Meet the Team Behind OMMA
Wendy Wright
Executive Director
Wendy Wright has been involved with the Ozark Mountain Music Association since 2011. Her daughter, Sophia, participated in the OMMA music troupe as a child and now serves as an instructor at summer camp. Her youngest daughter, Emilia, is currently a member of the OMMA music troupe, The Roots. Wendy and her husband, Eric, have dedicated their family life to immersing their children in the culture of traditional Ozark music and bluegrass.
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Wendy is deeply committed to preserving OMMA so future generations can experience and carry forward the old-time music traditions of the Ozarks. She serves as Development Director at Gloria Deo Academy in Springfield, Missouri, and holds a Master of Science in Communication from Missouri State University.
Kari Garrsion
President
Kari Garrison was born and raised in Denison, Texas, in a musical family where harmony-filled kitchen jam sessions shaped her lifelong love of singing. After high school, she moved to Virginia, where her voice found its place in the bluegrass community. Over the next five years, she performed extensively both on stage and in the recording studio alongside many of the industry’s most promising artists.
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In 2001, Kari moved to Branson, Missouri, where she performed with legendary entertainer Moe Bandy for nearly a decade, including appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. In 2017, she was named Female Vocalist of the Year by both the Branson Show Awards and the Branson Terry Music Awards. Kari is currently celebrating her twentieth year performing in Branson in the Clay Cooper’s Country Express show at the Clay Cooper Theatre.
Danny Talkington
Vice President
Danny Talkington has had a deep love for Ozark Mountain music for decades. He has been visiting the Ozark hills since the early 1970s and made Forsyth, Missouri his permanent home in 2018. He enjoys the beauty, music, and community of the region and remains passionate about sharing that appreciation with others.
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Danny has a special heart for teaching children about traditional Ozark music and encouraging their interest in preserving it for future generations. He is a member of the Society of Ozarkian Hillcrofters, an organization dedicated to restoring and protecting the historic buildings, streams, and forests of the Ozarks. Danny is a retired insurance compliance examiner. He and his wife, Jonny Talkington, have two sons, one daughter, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Sophia Wright
Secretary & Treasurer
Sophia Wright grew up in the Ozarks and began jamming at the Mountain Grove schoolhouse at age eight, where she learned to play guitar and fiddle. At fifteen, she formed the band Southern Strings to compete in the KSMU Youth in Bluegrass Contest at Silver Dollar City, performing throughout the Ozarks for five years.
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Sophia attended Bethel University in Tennessee on a Bluegrass Scholarship, where she performed with the Bethel Bluegrass Band and earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Business and a Master’s degree in Business. She currently serves as Director of Student Engagement at Bethel University. Sophia is a band coach and instructor for Ozark Mountain Music Bluegrass Camp and Old Time Music & Dance Camp in Mountain View, Arkansas, and serves as Secretary and Treasurer on the OMMA Board.
Jeff Michel
Vice President
Jeff Michel is a lifelong native of the Ozarks and a respected advocate for traditional Ozark fiddle music. He serves as President of the Board for the Mountain Grove Schoolhouse Jam and is recognized for his deep knowledge of Taney County history. He also serves on the Board of the Society of Ozarkian Hillcrofters.
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Jeff is the owner and operator of Michel Electric. He is married to Heather Michel, and together they have three daughters.
Heather Michel
Board Member
Heather Michel is a native of Branson, Missouri, and the owner and operator of Weddings at the Homestead. The Homestead serves as the beautiful venue where Bluegrass Camp is held each year, and Heather and her husband Jeff are gracious hosts.
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Heather is a devoted mother of three grown children and a strong supporter of preserving traditional Ozark music and passing it on to the next generation.
Emily Garoutte
Board Member
Emily Garoutte has been fiddling for eight years. She spent two years studying classical music before discovering old-time and bluegrass traditions. In 2017, she attended her first Ozark Mountain Music Association camp, where she learned to play by ear and fell in love with both the music and the community surrounding it.
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Since then, Emily has helped form the bluegrass group Missouri 65 and also fiddles with the Ozark Mountain Five. She has a strong passion for preserving local old-time tunes and, in 2022, participated as an apprentice in the Missouri Folk Arts Program studying Ozarks square dance fiddling. Emily is passionate about passing this music on to her peers and to the next generation.
Advisory Board
Larry Sifford
David Maravilla
Mary Parker
John Meyer
Wyatt Harmon
Trustin Baker
Sadie Russell
Samantha Williamson
Katie Greer Hutson (Social Media)
Andrea Arnold (Website)