Students get studio experience
Eight students from Liberty University’s Center for Worship visited the recording studio Jan. 16 to record background vocals for an upcoming Trinity Broadcasting Network TV special. The program, which will be aired nationally in February, will feature Dove and Grammy award winning recording artists Larnelle Harris and Sandi Patty.
Worshiping together — Students from the Liberty’s Center for Worship became the chorus for an upcoming network presentation. Photo provided
The students lifted their voices last Monday to become the background choir in an updated arrangement of Bill Gaither’s “Then Came the Morning,” which was originally released in 1986. The song was arranged and produced by Associate Professor in the Center for Worship Don Marsh.
The students also worked on a second piece, recording parts for “Let There Be Light.” The song was co-written, arranged and orchestrated by Carson Wagner, a Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) music staff member and current student at the Center for Worship. Wagner’s song could was performed by Charles Billingsley in TRBC’s annual Virginia Christmas Spectacular this past year.
Marsh also produced and conducted this track.
“Some of these faces you will recognize. We have students who perform in the Sounds of Liberty,” Marsh said. “We have one student, Tim (Williamson), who performed in the production of Oklahoma! as the leading male role, Curly.”
The students form a brand new class in the Center for Worship, WRSP 335, Artist and Worship Ministry Presentation. Recording experience is one of the learning outcomes for this class.
“Having Mr. Marsh direct it was just really fun, because I’ve never seen him in that setting before. He has just always been my professor teaching me about a recording,” Stephanie Sanchez, a member of the group, said.“It was really great to work with him.”
“The overall thing that is really neat about being at Liberty is the fact that the teachers are really involved in what they are teaching us,” Bronwyn Baker said. “I think anywhere else we wouldn’t have really gotten that opportunity to record something for someone so well known.”
Baker, along with many of the other students who participated in the recording, are involved with different musical groups such as Sounds of Liberty and plays put on by the theater department.
“When I saw the list of students I knew they were from a lot of different backgrounds in performance and would be a great selection for the recording,” Marsh said.
Harris and Patty will complete the recording for the television special later this month in Nashville. Look for the airing of this TBN broadcast in February.