First Lady of OSU Concert set for Oct. 6

The First Lady of OSU Concert will offer an array of musical genres on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2:30 p.m. in the concert hall of the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts. The concert will be presented by April Golliver, associate professor of music and co-director or opera studies at OSU, who was recently selected as the 2013 First Lady of OSU Distinguished Music Professor.

The free concert is hosted annually by Ann Hargis, First Lady of OSU, as an opportunity for music lovers to gather in appreciation for all the OSU Department of Music does to enhance the cultural life of the campus and the community.

The featured music for the concert will include art song, opera, country music and musical theater selections. The highlight of the concert will be Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, performed by the OSU Orchestra and Men’s Choir.  This concert is sponsored by the Board of Directors of Friends of Music and the Office of the President, and is directed each year by a faculty member with the Department of Music. 

Golliver, a mezzo-soprano, holds a master of music degree in vocal performance from the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance from Oklahoma City University. She is the 2008 recipient of the Wise-Diggs-Berry Award for Teaching Excellence at Oklahoma State University. 

Golliver’s performance resume includes performances with Tulsa Opera, Mobile Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, Canterbury Choral Society, Tulsa Signature Symphony, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, and Bartlesville Choral Society.  She has served several seasons as a principal artist with LOOK Musical Theater where she has performed multiple roles. She has also performed as concert artist in Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Choral Fantasy, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Händel’s Messiah, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody. 

In 2005, Golliver performed throughout the Czech Republic as alto soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.  In addition, she was a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. She made her professional debut with Des Moines Metro Opera.  She has also made public appearances at the Aspen Music Festival and the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium in Spoleto, Italy.

Golliver, a native of Lucien, Oklahoma, currently serves as the Governor for the Oklahoma National Association of Teachers of Singing. She is also active as the Faculty Sponsor for Sigma Alpha Iota.