The University of Southern Indiana is proud to announce Shawnee LaMar as the winner of the 2025 Hagemann Awards for Musical Performance. The awards finalist concert, held Tuesday, July 16 at Murphy Auditorium in Historic New Harmony, featured four talented high school musicians from Posey County, Indiana, with LaMar earning the top award for her clarinet and vocal performances.
As this year’s winner, LaMar received a $1,000 cash prize and the prestigious Alexander Scholarship valued at $2,000. The other three finalists were awarded $500 in recognition of their outstanding musicianship.
LaMar, a recent high school graduate, has been a dedicated student of music for seven years. “I began playing the clarinet when I joined band seven years ago, which later led to my two-year involvement in choir,” she said. “In that time, I’ve participated in instrumental solo and ensemble for six years, advancing to state for a clarinet ensemble and two clarinet solos. For the two years I participated in vocal solo and ensemble, I advanced to state both times for solos.”
Her musical achievements also include performances with the All-District Honor Band, the Murray State University Quad State Festivals in both instrumental and vocal music and the Evansville Symphonic Band as a recipient of the Wesley Shepherd Award. In addition to her musical pursuits, LaMar has been active in theater, playing lead roles such as Kim MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.
Other 2025 finalists included Addaleigh McFadin (piano), Collin Swartz (bass clarinet) and Faith Juncker (voice).
Now in its latest installment, the Hagemann Awards for Musical Performance was founded by Posey County native and internationally recognized composer and conductor Philip Hagemann to honor and encourage the artistic talent of young musicians in his home community. The competition is produced by the USI Music Program and supported through a generous gift from Hagemann.
Judges for the 2025 competition included John Spradley, former band director at Gibson Southern High School; Joe Uthup, USI Part Time Vocal Instructor; and Thomas Drury, USI Instructor in Music and collaborative pianist.
