In May, 2009 the OK City Chorus was blessed to have one of our own, Mary Rhea, step into the role of director, ready to take the chorus to new heights. Little did we know, we had a future Queen of Harmony in our midst. Well, we knew -- maybe just not everyone else. It was that October when her quartet Zing! went on to become the 2010 International Champion Quartet. Mary's talent doesn't stop there. She is also an Approved Sound Judge, and she recently achieved Master Director status while making her international directing debut in October, 2010 at the International Competition in Seattle, WA.
Mary’s journey to OK City had many twists and turns, starting with her first exposure to barbershop music in the Sooner High School choir (Bartlesville, OK). Noel Kaiser, her beloved choir director, had the girls sing a barbershop arrangement of “Ma, He’s Makin’ Eyes at Me” in their spring show. She loved the harmony, but didn’t know that there was such a thing as Sweet Adelines. Imagine that! She lived only 50 miles from Tulsa, the international headquarters of Sweet Adelines International.
While in college at the University of Oklahoma, Mary was once again drawn to barbershop music. She organized the girls in her dorm to sing a Mitch Miller four part harmony arrangement of “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” for the campus Gong Show. She didn’t even know they were singing barbershop music!
Mary watched a Phil Donahue show in the 1980’s which featured men’s and women’s barbershop quartet champions. It was then that she knew that Sweet Adelines was just what she was looking for, but it wasn’t until she moved to Ohio that she found a chorus. Mary and her husband moved to a small town outside of Dayton, OH, partly because she saw a sign for a Sweet Adeline meeting. Little did she know that the chorus she’d found was the current International Champion Chorus, Gem City.
Because Mary’s husband, Russ, was in the Navy, they moved often. When it came time to decide on the next duty station, a top priority for Mary was, “What Sweet Adeline chorus is nearby?” The advantage of moving was the opportunity to learn from many masters (Jean Barford, Betty Pettibon, Carole Kirkpatrick, Janet Ashford, and Jim Massey) and to develop friendships with people all over the world.
Since Russ is now retired from the Navy, they are here in Oklahoma for good. Mary’s passion for excellence flows to every part of her life: directing the OK City Chorus, singing baritone in Zing!, judging for Sweet Adelines, working as a physical therapist, golfing, gardening, and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners.
OK City Chorus is delighted to have Mary at the helm!
Sweet Adelines International:
Approved Judge - Sound Category
2010 International Champion Quartet, Zing! - baritone
Master Director
Director Education Coordinators, member
Region 25:
Ark Angel Award recipient
Education Steering Committee
Quartet Retreat Co-chair
Coach
Regional Faculty
Past Directors' Coordinator, RMT
Chorus History:
Gem City, Dayton OH - Region 4 (1986-89, 1992-94)
Greater Harrisburg, Harrisburg PA – Region 19 (1989-92)
P-Heart of Hessen, Wiesbaden, Germany - founder (1995-97)
Pacific Sound, Bellevue WA – Region 13 (1997-99)
Pride of Baltimore, Baltimore MD – Region 19 (1999-2001)
OK City Chorus – Region 25 (2001-present)
Quartet History:
Finesse – Gem City
Special Delivery – Greater Harrisburg
Artistry – Gem City (International Top 20)
Freestyle – Pacific Sound (3rd place regional)
Kismet – Region 25 (Regional champions x 4)
Zing! – Regions 7 & 25 (2010 International Champion Quartet)
Education:
BS in Physical Therapy – University of Oklahoma
MA in Gerontology – Webster College
Personal:
Husband – Russ
Kids – Michael and Kirsten
Dogs – Hannah and Toby
