Broadway singer Marcus Nance to perform at Randolph

UPDATE: Due to flight cancellations caused by forecasts of impending snow, the master class and recital with Marcus Nance have been canceled.

A renowned Broadway baritone will teach Randolph students how to improve their vocal performance as well as give a public recital of his own next week.

Randolph College is hosting Marcus Nance, who frequently performs in musicals and operas, for two public appearances Feb. 12–13. Randall Speer, a Randolph music professor, invited Nance to perform and also to teach Randolph students about the realities of a music career.

Speer and Nance actually attended college together. “He was always the consummate performer,” Speer said. “At the undergraduate level, he had already demonstrated a lot of potential, and within a few years he was performing professionally.”

When Speer took the Randolph College Chorale to perform in Carnegie Hall in 2012, he arranged for students to meet with Nance, who was performing the role of Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, and learn about what it is like to be a professional singer. Speer wanted to invite Nance to campus so more students could interact with him.

Nance’s public performances will begin with a master class at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 12. Four students will perform works from musical theatre or opera. In front of the audience, Nance will work with each student to immediately improve aspects of the performance.

A master class offers a unique opportunity to the audience, Speer said. “It’s sort of like getting a glimpse on the voice or performance studio,” he said. “The audience glimpses the nuts and bolts of the craft, in addition to seeing some fine performances.”

At 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, Nance will present a recital in cabaret style.

Both the master class and the recital will be held in Wimberly Recital Hall, and both are free and open to the public.

Randolph College Annual Spring Dance Concert Dedicated to the Memory of Visiting Artist Rebecca Jung

The Randolph College Annual Spring Dance Concert kicks off a weekend of performances today. This longstanding tradition features choreography from Randolph students and visiting artists.

The performances will take place at 8 p.m. March 29-31 in Smith Hall Theatre in Smith Memorial Building. Admission is $8 for general admission, $4 for students, and children 12 and under are free.

This year’s concert is dedicated to the memory of visiting artist Rebecca Jung. Jung passed away on September 6, 2011, less than two weeks before her Randolph College residency was to begin. Jung was a frequent visiting artist at Randolph, and was scheduled to stage a work for this year’s Annual Concert. Her death from advanced cancer was devastating and shocking to the entire dance community, and Randolph’s students and faculty members wanted to honor her creativity, talent, and “exuberant zaniness.” The dances included in this year’s Concert celebrate life—its joys, moments of humor, fleeting images of strength, beauty, and pathos.

The 2012 Annual Spring Dance Concert will also feature a special tribute to Jung. The dancers will perform Takehiro Ueyama’s “Footsteps in the Snow,” a stunningly beautiful requiem that Ueyama says reflects on the poignant reality that “nothing is permanent, nothing’s immortal, but we are going to leave something behind.”

photo by Keith Thieneman