Victoria Farlow
Staff Writer
Director of Choral Activities Todd Harper lead 10 University of La Verne students to the last student recital of the spring semester last Friday.
“All the students studied privately and performed well,” Harper said.
The recital, which took place in Founders Auditorium, was also Harper’s last recital at the University.
After the semester ends, Harper will go to Providence College in Rhode Island, where he has been appointed choral director.
Harper began at the University in fall 2008 and made his directorial debut in November 2008 at the Fall Choral Concert, “Sure on this Shining Night.”
“We have to start all over again,” Matthew White, senior public administration major said.
He studied with Harper this year.
White sang “Nina” by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and “Die Forelle” by Franz Schubert at the recital.
“[White’s] progress has shown a true culmination of his hard work,” Harper said.
White said “Die Forelle” was the most difficult.
“There were a lot of verses and it was the most challenging in terms of the language,” White said.
White, who has studied voice for two years on campus, said it was easier to learn Italian than German.
“‘Nina’ was more fun but challenging nonetheless,” White said. “All the performers were really good. We all worked really hard.”
Kelly Maes, a business administration major in the CAPA program, performed “The Water is Wide,” a traditional folk song from the 1600s.
Maes takes weekly voice lessons and had been working on the piece for about four months.
“Dr. Harper definitely made the choir a more cohesive group,” Maes said.
In a November interview, Taylor Duling, the choir’s social chair and a junior music education major said that Harper brought a new vibe to the University’s choir and that she was thankful to have such a great motivator.
Maes said that Harper was able to bring every member of the choir together.
“We got to know him and everyone likes him,” Maes said.
White said that the choral students will have to trust that the music department will leave them in good hands.
Victoria Farlow can be reached at victoria.farlow@laverne.edu.