Music to the World's Ears
By Jessica Hill

In our last issue, we brought you updates on six alumni who are making their mark in music. In this issue, we take you to New York, Oklahoma, Florida, Virginia, and California for more stories.

In his signature role of Ubaldo Piangi in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera, Larry Wayne Morbitt (74) has been a “missionary to Broadway” for the past four years, performing regularly at New York City’s Majestic Theatre.

You could say Morbitt’s career started while performing on primetime television specials with the World Action Singers as an undergraduate at ORU. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he began to serve for what eventually became 14 years as a full-time minister of music in California, Oregon, Nevada, New York, and Texas, all the while participating in musical theater and opera and developing a substantial solo concert career. Once he completed his master’s degree at Texas Christian University, it became clear that it was time to pursue musical theater and solo concert work on a full-time basis.

His professional career has brought him to opera stages all over America performing Puccini, Mozart, and Verdi roles. He has been cast in The Music Man, Trial by Jury, The Merry Widow, and The Phantom of the Opera. Some of his solo engagements have been with Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Fort Worth Youth Symphony, and the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra, just to name a few.

His latest project is a CD called “Heaven and Hope” honoring New York’s police and fire departments. One of the songs, “God Bless America,” is sung by nineteen of Morbitt’s fellow cast members from Phantom.

“Crowne Music asked me to do an album that would connect the Christian music world with the musical theater world and show solidarity with those who lost family and friends on September 11,” said Morbitt. “The net proceeds are going to the New York Police and Fire Departments’ Benevolence Funds for widows and orphans. It’s a cause to which we’re proud to be contributing.

“The album is dedicated to the fifteen firemen of Ladder Co. #4, Engine 54 who lost their lives,” Morbitt added. The fire station is located in the theatre district.

Since graduating from ORU, Tulsa-based Donald Ryan (72) has earned his livelihood exclusively through music. He has performed all over the U.S. (including Carnegie Hall) as well as in Austria, England, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. He performs everything from classical to sacred to jazz “and a lot in between,” Ryan quipped. “Being versatile helps if you want to eat regularly.”

One cherished career highlight Ryan recalls is receiving a diploma and special award for performances in the 9th Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland in 1975. “Believe it or not, there were three ORU pianists that year,” said Ryan. Another standout is being the arranger and pianist for a recording in 1994 of Negro Spirituals with renowned Metropolitan Opera bass/baritone Simon Estes. “I’m still very proud of that one,” Ryan said. “Because of it, we have performed dozens of concerts across Europe and the U.S.A.” He has made several other recordings; the most recent is a jazz trio CD of what he terms “old standards.”

Ryan and his family reside in Tulsa, which allows him to teach in ORU’s music department, something he’s done for the last 22 years. “I still do enjoy passing on what I’ve learned about making music and being a Christian musician operating mostly in secular settings. When I came [to ORU] as a student in ’68 I was more than 3,500 miles away from home, so I quickly learned to fully trust my present and my future to God because that was my best option. I’ve had to relearn this principle more than once, but it has carried me well through pleasant and unpleasant times in my profession. There are no regrets whatsoever about attending ORU and I’m thankful for how God used it to shape me.”

Jim Hart (81) is the director of music and arts at Grace Episcopal Church in Orange Park, Fla., and recently completed his doctoral degree in worship studies from the Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park. Hart also serves as the dean of administration for the Institute, a distance learning-based program that trains men and women to be leaders in worship and education through academic studies grounded in the biblical traditions of the church. It is one of the fastest-growing institutes of its kind and enrolls students from across the nation and the world, said Hart. “We have students from over 35 denominations.” As director of music and arts ministries at Grace Episcopal Church, Hart leads congregational worship and directs a program which includes six choirs, several worship teams, numerous ensembles, and a fine arts academy.

“My time at ORU was critical in the development of my understanding and experience of worship,” said Hart. “Of particular importance to me were the Friday-night communion services led by Brother Bob Stamps. Packed into the chapel, we had powerful experiences of God’s presence manifested in a structure which revealed underpinnings of theological, biblical, and historical integrity.

“Of equal importance and impact in my career development were the academics in church music and the many opportunities for music ministry, both on and off campus,” he added. “Also, my participation for five years in the Christian Service Council nursing home ministry was vital to my education and experience in pastoral ministry. During my time at ORU, I received both the calling and the equipping to do what God has called me to do in the ministry of music.”

After completing his master’s and doctorate at the University of Kansas, Dr. Wayne Kompelien (81) went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. He has worked there since 1986. An associate professor of music, Kompelien is the founding director of the opera program at Liberty and also directs the Chamber Singers, the university’s select vocal ensemble. In addition to teaching responsibilities, Kompelien has been involved in many opera productions, including most recently singing the role of the King of Egypt in Aida this past May. He has also served as the vice president and president of the Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

“I use my position as a ministry,” said Kompelien. As he takes the Chamber Singers on tours and implements Christian ideals and values of excellence in the university’s music programs, he has been able to fulfill his desire to bring musical excellence into Christian higher education. “I understand my role as a model for my students,” said Kompelien, “and I try to prompt them to achieve at the highest level possible. I am serving the Lord and my students through my position, and I hope to continue doing so for many years.”

Shawn Lopez (90) has been busy in the last thirteen years, graduating from the University of Southern California’s Film Music Scoring School, working with Disney Entertainment, composing for short films, and free-lancing as a composer, pianist, and album producer. He’s also been a worship leader for churches and church conferences, and recently started a music production company called MIG Music Productions (www.shawnlopez.com). Lopez is working on another instrumental piano album project and promoting his latest original worship CD, titled “More of You.”

“ORU taught me to take my calling as a servant of Christ seriously and to do it with passion and excellence for Him, every single day, no matter where life takes me,” Lopez said. “I still remember the phrase I heard during my time at ORU, ‘Go into every man’s world.’ [It’s] ringing loud and clear even 13 years later — that no matter what world God sent me into after my days at ORU, I would have the opportunity to make a direct impact on people’s lives for His Kingdom. I have been able to do that, and I am grateful for it.”