Mary Anne Spangler Scott, soprano

A native of Warsaw, Illinois, Mary Anne Spangler Scott began her professional career in Chicago after graduating from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. Her debut operatic role was Monica in The Medium, which toured the Chicago area. With a scholarship from the Chicago Musicians Club of Women, she was able to study with such vocal coaches as Giulio Favario of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Julius Berger of the Metropolitan Opera. During this time, she was a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and a winner in the Merola Opera Auditions. She was an apprentice artist for two summers at the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts working with such renowned artists as Beverly Sills, John Reardon, Sarah Caldwell, John Moriarty and others. Afterwards she began a three-year engagement with the Stadttheater in Berne, Switzerland, performing twelve leading roles, including Mimi in La Bohéme, Constanza in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Marzelline in Fidelio, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, and others. Upon returning to the U.S., she has performed such roles as Hannah in The Merry Widow and Violetta in La Traviata with regional opera companies and has been guest soloist with regional orchestras, including the Richmond (Virginia) Symphony in collaboration with the Hartford Ballet in performances of Carmina Burana. She has performed extensively as oratorio soloist and as a guest recitalist, including several appearances at the Cultural Center of Chicago on its "Award Winners in Concert" series.

In 1989, she co-founded the Muddy River Opera Company in Quincy, Illinois, and was its Artistic Director until 1998. While there she was recognized with an individual artist award from the city of Quincy. Since moving to Indianapolis, she has given recitals at Butler University, Indiana State University, Earlham College and in Oxford, Ohio and has appeared as guest soloist with the Richmond (Indiana) Symphony, the Columbus Symphony and the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra. Other performances include appearances as guest soloist in the Brahms Requiem at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and in Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Hodie at Christ Church Cathedral. She has performed on promotional programs for the Indianapolis Opera Company and sang the role of Adina in The Elixir of Love with the Whitewater Opera Company of Richmond and the Sorg Opera Company of Middletown, Ohio. 

Before joining the faculty at Butler University, Ms. Spangler Scott taught at Earlham College, Millikin University, Western Illinois University, Quincy University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been a guest clinician for the Illinois Music Educators Association on the topic of teaching young singers and has given master classes at high schools, colleges and universities. Students of hers have gone on to programs at Juilliard, Westminster Choir College, the Universities of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Connecticut, as well as Indiana University and Southern Methodist University. Others have appeared on Broadway or have toured with Broadway musicals and have won competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions and the George London and Mario Lanza competitions. In addition to teaching and performing, she is an active church musician, serving as organist and guest soloist throughout the Indianapolis area.