OBU student lives out dream with Lyric Theatre
SHAWNEE — Oklahoma Baptist University vocal performance major Julie Welch, a junior from Bartlesville recently performed with the Lyric Theatre.
“When You Wish: A Celebration of the Disney Songbook” is a musical revolving around a little girl who dreams herself into a 1940s Hollywood sound stage. One by one, Disney characters such as Snow White, Hercules, Tarzan, Pocahontas, Rapunzel and Mary Poppins come to life on the stage. The musical was presented in July at the Oklahoma City Civic Center.
Welch stumbled upon the opportunity while researching summer stock theater to boost her performance resume, according to a news release. She also performed in two productions at OBU, “The Music Man” and “A Porcelain Doll.”
In her first performance with Lyric Theatre, Welch said she was able to live out a dream.
“When I was in seventh grade, I won my middle school’s talent show singing ‘Reflection,’ so getting to perform the song on a big stage in the most beautiful Mulan kimono designed by Jeffery Meek was absolutely magical.”
The hardest part of playing Mulan was the transition from singing and fighting during the song “Man Out of You” into singing the power ballad “Reflection.” Not only did she have to change on stage during the transition, but she had to remind herself to breathe and catch her breath so that ‘Reflection’ would be the strong and powerful ballad the audience expected.
Welch said she loved seeing faces light up when the audience’s favorite Disney characters came to life right before their eyes.
“I remember on opening night as I was singing the lyrics to ‘Reflection,’ a small child near the front row was singing along, and my heart was so happy.”
Welch said she is grateful to assistant professor of voice Rebecca Ballinger for challenging her to grow.
“Professor Ballinger has been a major help in developing my voice and helping me be true to the voice quality that God has given me,” she said. “She has encouraged and challenged me not only musically, but also in my walk with Christ.”
She also credits a music course taught by Peter Purin, associate professor of music theory.
“I get to give a big special thanks to Dr. Purin’s aural skills class for teaching me,” she said. “First of all, he has helped me in my abilities to sight sing fast. We had two days of music rehearsals, and I was singing something other than the melody and that class definitely prepared me for that. Second of all, he taught me how to break down rhythms. Several songs in the show had different rhythms than what I was used to and I found myself using a rhythm technique Dr. Purin had challenged his students to learn and master.”
After graduation, Welch hopes to attend graduate school on the East Coast. Eventually, she wants to be a university professor.