Arguably the strongest element of an Oberlin Conservatory education is your studio professor. These professors often serve as Conservatory students’ first contacts at Oberlin, pillars of guidance, shoulders to cry on, and sculptors of the artistic potential of hundreds of future professionals through their talent, kindness, and generosity.
This is especially true of former Professor of Voice Emerita Daune Mahy, who passed on July 31 in Paris. Mahy taught at Oberlin for 39 years, from 1980–2019. She was always in studio “overload,” teaching well over the regular capacity of a performance professor. During her lengthy career at Oberlin, she taught well over 200 students in her studio, and countless others in her infamous vocal diction classes.
Mahy’s career and life were remembered last Saturday at a special memorial concert in Warner Hall. The event was organized by Mahy’s family, featuring musical and spoken tributes by several generations of Oberlin students. Mahy’s niece, Gwen Mahy McTaggart, remembered her aunt as the life of her family.
“As a kid growing up, she was the most enthusiastic aunt,” she said. “She was fun-loving. The whole family would get together and Dahen would always be the one who was bubbling up. … She was always so much fun and so adventurous.”
Many past and present Oberlin faculty attended to pay their respects. Professor of Voice and Director of Vocal Studies Division Timothy LeFebvre remembered Mahy as an important influence when he first arrived at Oberlin.
“She was here when I first arrived in 2010,” he said. “She was a great mentor for me, we always talked about the [teaching] process and how to best serve our students. This concert is a great way to honor her legacy.”
Professor of Musicology and Director of Musicology Division Charles McGuire remembered one of Mahy’s more specific talents: “She’s the only Voice professor I ever knew who could sing and tap dance at the same time,” he said.
The strength of the memorial concert stemmed from a combination of equally emotional musical tributes and speeches by Mahy’s students. Particularly moving were Lynnesha Crump’s, OC ’13, stirring performance of a traditional hymn “Give Me Jesus” and Limmie Pulliam’s, OC ’98, emotional rendition of Strauss’s “Zuiegnung.” Both performers captivated the audience through the sheer power and control of their vocal talents, a lasting impact of Mahy’s pedagogical legacy.
In their speeches, Mahy’s students remembered her exceptional spirit and generosity.
“[Mahy] embodied excellence by simply being herself,” said Derrick Gay, OC ’98, an “honorary” member of Mahy’s studio. “Her delight was never ceremonial or artificial. … She became a lighthouse for so many of us.”
Scott Skiba, OC ’03, spoke similarly of the light of Mahy’s life.
“[Her] energy and love shone so brightly,” he said. “She helped me find my voice as a vocalist and a person. … [Her tutelage] went far beyond singing.”
All of Mahy’s students attested to how their professor shaped them as both vocalists and people through her tireless care and mentorship. Abby Nardo, OC ’92, a student who transferred into the Conservatory from the College, explained how empowering Mahy’s mentorship was in her Oberlin experience.
“She saw so much more in me than I saw in myself,” she said. “I think a lot of us found in Daune something we didn’t know we were looking for … a certain kind of role model. She showed us what it looks like to pursue something you love.”
Mahy’s tenure at Oberlin continues to have a lasting impact on Conservatory culture. Her students perform in major opera theaters across the world, but more than that, they are people who carry Mahy’s light and joy in all aspects of their lives. Her tireless efforts at recruiting new students have shaped the vocal department into the thriving artistic environment it is today. Salvatore Champagne, Robert E. Wheeler professor of voice, recalled his time as a student in Mahy’s diction class and eventually as her colleague in the vocal department fondly.
“Her legacy is … the reputation of the vocal studies division which she helped establish,” he said.
Mahy was one of the outstanding pedagogical talents of Oberlin Conservatory. She continues to inspire professors and students alike through her profound impact at Oberlin. She extended endless empathy and kindness to her students and the world around her. She was the ideal any teacher aspires to become. Nardo expressed it well.
“She was a deeply attentive, loving teacher who actually saw me,” she said.
