MSJ Music alumnus Travis Pearce returned to campus for a vocal recital celebrating the power of music, the pursuit of joy, and his continued connection to the Mount.
Mount St. Joseph University’s MSJ Renaissance welcomed Music alumnus Travis Pearce back to campus for an evening of vocal music with his alumni recital, In Pursuit of Joy, on Friday, September 25, 2026, in Williams Recital Hall. Pearce was joined by Heather MacPhail, piano collaborator, for a program that moved across languages, musical periods, and traditions.
The thoughtfully constructed recital showcased Pearce’s versatility as a tenor while exploring themes of love, nature, reflection, faith, and joy. From French art song and English song cycles to works by African American composers and arrangers, In Pursuit of Joy offered the audience an expansive musical journey.
Pearce opened the program with selections from Reynaldo Hahn’s 7 Chansons Grises. The five selections—“Tous deux,” “L’Allée est sans fin…,” “En sourdine,” “L’Heure Exquise,” and “La Bonne Chanson”—established the recital’s intimate and expressive character. The works allowed Pearce to demonstrate the sensitivity and attention to text that have been important throughout his career as a vocalist.
The program then shifted to Ralph Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge, a six-song cycle setting poetry by A. E. Housman. Pearce performed “On Wenlock Edge,” “From Far, From Eve and Morning,” “Is My Team Ploughing,” “Oh, When I Was in Love with You,” “Bredon Hill,” and “Clun.” Together, the songs moved through changing emotional landscapes of memory, love, loss, nature, and mortality.
Following the Vaughan Williams cycle, Pearce performed “Lil’ David Play on Your Harp,” arranged by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton. The spiritual provided a distinct change in energy and musical character and began the program’s movement toward works rooted in the African American musical tradition.
Another highlight of the evening was Margaret Bonds’ Songs of the Seasons. Pearce performed the complete four-song set: “Poème d’Automne,” “Winter Moon,” “Young Love in Spring,” and “Summer Storm.” The cycle carried the audience through the changing seasons while continuing the recital’s larger exploration of human emotion, nature, and the passage of time.
Pearce concluded the scheduled program with two spirituals: “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray,” arranged by Norah Duncan IV, and “Watch and Pray,” arranged by Undine Smith Moore. These final selections brought the evening to a reflective and powerful conclusion, connecting the recital’s theme of joy with perseverance, spirituality, and hope.
Throughout the evening, MacPhail was an important musical partner. Her collaboration at the piano supported the varied character of the repertoire and helped create the musical dialogue essential to the art-song tradition. Together, Pearce and MacPhail guided the audience through a program that moved seamlessly between quiet introspection and more dramatic, uplifting moments.
Pearce’s return to Mount St. Joseph University was particularly meaningful as a celebration of an MSJ Music alumnus who has continued to build a successful career as a professional performer. A Cincinnati-based tenor, Pearce has performed with Cincinnati Opera and Queen City Opera and has appeared in roles including Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Almeric in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. He has also been a featured soloist in works including Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s The Creation.
His career has also taken him internationally. While attending the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Pearce received the Harold Heiberg Liedersänger Preis for his performances of Schubert lieder. He was subsequently invited to perform a recital of lieder and operetta at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
In Pursuit of Joy was more than an alumni recital. It was a homecoming and a celebration of the ways an education in the creative arts can continue to resonate throughout an artist’s professional life. Pearce’s performance demonstrated both his accomplished musicianship and his continued connection to the Mount.
For current MSJ students, the evening also offered a powerful example of where dedication to one’s craft can lead. Through a program spanning Hahn, Vaughan Williams, Bonds, spirituals, and contemporary arrangements, Pearce demonstrated the breadth of the vocal repertoire and the ability of music to communicate across cultures, generations, and experiences.
MSJ Renaissance and the Department of Creative Arts were proud to welcome Travis Pearce back to Mount St. Joseph University for In Pursuit of Joy and to celebrate the continued accomplishments of one of the Mount’s Music alumni.