Dr. Donald Oglesby, a professor emeritus of the Frost School of Music and a pillar of its choral program for almost 40 years, passed away on April 19 at the Vitas Hospice Care Center in Miami at the age of 77. The cause of death was complications related to Alzheimer’s.
Oglesby was deeply devoted, not just to music, but to music education and music in the community. He joined the Frost School’s choral faculty in 1977, serving as a choral director. Over the years his reponsibilities included teaching conducting, choral literature, and other topics; overseeing graduate research; and coordinating the undergraduate theory program.
The same year he was hired, Oglesby formed the Miami Collegium Musicum, a hybrid collegiate and community choir, leading it in performances at popular Madrigal Dinners (later Holiday Dinners) during the Christmas season. In 1984, it became the choir for the Miami Bach Society, where Oglesby, a passionate expert in Baroque and early music, was artistic director and conductor for many years, leading it in popular performances around South Florida and on tour internationally. Oglesby was also director of choral music at the historic Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove, and taught for many years at a choral summer camp run by the Frost School.
Frost School Dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg praised Oglesby’s devotion to his Frost School and musical community.
“Until recently, Don was frequently seen in our audiences, supporting the school, his colleagues, and our students,” Berg said. “I’m honored to have been his colleague, and I will miss him.”
His sons Thomas, David and Stephan Oglesby, who grew up singing in choirs and playing various instruments, say their father’s name was universally known in the choral world in Miami and beyond.
“His work with music education, especially in Florida, meant that every time we joined a chorus, our choir teachers knew that he was our father,” said David Oglesby. When Stephen Oglesby, the youngest, joined a church choir in Chicago as an adult, the director knew his father through the Miami Bach Society.
“My father was always very understanding, compassionate, and caring,” said Thomas Oglesby. “He was devoted to teaching and his students.”
When the power came back on after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Oglesby celebrated by playing a recording of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. He would bring his sons with him to the first day of the summer choral camp, on Father’s Day, coming straight from church.
Oglesby held a bachelor’s of music from Birmingham-Southern College, a master’s in musicology from the University of Illinois, and a Doctor of Music degree with distinction from Indiana University, where he concentrated on choral conducting. His teachers included Robert Shaw, Julius Herford, Helmuth Rilling, and Hugh Thomas.
Oglesby served as president of the Florida chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and the Miami chapters of Pi Kappa Lambda and Pi Kappa Phi honor societies. He was on the Research and Publications Committee of the American Choral Directors’ Association and the Editorial Board of the Choral Journal.
Although he retired from the Frost School in 2016, Oglesby never stopped learning and being involved in music. He frequently attended concerts at the Frost School. He took cello lessons. He was fascinated by the connection between neuroscience and music, reading and attending lectures on the subject. He championed the importance of music in education, advocating for funding the arts in public schools.
“He would argue that you need music to have the most complete and successful education,” his son Thomas said. “He would argue that you’re not saving money by leaving it out, but you’re costing kids a complete education – you’re causing these kids harm.”
Oglesby is survived by his sons Thomas, David and Stephen; his daughter-in-laws Kristine O’Phelan and Jacqueline Au; and his grandchildren Conner, Aidan, James, and Grant Oglesby.
A memorial service will be held at noon on Wednesday, April 30, at Plymouth Congregational Church, 3400 Devon Road, Miami. The service can also be live-streamed on the church’s YouTube channel.
