For immediate release
By Gabrielle Davis
February 25, 2020
For more information, contact OBU’s news bureau at [email protected] or (870) 245-5208
ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host Dr. Geoffrey Durbin, visiting assistant professor of music, and Catherine Durbin, adjunct instructor of music, in a faculty recital on Tuesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall located in Mabee Fine Arts Center.
The program, which is free and open to the public, will feature diverse pieces – ranging from the Baroque era to the blues – that combine brass instruments and voice. Geoffrey will play trombone and euphonium in the recital, with Catherine singing vocals.
“We’re performing music that we love and which speaks to us, both individually and as a team, so it’s sure to be a very fun experience for our audience,” Dr. Durbin said. “We enjoy the sound of voice with brass assistance, a practice that dates back to the 18th century with the music of Handel.”
“Ouachita is fortunate to have both Catherine and Geoffrey Durbin on the music faculty," said Dr. Gary Gerber, dean of the School of Fine Arts and director of choral activities. "Being a part of the semi-professional brass group Presidio Brass, Dr. Geoffrey Durbin brings a professional aspect to Ouachita for his low brass students, and Catherine brings that same level of professionalism with her vocal instruction."
The Durbins will begin the concert with a performance of “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D. 965” by Franz Schubert and “If Music Be the Food of Love” by Henry Purcell. Next, the duo will transition into “Sonata ‘Vox Gabrieli’” by Stjepan Šulek, “Tres Psalmis Davidis” by Karl Kroeger and “Fantasy for Trombone, Op. 101” by Malcolm Arnold. The concert will conclude with “The Beale Street Blues” by W.C. Handy and arranged by Geoffrey Durbin.
Kristen LaMadrid will accompany the Durbins on piano, and Dr. Ryan Lewis, associate professor of music, will assist on percussion.
Dr. Geoffrey Durbin joined the Ouachita faculty in 2017 as visiting assistant professor of low brass and musicology. Previously, he was a member of Presidio Brass, a San Diego-based ensemble sponsored by XO Brass and KHS America’s Academic Alliance, and placed first in the 2013 Leonard Falcone International Euphonium Competition. More recently, Durbin has participated in residencies at the 2019 International Tuba and Euphonium Institute at Emory University, as well as the 5th Clinícas Instrumentales at the Institución Universitaria Bellas Artes y Ciencias de Bolívar in Cartagena, Colombia.
Dr. Durbin holds degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Texas and the University of Memphis.
Catherine Durbin joined the Ouachita faculty as adjunct instructor of voice in 2018. Well-versed in musical theatre, opera, oratorios and contemporary concert pieces, Durbin received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and her Master of Music degree from the University of Memphis. During her tenure in Memphis, she understudied Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, performed Susanna in Mozart’s La Nozze de Figaro and participated in OperaMemphis’ opera choruses and festival scenes.
Mrs. Durbin has performed as a national finalist for the Classical Singer Vocal Competition in Austin, Texas, and participated in the Natchez Festival of Music, where she worked backstage for Don Giovanni and Rigoletto. Mrs. Durbin also spent time with the International Vocal Arts Institute and traveled to Virginia and Montreal to study Mozart and Verdi roles under Joan Dornemann and Mignon Dunn.For more information, contact Dr. Geoffrey Durbin at [email protected] or (870) 245-4192