Final Notes: Compiled by Ann Gibbens Davis

ANN GIBBENS DAVIS, PHI LAMBDA, WASHINTON D.C. ALUMNI DAVISMUSEC@COMCAST.NET

Phi Gamma, February 19, 1950 Died April 4, 2020 Cellist, pianist and organist. Eva was a lifetime resident of Baltimore where she taught piano, cello and organ. She was a performing member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1961-1995. She played in the York and Gettysburg Symphony and served as church organist with Glyndon United Methodist Church and the First Church of Christ in Annapolis, Maryland. During her retirement years she played the piano, organ and cello for her retirement community.

Phi Iota, December 19, 1979 Minneapolis-St. Paul Alumni Died June 14, 2020 Pianist and violinist. Helen was a guest soloist with the Boston Pops in a performance Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3, conducted by Arthur Fiedler. She was violinist with the Mankato Symphony orchestra and a duet partner with her husband Paul Baumgartner for the Global Mission Institute of Luther Seminary in St. Paul. The two met while graduate students at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NewYork, and both taught at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where Dr. Helen Baumgartner was a retired professor of music.

Kappa, April 22, 1961 Died June 19, 2015 Pianist. Klari began her teaching career in Indianapolis and later moved to New York City where she joined the faculty at Brooklyn- Queens Conservatory of Music. She taught and played piano in Queens, New York, until her 92nd year. She passed away at 100 years old.

Mu Nu, June 6, 1948 Died April 29, 2020 Pianist, singer, and musical theater actor. Rosaleen received degrees in piano performance from Colorado College and the University of Southern California and completed post-graduate work at USC toward a doctorate in musicology. debuted in piano with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. She went on to study theater in London at the Shakespeare Theater. She sang many roles at the Biltmore Theater in Los Angeles. She returned to Texas where she maintained a private studio and taught voice at the University of Texas in El Paso. She was director of over 20 Theaters productions in El Paso. Rosaleen was the Music Director of the Dictionary of International Biography, Who’s Who of American Women and awarded The Image Award for Music by the El Paso Association of Performing Arts.

Mu Epsilon, June 2, 1944 Died May 14, 2020 Pianist, accompanist. Thelma received her bachelor’s degree from MacPhail College of Music where she also taught. She was a professional accompanist for many musicians of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra as well as masterclasses for visiting artists, including Joseph Gingold, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Leonard Rose, and Isaac Stern. Thelma was an active member of many local musical organizations, including the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, Women’s Association for the Minnesota Orchestra, Thursday Musical, Shubert Club and Minneapolis Women’s Club Music Committee.

Mu Phi, December 10, 1951 Cleveland Area Alumni Died March 24, 2020 Pianist, harpsichordist, forte pianist. Marcellene was the principal keyboardist with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and a member of the piano faculty of Youngstown State University in Ohio. She performed in solo recital, as soloist with orchestras, as duo-pianist, as chamber musician, and as collaborative pianist. Marcellene gave piano recitals in Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California and Florida, and was director emeritas of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Cleveland, Ohio, where she founded its annual Bach Festival, and was the primary pianist at the First Unitarian Church in Youngstown. She was the president of the Midwestern Historical Keyboard Society (now the Historical Keyboard Society of North America). She and her late husband, Walter S. Mayhall, collected an extensive library of over 16,000 items, including a bibliography of more than 31,500 citations devoted to the life, works and performance practice of Johann Sebastian Bach, his family, students, and his time. The collection now resides at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China.

Mu Gamma April 27, 1952 Lincoln Alumni Died August 20, 2020 Vocalist. Virginia “Ginny” Parker had a varied career in opera, musical theater and concert performances. A versatile coloratura soprano, she was a regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and a winner of the “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” television competition and worked with him at CBS in New York. She appeared as guest artist with symphony orchestras in New Orleans, St. Louis, Sioux City, Iowa; and Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Ginny sang leading roles with the Omaha Civic Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. She served on the boards of the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, and was founding member of the Friends of Opera the Musical Art Club and the Nebraska State Arts Council.

