McLaughlin to Present Senior Voice Recital McLaughlin ’23 will present his senior voice recital on March 31 at 8 p.m. in Wilson Concert Hall.

By Erica Turman
March 21, 2023

Michael McLaughlin ’23, a baritone from Alexandria, Virginia, will present his senior voice recital on March 31 at 8 p.m. in Wilson Concert Hall. McLaughlin, who is planning a career in Catholic music ministry, will devote approximately half of the recital to selections based on passages from the Bible.

The concert will be available to watch for free via Livestream at livestream.com/wlu.

“The concert is a culmination of all I have learned in the music department, and I hope all of my friends, professors and acquaintances attend,” said McLaughlin. “The set list showcases music from a variety of composers and languages. I have been working with Gregory Parker, professor of music, on solo voice performances since the day I arrived. During his sabbatical, I got to work with the professor Scott Williamson, visiting assistant professor of music, who has a very teaching different style from Professor Parker, and I really enjoyed my experience with him as well.”

McLaughlin will open with the animated “Nichts is so spat und frühe” from J.S. Bach’s Cantata 97, followed by the more reflective and devotional “Herr so du willt” from Cantata 73. The next section of the program will consist of five of Antonín Dvořák’s Biblical Songs, Op. 99.

The centerpiece of the recital is the “Count’s aria from Le Nozze di Figaro” by W.A. Mozart in which Count Almaviva rails against Susanna and Figaro, who have bragged openly that they will defeat the Count’s legal challenge to their marriage. McLaughlin will then sing Maurice Ravel’s delightful and evocative “Cinq melodies populaires grecques” (“Five Popular Greek Songs”) in which a young Greek groom-to-be reflects on his wedding day. The recital will close with the Five Gambling Songs cycle by folklorist, singer and composer John Jacob Niles.

During his time at W&L, McLaughin has immersed himself in all things musical.

“Most of my time here has been spent with the University Singers,” said McLaughlin. “I am currently their student manager, meaning I oversee many of the everyday logistics sides of the choir. Shane Lynch, director of choral activities and professor of music, has afforded me great opportunities through this group, as we have performed a breadth of beautiful and challenging music in faraway lands such as Ireland and Hawaii. I also take organ lessons with professor Bill McCorkle and sing in General Admission, a student-led a cappella group.”

The recital is free, and the public is invited. The doors to Wilson Concert Hall will open at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Lenfest Center webpage at my.wlu.edu/lenfest-center, or call the Box Office at 540-458-8000.