This summer, generations of Denison Singers will return to campus to honor the man who made it possible — through song and a new scholarship to help future generations of arts students.
The gathering marks the 65th anniversary of the Denison Singers and the ensemble’s 600th public performance, while also serving as a Celebration of Life for Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts William “WO” Osborne, whose influence shaped generations of students, musicians, and alums over more than four decades at Denison.
For alums, WO was far more than a conductor, musician, or scholar. He was a mentor, champion, and the architect and heart of a uniquely enduring musical family bound together by song.
Now, that community is ensuring his legacy will continue for generations to come.
Denison Singers alums Amy MacDonell ’79 P’18 and James Gentner ’70 have established the Dr. William Osborne Fine Arts Scholarship in WO’s memory. It will provide resources to attract and retain talented students whose passion for the arts reflects WO’s lifelong devotion to artistic excellence and his ability to unite Denisonians through song, spirit, and aspiration.
For MacDonell, supporting the scholarship was an immediate and deeply personal decision.
“My connection with WO started the day after I walked onto campus,” she said. “I auditioned for the Denison Singers in his office in Swasey Chapel — nervous as all get out — but I made the Singers as a freshman. So I had the great advantage of singing under WO’s baton for four years.”
Instantly, she became connected to a community. “It set the standard for the rest of my Denison experience,” she said. “And then of course there was the challenging music!”
Generations of students found not only artistic challenge in the Denison Singers, but also lifelong friendships and formative experiences that extended far beyond campus.
For James Gentner ’70, WO’s mentorship didn’t end at graduation. “He guided me well,” Gentner said. While Gentner was enrolled in graduate studies at the University of Colorado but unsure about his next move, WO came to Boulder, Colo., to visit. “He said, ‘You really liked being the choral librarian [at Denison]. Why don’t you become a librarian?’ And the rest is my history.” Gentner went on to a distinguished international career with the Library of Congress and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, crediting Osborne with helping shape his professional path.
The scholarship reflects Osborne’s extraordinary investment in Denison students over more than four decades on the faculty from 1961 to 2003. During that time, he founded and led the Denison Singers, conducted the concert choir, collaborated on musical theatre productions, and cultivated a culture of artistic rigor and intellectual curiosity.
Yet perhaps his most enduring contribution was the community he built — one that alums still describe as family. The Singers ensemble evolved into one of Denison’s most beloved artistic traditions. Though the group formally dissolved following Osborne’s retirement in 2003, its alumni community has remained extraordinarily close by attending periodic reunions.
“WO stitched together this family of very diverse people who sang under his baton and who now love each other across multiple generations,” MacDonell said. “WO was our glue. And now that glue is the Singers’ family and our love of shared music making.”
Over the decades, WO challenged students not only musically, but intellectually and culturally. Singers alums recall transformative tours across the United States and Europe, performances in cathedrals and concert halls, and exposure to music, history, art, and expansive ideas.
“He opened up worlds in many ways,” MacDonell said. “He figured out ways to help us expand our horizons.”
Both MacDonell and Gentner see the new scholarship as a natural extension of WO’s lifelong investment in students and the arts.
“When I heard the idea of establishing a scholarship for arts students, I didn’t have to think about it for more than five seconds,” MacDonell said. “It’s directing my annual giving to an aspect of Denison that I really care about — my love for WO and recognition for what he did for me and other Singers.”
Gentner shared a similar motivation.
“I am very keen to support prospective students to Denison, without them having to fear a lot of debt when they leave,” he said. “Denison’s enthusiasm for educating students who are interested in the arts — not necessarily professionally, but as part of a larger liberal arts education — is incredibly important.”
Gentner and MacDonell both hope their initial gifts inspire Denison Singers and others touched by WO’s spirit to join them in heartily supporting the WO scholarship fund.
Contributions to the Dr. William Osborne Fine Arts Scholarship will help future Denison students pursue artistic passions while enriching the campus community through music and the arts. The scholarship also reflects Denison’s broader commitment through What We Can Be: The Denison Campaign to expand access and affordability for talented students from all financial backgrounds.
As alums gather this summer to sing once more in WO’s memory, they will celebrate not only the life of a beloved professor, but also a living legacy — one embodied through future generations of students, artists, and Denisonians.
“WO believed in students and in the power of music to connect people,” MacDonell said. “This scholarship helps carry that ethos forward.”
To make a gift, visit support.denison.edu/OsborneFineArtsScholarship.