Gamma, February 15, 1947 Died May 13, 2020 Pianist, vocalist, handbell player, educator. Joann attended the University of Michigan where she received her Bachelor of Music degree and sang in the university choir. Joann

gave private piano lessons, taught for two years in the public schools, and was founder and director of two church children’s choirs. She sang in choirs and played hand bells in several churches in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida. Joann’s passion was wildlife rescue. She was a member of Mote Marine Laboratories in Florida and specialized in protecting the nests of the Florida’s sea turtles.

Mu Upsilon, February 11, 1949 Cleveland Area Alumni Died July 31, 2019 Organist, teacher, clinician. Margaret “Maggie” Scharf was known as an active recitalist, teacher and clinician for over 50 years. She was a soloist with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra. She performed many times at conventions for the American Guild of Organists and served as the dean of the Cleveland chapter for 30 years. She taught in Nebraska and served on the faculties of Mississippi Southern University, Oklahoma State University, Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, Cleveland State University and Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. For two years, she was also the chair of the organ department at American University in Washington, D.C. She was a performance artist and adjudicator for the American Guild of Organists and was awarded the Orah Ashley Lamke Award in 2011 by Mu PhI Epsilon.

Mu Omicron, February 15, 1953 Died May 10, 2020 Pianist, organist, and music educator. Willena graduated from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in music education and majored in piano and organ. She taught in the public schools of Deer Park and Mt. Healthy, Michigan, for 25 years. Willena taught private piano lessons for 66 years and was a pipe organist for 56 years for the Second Church of Christ Scientist-Clifton and other area churches.

Mu Chi, May 11, 1963 Died July 26, 2020 Pianist, vocalist, teacher. Carol graduated cum laude from Southern Methodist University with a degree in music. She taught hundreds of students over the course of more than 40 years. She and her sister, a singer, performed together for numerous church groups and other venues, and were frequent guest artists for Christian Women’s Clubs and performed two-woman Broadway shows in the Dallas area. She was active as a member of the Garland (Texas) Music Teacher’s Association throughout her career and served as an adjudicator throughout the state.

Zeta, May 17, 1948 Fullerton Alumni Died July 21, 2020 Pianist, vocalist, teacher, choral conductor. Marjorie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from DePauw university and a Master of Fine Arts degree in voice from California State University, Fullerton. She taught piano and voice at her home and several community colleges in Fullerton and Cypress, California. She sang and conducted adult choirs at University Park United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado, and First Congregational Church in Buena Park, California. For more than 22 years, she led the adult choirs and handbell choirs at Orangethorpe United Methodist Church, Fullerton.

Epsilon Psi, December 12, 1996 New York City Alumni Died June 17, 2020 Pianist. Paul appeared as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Brooklyn Symphony, the Manhattan Contemporary Ensemble, the Sheboygan Symphony and the Catholic Symphony Orchestra of Wisconsin. He has twice performed in recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art under the auspices of the Department of Musical Instruments and at the Town Hall in New York City. His many performances in Austria, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy have brought him wide critical acclaim. He performed numerous times for the U.S. Department of the Interior and was a frequent guest artist on the Goethe Institute’s recital series. His performances been aired on the VARA radio in Holland, RAI in Italy and the USA, and radio and television stations throughout the U.S. Paul received many awards including the Viotti-Valsesia International Piano Competition for Romantic Music, the National Society of Arts and Letters Piano Career Award and was twice awarded first prize in the International Piano Recording Competition. He has been the recipient of performance and research grants from the Mu Phi Epsilon and Eccola Foundations. He was highly regarded for his interpretation of music from the romantic period, particularly Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Albéniz. His recording of Isaac Albèniz’s Iberia Suite was released by Centaur Records in 2012. He holds degrees from the Bologna Conservatory of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music. Paul served as vice president of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation.

Mu Beta, May 22, 1960 Portland Alumni Died February 14, 2020 Vocalist, teacher. Lynda taught elementary music in the Portland Public Schools in Oregon for three years and conducted the children’s choirs at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. She taught private voice lessons from 1982-2019 to more than 1,000 students. She sang in the Portland Opera Chorus for 20 years and the Novum Chamber singers for many years. Lynda was an integral part of Good Samaritan Ministries in Beaverton, Oregon, where she was a co-director of International Education and was also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singers. She was active in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lake Oswego and toured with its choir to Europe four times.