Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Vocal Studies Program will hold its 14^th annual Mary Shambarger Competition for Singers on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall on the Ouachita campus. Students who are in their fourth semester of vocal studies are eligible to compete.

“The more the students are able to perform, the better singers they become,” said Dr. Jon Secrest, OBU professor of music and coordinator of the Vocal Studies Program. “This competition is an educational experience for the vocal students.”

Shambarger, OBU professor emerita of music, taught at Ouachita for 32 years before she retired. She helped form the Ouachita-Tones, a female singing group, which later became Ouachita Sounds, including both male and female students.

The competition honors Shambarger for her contribution to the fine arts at Ouachita as well as her dedication to the competition itself as benefactor and judge.

“Mary wanted to endow the competition to give students something to work for,” Secrest said. “When the students are working toward something, they are better prepared, a higher artistic level is achieved and there is generally a more outstanding performance.”

Each year the first place winner receives a $500 award, second place receives $300, third place receives $200, fourth place receives $100 and honorable mention receives $50.

In addition to Shambarger, adjudication will be provided by Dr. Charles Wright, former dean of Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts, as well as Dr. Arthur Shearin, professor of music at Harding University.

The competition repertoire rotates every three years. This year’s genre is art songs, which are classical pieces that are not from an opera or an oratorio. The other two genres include musical theatre and arias from opera or oratorio.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Jon Secrest at [email protected] or (870) 245-5134.

By Kaycee Giammarco