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel.

The University Choir is under the direction of Professor Katrina Twitty. The collaborative pianist will be Chandler Owen.

The concert will include performances by students Eber Martinez Renteral, Lucy Davis, Fabian Duenas, Carlos Molero Llopis, Katie Wilken, Clemia Neely, Naila Pierre, Stacie Roberts, Vee Brooks, and Asa Mawoko.

Among the songs the choir will sing include, 鈥淐ome All You People,鈥� 鈥淗e Gave His Life for Love,鈥� 鈥淲ere You There When They Crucified My Lord,鈥� and 鈥淭he Lord Bless You and Keep You.鈥�

The concert is open to the public and there is no cost for admission.

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糖心vlog官网 senior Seria Cash called it the highlight of her singing career after advancing last week to the semifinals of the Arkansas Chapter of the Southern National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) annual conference and student audition in Arkadelphia, Ark.

Cash, a psychology major and music minor from Nassau, The Bahamas, competed against dozens of other college students in the annual event, held on the campus of Henderson State University.

鈥淚 am extremely proud of Seria,鈥� said U of O vocal instructor Jill Van Buren. 鈥淪he put in hours of preparation leading up to her NATS audition last weekend, and it paid off.  She made it past the preliminary round and into the semifinals. Way to go, Seria.鈥�

Cash said it took a bit of persuading for her to enter her first collegiate singing competition.

鈥淢y voice professor, Jill Van Buren, told me about NATS around the ending part of last semester, more specifically, during the time we were preparing for the voice recital,鈥� Cash said. 鈥淭ruthfully, I would have never agreed or entered the competition because I thought I wasn’t good enough and that I didn’t sing that well. Sometimes, we’re not able to see, or believe in the gifts and talents that others see in us. Despite my reluctance, it was her persistence, her vision and the talent she saw in me that I decided to enter.鈥�

For the preliminary round, Cash said she chose to sing her strongest piece 鈥� 鈥淟e Violette鈥� by Alessandro Scarlatti. She also sang 鈥淐hanson D’amour鈥� in the preliminary round as well as in the semifinal round.

鈥淲ords cannot explain how I felt when I found out that I advanced to the semifinals,鈥� Cash said. 鈥淢inutes before I sang for the judges, I told Professor Van Buren and my other music professor, Katrina Twitty, that 鈥業’m just here to sing and have fun鈥� and I laughed. Advancing wasn’t even a thought for me, so when I saw that I did, I was shocked and laughed again.鈥�

Cash said performing seems to come naturally to her.

鈥淚 believe that by heart I’m a performer,鈥� she said. 鈥淲henever I’m on stage or in front of people, I transform into a character, or in this case the artist of a song, and I take those feelings of the piece and I express them. So, when I auditioned in front of the judges it was as if they weren’t there; only me, the pianist and the words of the songs.鈥�

Growing up, Cash鈥檚 teachers called her a songbird.

鈥淚’ve always had an interest in music,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I was a child, for fun, my cousins and I would sit and write songs together. When I got older, around 12, I started playing the piano and began composing pieces at 16. And while I never sang, I played during family gatherings and at events.鈥�

Cash said she鈥檚 learned to share her musical skills more readily in the past few years while at Ozarks.

鈥淢y music professors, Jill Van Buren and Katrina Twitty, through their words of encouragement and support always insist that I share my gifts and to continue learning music,鈥� Cash said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been great encouragers and supporters for me.鈥�

She hopes to combined her love of psychology with her music to pursue a career in musical therapy.

鈥淚 would love to help people through music,鈥� Cash said.

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糖心vlog官网 will present its annual time-honored Christmas tradition, A Service of Lessons and Carols, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel.

There is no cost to attend the service and the public is invited to attend.

The service will feature the University Choir, under the direction of Katrina Twitty, assistant professor of music.

Dr. Sharon Gorman, professor of music, will accompany the choir on the piano and organ, and Rev. Jeremy Wilhelmi, University chaplain, will lead the service.

