On Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Marie-France Duclos showed off her talents in Jameson Recital Hall for the concert called, “For The Love of Bach: Music For Soprano and Oboe Family.” Including five different arias and musical accompaniment, the show represented a variety of Baroque music all done by a four person chamber group. Johann Sebastian Bach is a founding musician of the Baroque Era of music, a time period known for drama and more expressive melodies. All of the pieces performed were in German.
The opera singing was done by Duclos. She has been lecturing at Asbury for the past five years and teaching mostly individual voice lessons. Her mentorship to students is one that sends waves across campus as her students use their talents from everything theater to worship on the stage of Hughes. After doing her doctoral thesis on Baroque Era music, Duclos performed in orchestras and opera theaters since 2010. Some of her greatest highlights include performing on BBC radio and various opera theaters across Kentucky. She obtained a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Kentucky in 2019.
Duclos was accompanied by other musicians on three different instruments. This included Kim Heersche on the oboe, Nathan Jasinski on the cello and Zach Klobnak on the harpsichord. When talking about this partnership, Duclos says, “These are people who are Baroque music specialists and have played a lot of Bach music. They’ve been involved with the Kentucky Bach Choir, which has its home in Lexington. They’re all really good friends.” All of the performers are in music administration and teach at nearby universities.
When asked about her inspiration for the performance, Duclos said, “Bach was a church musician. He wrote music for church services primarily. We want to give the message that Bach wanted to show through his work.” The lyrics of the pieces were describing God’s holiness and righteousness. Another aspect was showcasing a chamber group. Duclos said, “You’ll have music for a whole orchestra or organ. But we chose small ensembles of chamber music that were written for soprano and the oboe.” Fewer instruments created a more intimate setting with the audience.
The recital was split into two parts with a cello solo in between. Each aria had lyrics with either themes of God’s redemption of the Earth or despair at humanity’s sin. In the paper program, certain places were marked as the proper place to give applause, allowing the recital to flow better.
Duclos gave some good advice for singers wanting to master their craft.“Listen to a lot of music and experiment. Go see a lot of live concerts and work hard. Discipline is really important to become a musician or become a singer. It’s not just a one day thing.” Duclos’ story is one that every student who has a passion for the arts can look up to. If you are curious about attending other recitals in the future, you can contact the music department at JaneMargaret.Childress@asbury.edu.
Photo courtesy of Asbury.
