Beth Crisler wins 2017 Shambarger Competition for Singers at Ouachita
February 28, 2017
- Kacy SpearsBeth Crisler, a soprano and senior vocal performance major from Bella Vista, Ark.,
won first place in Ouachita Baptist University’s recent Mary Shambarger Competition
for Singers. She was one of five students recognized for their performances in the
annual competition.
Crisler earned first place and $500 for her performance of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “To
this we’ve come” from The Consul. Crisler is a student of John Alec Briggs and has been working with him from the start
of the fall semester on this piece.
“Before , I felt confident. I’ve sung this aria so often recently, so my usual nerves were
an afterthought,” Crisler said. “During the performance, I really tried to let myself
be the character. All of my actions and the way I sang were a result of allowing myself
to not be myself, if that makes sense.” Crisler was assisted on piano by Phyllis Walker,
OBU staff accompanist.
Winners in Ouachita’s 2017 Shambarger Competition for Singers include (from left): Beth Crisler, first place; Jessie Brunson, second place; Will Stotts, third place; Esther Atkinson, fourth place; and Elizabeth Schutter, honorable mention. Photo by Andy Henderson
The Shambarger Competition is an opportunity for Ouachita students studying vocal
music to expand their repertoire and gain experience auditioning in a professional
setting. The event was founded by Mary Shambarger, Ouachita professor emerita of music,
who served on Ouachita’s music faculty for 32 years. She continues to be involved
in the competition as a judge. Competition repertoire rotates each year among arias
from opera and oratorio, art songs and musical theatre. This year’s competition featured
arias.
Second place and $300 was awarded to Jessie Brunson, a soprano and sophomore vocal
performance major from Rockwall, Texas, for her performance of Douglas Moore’s “The
Silver Aria” from The Ballad of Baby Doe. She is a student of Dr. Jon Secrest and was assisted on piano by Susan Monroe, OBU
staff accompanist.
“Before my performance, I was very confident in the work I have done, but adrenaline
was definitely present. I was bouncing off the walls,” Brunson said. “But as I walked
on stage, I threw the nervousness behind me and really enjoyed myself.”
Third place and $200 was awarded to Will Stotts, a tenor and junior musical theatre
major from Jonesboro, Ark., for his performance of André Previn’s “I’m Not a Boy”
from A Streetcar Named Desire. He is a student of Jon Secrest and was assisted on piano by Phyllis Walker.
Fourth place and $100 was awarded to Esther Atkinson, a mezzo-soprano and junior music
major from Rogers, Ark., for her performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s “Se Romeo t’uccise
un figlio” from I Capuleti e I Montecchi. Atkinson is a student of David Stanley and was assisted on piano by Phyllis Walker.
Honorable mention and $50 was awarded to Elizabeth Schutter, a soprano and sophomore
music education major from Garland Texas, for her performance of Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro” from Porgi amor. Schutter is a student of John Alec Briggs and was assisted on piano by Kristen La
Madrid, OBU staff accompanist.
Judges for this year’s competition included Mary Shambarger; Dr. Charles Wright, former
dean of Ouachita’s School of Fine Arts; and OBU alumnus Stephen Anthony Ray, a former
national finalist and two-time semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Council auditions.
For more information, contact Dr. Jon Secrest, professor of music and coordinator
of Ouachita’s vocal studies program, at [email protected] or (870) 245-5134.
By Kacy Spears // Photos by Andy Henderson. Download full version of top photo here.
February 24, 2017
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