The choir will be singing several Christmas classics, including “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

The event will include scripture readings by University students, faculty and staff.

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糖心vlog官网 senior music and mathematics major Eber Martinez Renteral is feeling both nervous and excited as he prepares to perform in his first vocal competition this week.

The tenor from Veracruz, Mexico, is a student in instructor Jill Van Buren鈥檚 Applied Voice Studio. He will compete against other college students in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) southern region conference Nov. 9-11 at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.  Dr. Sharon Gorman, professor of music, will serve as the collaborative pianist

鈥淎s a musician, I love watching people perform and express themselves with music, and there are always a lot of things to learn from others by watching them perform,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淧ersonally, participating in NATS gives me the opportunity to experience my first real music competition, which means a lot to me. Performing for people who have the same experience that I have every day makes me nervous and excited at the same time, but I am sure that every critique from the judges and partners will be highly constructive and nutritious for me. I am sure this experience will open the door for me to new perspectives, more knowledge, and friendships.鈥�

Martinez, a Walton Scholar who is scheduled to graduate in May 2024, said he learned about the NATS competition from Van Buren.

鈥淚t is an annual competition that seeks to encourage art and music through a wide range of people with diverse backgrounds and interests,鈥� he said. 鈥淚ts purpose is to help students obtain a wonderful experience where they can improve their abilities by performing and seeing more people perform. NATS is open to a variety of interests and categories, from classical music to musical theater. I first learned about NATS thanks to Professor Van Buren, who led me through the process and encouraged me to participate.鈥�

Martinez said he has loved music as long as he can remember.

鈥淢usic is, for me, one of the most effective ways to communicate ideas with people all over the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a musician, my goal is to communicate through my performances and compositions. I want to learn more about music technology and composition to be able to produce music for media like films, TV shows, documentaries, and more. However, I also want to be able to help talented people who cannot afford a big studio production by offering them tools to produce, record, and publish their music.鈥�

And, while music may be his first love, he hasn鈥檛 ruled out a career in another passion of his — mathematics.

鈥淩ight now, I am looking forward to specializing in music technology in graduate school, but I also expect to get a master’s degree eventually in data analytics,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檇 love to be able to combine both of those areas into a career.鈥�

Martinez said participating with the University choir in the recent All Hallows鈥� Eve Concert is one of the highlights of his time at Ozarks.

鈥淒ue to COVID, in my almost four years here, I had not been able to see this concert before, but I am glad I could not only see it but also participate in it before I graduate,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he cooperation of choir, students, and professors to make this event so fun and interesting was lovely and was a reminder for me of how magical music can be when you share it.鈥�

He also referenced his voice recital last year as another highlight.

鈥淚 had to perform a piece called 鈥業 Am Adolpho,鈥� and that was probably the hardest piece for me so far because of its burlesque emotion,鈥� he said. 鈥淎dolpho is a funny character who likes attention; he is pretty noisy and has excessive confidence. In order to interpret him, I had to fully get out of my comfort zone and act almost the opposite of what I would normally do. It was a big challenge full of emotions and adventure, but it all paid off when I was on stage and people enjoyed themselves for a few minutes with my work.鈥�

Martinez said he can鈥檛 believe he is less than six months away from graduation.

鈥淏eing so close to graduation and realizing that I will not see this campus and people for a long time makes me examine my experiences so far here,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ertainly, there are bad days, and not always things happen the way I want them to, but I would not change anything. Ozarks has given me the chance to learn and share with professors on a professional level and to hear their most honest opinions and experiences. I have built friendships that once were one building away from me, and now they are about 3,300 miles away, but still feel so close. I have been in places and developed abilities that I did not even want to, and now they are part of me and my personality. Ozarks is not only a college, but it has also become my second home, and it is sad to think that soon I will have to move out. Fortunately, my hand will not be empty when I leave, but full of great experiences and people that will never leave my mind and my heart.鈥�

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After a three-year hiatus, a long-standing, late-October tradition at 糖心vlog官网 is returning this year, perhaps for the final time.

