Recital, reception for retiring lecturer Dr. Alicia Massie-Legg set for March 24
Feb. 20, 2025
For more than two decades, Dr. Alicia Massie-Legg has nurtured the voices of graduates from the Maryville College Division of Fine Arts, and in March, they’ll honor her with song.
Massie-Legg, who first joined the MC faculty in 2002 as an adjunct instructor, will retire at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, and to commemorate the occasion, an Alumni Recital and Retirement Reception will take place on March 24 at the Clayton Center for the Arts. For Scots like Brianna Bakoledis ’21, the opportunity to take part is a small measure of appreciation for an educator who has done so much for so many.
“Dr. Massie-Legg was a phenomenal voice instructor,” said Bakoledis, one of the performers on the program and a music teacher at Sweetwater Primary School in Sweetwater, Tennessee. “She supported me not only as a student and vocalist, but as a person. Her instruction was meaningful and constructive while allowing me to explore music styles that I enjoyed.
“She is a large reason why I was able to sing in the Maryville College Jazz Band (an ensemble now on hiatus). She saw something I was showing adeptness for in my voice lessons, and found an opportunity for me to expand that talent. I will always cherish her steadfast support and guidance.”
A senior lecturer in music, Massie-Legg earned her bachelor’s degree in music, with an emphasis in voice, from Radford University in Radford, Virginia, and two master’s degrees from Ohio University-Athens in Athens, Ohio: One in music history, and one in vocal performance (with an emphasis in vocal pedagogy). She obtained her Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and at Maryville College, she’s taught a plethora of courses, including voice, vocal pedagogy, song literature, diction for singing, the history of Western fine arts music specifically for Music majors, and a general education class on perspectives in music.
“Alicia is an excellent voice teacher with a strong focus on pedagogy, which is evident in her students’ abilities,” said Stacey Wilner, a fellow senior lecturer in music and director of choral activities at MC. “They sing with freedom and ease, without tension, and serve as strong leaders in their sections. Their healthy vocal technique is contagious, positively influencing those around them.”
“Alicia has a wonderful positive energy that radiates among her students and her colleagues,” added Adrienne Schwarte, professor of art and chair of the Division of Fine Arts. “She is ever focused on how she can best serve her students, be that creating a welcoming visual environment for voice lessons, or providing recommendations on the best resources or practices to maintain strong voice health and whole body (physical and mental) health for singing.
“She is regularly one of the first to offer new ideas and participate in any way possible to help our division grow and thrive. I will miss her bright and positive spirit popping into my office doorway!”
Throughout her tenure at Maryville College, her colleagues say, Massie-Legg has made it a point to serve both the school and her students. Deborah Boling, office manager for the Division of Fine Arts, began working at MC in 2008, and from day one, she said, Massie-Legg went out of her way to make Boling feel included. Her work with students, however, is something to be admired, Boling added.
“Alicia’s students love her,” Boling said. “They always comment about how positive she is and how they feel empowered after their lessons. She not only supports them as students, but she connects with them on a personal level, and she cares about them as individuals and only wants the best for them.”
Many of those students will return to perform at her retirement recital. Those alumni include: Shelley Maddox ’05, Bethany Plaag Lay ’15, Megan Kolb Brooks ’16, Caroline Stuart Taylor ’17, Mindy Reagan Richardson ’19, Lindsey Lively ’20, Ross Earl ’20, Ryne Simmerly ’24, Elaina Wilson ’24 and Bakoledis.
“Dr. Massie-Legg has had an abundance of amazingly talented voice students throughout her time at Maryville College,” Bakoledis said. “With that said, we tried to select a variety of performers from different graduation years who are currently working, participating, pursuing or continuing their education in a fine arts field.”
The recital will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, March 24, in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall of the Clayton Center for the Arts, and the event is free and open to the public. A reception will immediately follow in the lobby, during which faculty, staff, student and admirers can wish her well. She will, Schwarte said, leave big shoes to fill.
“Alicia’s passion and positivity will be difficult, if not impossible, to replicate,” she said. “She is someone who brings exceptional skill, energy, patience, and teaching excellence to all that she does and, she does it with a smile on her face and in her heart. There is no doubt that this will be missed. Alicia is one-of-a-kind, and it’s been a complete honor and privilege to call her my colleague.”
“Alicia is a remarkable teacher, colleague, and friend — an all-around incredible human being,” Wilner added. “Her warmth and energy light up every room she enters. While we are thrilled for her as she embarks on this next life chapter, but she will be deeply missed by all who have had the privilege of working with her.”