Mehring to perform senior baritone, piano recital May 3

Owen Mehring of Waterford, Wisconsin, is performing his senior baritone and piano recital in Demmer Recital Hall of Ripon College’s C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts Saturday, May 3, at 11 a.m.

He will be accompanied by Adjunct Instructor of Music Deb MacKenzie, piano and organ; Johannes Deegen ’18, violin; and junior Rori Beatty, cello. Admission is free and open to the public.

The program will include 10 pieces, with works by J.S. Bach, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Roger Quilter, among others. Mehring also will perform Italian and Spanish pieces.

“The repertoire selection came entirely from me,” Mehring said. “I chose each of them simply because I loved the pieces, and I never had the chance to perform them in front of a large audience. These are all pieces of music I got to work on with either Dr. Erin Bryan [Associate Professor of Music and Voice Area Coordinator] or Mr. Derek Machan from Waterford Union High School.”

Mehring said he advocates for people to open their ears to new experiences. He’s even told his friends “I don’t care if you come and boo me off the stage, I just want people to be there.”

“I was able to pour my emotions into the repertoire selection and embody the full character of every part of my recital,” Mehring said. “Ultimately, this is the complete culmination of my favorite selection of a more classical taste in music, and I’m so excited to perform it in front of an audience.”

Mehring is majoring in music education and is involved with Ripon College’s Choral Union, Chamber Singers and Concert Choir. He has been involved with singing for as long as he can remember.

“My parents, Carol and Steve, involved me in singing by doing it around the house, in the car, and at church,” Mehring said. “Derek Machan, my high school director, inspired my two older sisters, and ever since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to sing in his choir when I got the chance.”

Mehring said he will forever be grateful for his connection with the Federated Church of Green Lake, for which he is the interim choir director. He said the church has built his teaching style and religious beliefs.

“I have had many smiles and tears in this church, and I can wholeheartedly say that they have helped shape me into the musician and teacher I am today,” Mehring said. “With Pastor Karen Gygax-Rodriguez accepting me into the choir and taking me on as an unofficial son, I have never felt more welcomed and okay with failing than I have with this choir.”