The 20th-annual All Hallows鈥� Eve Concert will be held in Munger-Wilson Chapel at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature the University Choir and University organist Dr. Sharon Gorman, professor of music.

The event is a family-friendly affair that combines choruses, costumes and candy. 听The audience is encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes for the fun-hearted concert that will feature student vocal solos as well as music from such films as Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Star Wars. Halloween candy will also be handed out at the door.

The event was the brainchild of Gorman in the early 2000s and the first All Hallows鈥� Eve Concert was held in 2001. The event was held every year since until the Covid pandemic forced cancellations in both 2020 and 2021. Gorman had to cancel last year鈥檚 concert after undergoing knee surgery.

Gorman said this will be her final All Hallows鈥� Eve Concert as she prepares for retirement, putting the future of the concert in doubt.

The All Hallows鈥� Eve Concert has been one of the most popular fall semester events on campus over the past two decades.

鈥淚t is a safe environment for a Halloween event; the concert is family-friendly and includes a lot of music from the movies that children love,鈥� Gorman said in a 2014 interview explaining the concert鈥檚 popularity. 鈥淚t is a concert where the audience is invited to laugh and have a good time. In most classical music concerts, the atmosphere is more restrained. Back in 2001, I could never have predicted how successful this concert would become and I am very grateful to all the people who have supported it over the years and let us share our music with them.鈥�

Gorman, who has taught at Ozarks since 1996, said the inspiration behind starting the concert was to attract more students.

鈥淭he traditional faculty organ concerts I had played in my first five years here had been sparsely attended and I was looking for a way to spark student interest,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淪o I thought a themed concert with a more unusual repertoire might lure them in.听 Having grown up in a religious tradition where Halloween is always a special celebration preceding All Saints Day, this seemed the perfect occasion.鈥�

听

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Katrina M. Twitty, who has taught in the music education industry for more than 20 years, will join 糖心vlog官网 as an assistant professor of music, beginning the Fall 2023 Semester.

A native of Northwest Arkansas, Twitty most recently served as an adjunct faculty member at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., and at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. She has also served as the director of music ministry at Bland Chapel United Methodist Church in Rogers, Ark. Since 2018.

In addition to being an accomplished singer and stage performer, Twitty has experience as a private voice and piano instructor, choir director, vocal/instrumental ensemble conductor, musical director, opera scenes director, composer, arranger, vocal/instrumental performance coach, choreographer and piano accompanist. 

鈥淚鈥檓 both excited and honored to be joining the 糖心vlog官网 and its welcoming community of students, faculty and staff,鈥� Twitty said. 鈥淚 look forward to bringing my music performance and instruction experience to the Department of Music while making Clarksville and the beautiful Ozark Mountains my home.鈥�

Twitty previously served on the music faculties of the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, Valor Christian High School, Red Rocks Community College and Arapahoe Community College Department of Music of Denver, Col.  As a soprano, her singing and stage performance experience spans more than 30 years, performing both regionally and internationally. She was a finalist in both the 2004 and 2007 Rocky Mountain Region Metropolitan Opera Auditions and Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition. 

鈥淎s a music educator, my heart鈥檚 deepest passion is in guiding and inspiring all students of music to discover, appreciate and develop his or her own unique 鈥榲oice,鈥� personal enrichment and performance toward becoming leaders, teachers and advocates in the music and arts community,鈥� Twitty said.

She earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in music vocal performance from the University of Arkansas and her master鈥檚 degree in music vocal performance from the University of Denver.

Twitty said her hobbies outside academia include, 鈥渙utdoor activities of all kinds, from hiking the Rocky and Ozark Mountains, running, road-biking and beach-walking to relaxing on a patio with family and friends over a great meal.  Traveling is always a 鈥榶es鈥� and no destination is too far away.鈥�

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