OBU music honors Mary Shambarger

BY KATIE BAYER Staff Writer

Ouachita’s Division of Music will be celebrating the 25th year of the Mary Shambarger competition on Tuesday, Feb. 21. This tradition was started in 1999 in honor of the late Mary Shambarger, a seasoned voice professor at OBU. Shambarger had a magnificent impact on every life she touched and established the all-female singing group, the Ouachitones, known today as the Ouachita Sounds.

“The main significance of the competition is that it’s a way to honor Mary Shambarger’s contribution to OBU and to remember her,” said Dr. Maggie Garrett, professor of music. “Also, the students have opportunities to win big prizes. The first-place winner will receive a $500 cash prize. $300 will go to the second-place winner, $100 to the third, and $50 awards are given to any honorable mentions.”

The competition is a way for music students to show off their talents to a panel of judges. This year, there will be 17 competitors from across the fine arts spectrum. The genre of the songs transitions every year between aria, art songs, and musical theater. This year, the show will be focused on arias, or a song taken from a larger work, according to Garrett.

Regretfully, Shambarger passed away in 2022, shortly after the 24th annual competition. As a way of honoring her memory, Garrett decided to organize something special. Shambarger is survived by her daughter Susan Goss and her sister Marjorie Halbert, a retired voice professor from Belmont University.

“At 7:30, we are going to have a time with her daughter and her sister…as a way to let our students