MOUNT VERNON – Mount Vernon Nazarene University is proud to host the 2022 District 10 Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) Honors Choir Festival on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The event will feature young vocalists from 22 participating schools from Ashland, Coshocton, Delaware, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Morrow and Richland counties. To participate, students much be nominated by their honor choir director. The day will feature a morning of instruction and will culminate with a final concert at 3:30 p.m., in the R.R. Hodges Chapel Auditorium on the MVNU campus. The concert is free and open to the public.
Dr. Greg Ramsdell will direct the high school honors choir. He serves as the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music Education at Heidelberg University.
Dr. Ramsdell received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education from Bowling Green State University. In 2006, he earned his DMA in choral conducting performance with honors from the University of Kansas. Under Dr. Ramsdell’s direction, the Concert Choir has presented yearly domestic tours, and in the spring of 2019, the choir undertook an international tour that included performances in Budapest, Hungary; Brno, Czech Republic; and Prague, Czech Republic. In 2022, the Concert Choir performed at the Ohio Music Educators Association’s annual professional development conference.
Mrs. Jeanne Wolgamuth will direct the middle school honors choir. Throughout her 43-year career, she has been a tireless advocate for children at all levels, from kindergarten through college. She recently retired from Dublin Jerome High School as Director of Choirs and Performing Arts Chair. She is currently serving her tenth year as Artistic Director of the Columbus Children’s Choir. She also serves as President-Elect of the Ohio Choral Director’s Association and Vocal Affairs Chair for the Ohio Music Education Association. Mrs. Wohlgamuth has served as a guest clinician for the Indiana Elementary All-State Honor Choir and numerous district high school and middle school honor choirs throughout Ohio.
In 2023, she will lead her first choral festival/residency at Carnegie Hall. She will also serve as guest conductor for the 2023 Organization of America Kodály Educators National Women’s Concert Choir and, in 2024, will conduct the Georgia All-State Middle School Treble Choir. She was awarded the 2020 National Teacher of the Year from the Organization of Kodaly Music Educators. Her other awards include the Teacher of the Year award from Dublin Jerome High School. In 2021 she was inducted into the Dublin Jerome High School Hall of Fame.
