NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma Symphony Band will honor the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing with a special concert titled From Far to Near. The performance will take place Monday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Sharp Hall at the Catlett Music Center on OU’s Norman campus.
Featuring seven works, the concert explores themes that extend beyond Oklahoma while highlighting Cathedral of Fountains, a deeply personal piece by composer Aaron Perrine. Inspired by the Survivor Tree at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the piece incorporates When Jesus Wept, a tune by early American composer William Billings.
“When Aaron Perrine visited the memorial, he was struck by its beauty and the powerful symbolism it holds,” said Caroline Hand, D.M.A., associate director of bands at OU’s Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. “This performance carries great weight for our students. Rehearsals have been solemn, as they understand the gravity of this music and what it means to our state.
“I recently shared my personal experiences and connections to the bombing with my students. I believe it is important to do this. When sharing such heavy material, it is crucial to give students the option to leave the room if they find it too difficult,” said Hand, a native of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Performed by 60 student musicians, the concert serves as a tribute to the 168 lives lost in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The attack injured more than 680 others and caused widespread devastation in downtown Oklahoma City.
Tickets are available online, by phone, or at the Fine Arts Box Office, 405-325-4101, 500 W. Boyd St., Norman.
The Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma produces more than 400 concerts, recitals, plays, musicals, operas and dance performances annually. Learn more at ou.edu/finearts.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Three University of Oklahoma graduate students have been named winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges participants to explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.
Sarah Sharif, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to create innovative light detectors that pick up mid-wave and long-wave infrared signals at higher temperatures than previously considered achievable.
A team from OU and WVU recently earned a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how concept cigarillos influence the potential for addiction. The results will be used to inform the FDA’s impending flavor ban on cigar products and could have wider-reaching implications for other tobacco products that come in flavors, such as e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
