Barbara Witham McCargar

Style: Pop; Opera; Folk; Classical; Musical Theatre

Title: Associate Professor of Music, Aquinas College

Bio:

Barbara Witham McCargar’s performing career has spanned over four decades, from Musical Theater, to Opera, to Art Song Recitals. As a soloist, she has given many recitals in concert halls and churches in addition to having been a featured singer with numerous arts organizations throughout West Michigan.

Lansing Lyric Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, numerous productions for Youth Opera USA with composer Sanford Jones, Circle Theater, Spectrum Theater, Summerfest, Frederik Meijer Gardens, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, the Dominican Center at Marywood, and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts are just some of the regional venues where her soprano voice has been heard. Ms. McCargar performed: at the St. Ursula conference and Queen's College, Cambridge in the United Kingdom (2013), as well as three CD's and at conferences in the U. S. (2010-present) as a member of The Hildegard Singers; Spain and Portugal and throughout Michigan and a CD with Vox Angelica (1999-2009); and Austria and Hungary, recorded a CD, and performed in several concerts as a member and soloist with the Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids (1989-1991). She recorded the CD, “Women’s Work” for soprano and piano, at River City Studios, Ltd. which evolved out of annual lecture recitals with her colleagues on the campus of Aquinas College during Women's History Month. The 2005 CD includes songs for solo voice and piano by Larsen, Price, Moore, Beach, Glickman, and King. Fellow faculty members performing on the CD are accompanist and piano soloist, Mary Hurd, and pianist, Catherine Williams, O.P., playing extended works by Rhene Jaque and Lili Boulanger, respectively. The Hildegard Singers were accepted into the 2015-2018 Michigan Arts & Humanities Touring Directory, http://www.michiganhumanities.org/touring-grants/ .

Her most recent CDs are with The Hildegard Singers: "Songs from the Abbey" (2012) featuring Linn Maxwell Keller as Hildegard von Bingen, “O Greenest Branch” (2014), and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" (2015) through Alto Productions and River City Studios, Ltd. Performing in concerts, international medieval conference venues and churches, in July 2013, The Hildegard Singers performed the chants of Hildegard of Bingen and plainchant in concert in the Chapel of Queen’s College, Cambridge, England, and for the International Conference on St Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen Campus. As a founding member of the vocal chant trio, Vox Angelica, McCargar recorded "Hildegard von Bingen - Chants of Heaven and Earth" (2003), performed in concerts for mid-west regional conventions of NPM, been an Artist in Residence at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, and toured Spain and Portugal as the featured artists in 2005 with the Diocesan Choir of Grand Rapids, under the direction of Dr. Brandon Spence. Other recordings featuring Ms. McCargar are of her singing a work of Morton Feldman (Wind) which debuted on air in May of 2010 and Marc Chan’s I Sail'd Out To Sea (2009) for 3 voices and instruments, on the POSTCAGE project through Ogre Ogress. Barbara has been a sought after cantor, clinician and speaker on vocal technique, has presented workshops for choirs and the church cantor all over the state of Michigan, and directed church choirs for 20 years. A long time member and past president of the GR Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM), she has presented at three regional conventions and was featured at the 2015 National NPM Convention with the medieval chant group, The Hildegard Singers. She is a 30+ year member and former Michigan state board member and Treasurer of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS); her students having received awards at both the State and Regional Auditions. Prof. McCargar’s other professional activities include: chairing the Classical Music area for the GR Festival of the Arts, being an active member of the Education Sub-committee of the Board of Opera Grand Rapids, studying WEM - What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body from the Association for Body Mapping Education, and Alexander Technique, part of the clarinet trio Claripiavoce, all types of vocal music, most especially the songs of Women Composers, and attending performances of her former and present students around the country. McCargar holds a Master of Music in Voice, with secondary emphasis in Opera from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as a student of Katherine Hilgenberg, with further study at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. She received her BM in Vocal Performance from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI, as a student of June Law Marshall. Further studies were with Donna Harrison and Stanley Kolk. She has taught at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Grand Rapids Community College, Jordan College, Cornerstone University (formerly GR Baptist College), Western Michigan University and for GRPS. She currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music at Aquinas College, an accredited NASM institution, teaching voice lessons and voice-related studies.

Voice Type: Soprano

Music Styles Taught: Pop; Opera; Folk; Classical; Musical Theatre

Availability: I am available as a performer; I am currently accepting private students; I am available as a clinician or presenter; I offer lessons in a group environment; I accept students through a college or university program

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