Lamont Alumni Share Their Stories

Mari McCarville (BA 2020, Flute)

It was Hallo-weekend in 2019. I donned my costume and headed toward the Lowry Town Center with Wild Beautiful Orchestra, a flexible group of classically-trained musicians founded by Lamont professor Chappell Kingsland. I had started performing with WBO in schools and churches earlier in the year, and it felt great to bring music out of the concert hall and into the community. On Halloween night, we brought the music outside into the brisk fall air. We unpacked our instruments and climbed onto a rickety wooden platform. As we started to tune, a crowd of children in costumes gathered around with their buckets of candy, and the nerves that so often accompanied my performances in Hamilton or Gates Hall faded away completely. I played, I made mistakes, I laughed, I smiled. This is what music was all about. Yes, the long hours in the practice room, the chamber coaching sessions, and the music theory classes were important too. But that Halloween night, I realized that my joy in music comes from sharing it, watching people dance to it, and taking it into the open air.

Nate Columna (BA 2011, Piano ) 

It is difficult to choose just one story from my time at Lamont, but upon reflection it is the connections that I made and the lasting relationships that stick with me as the most impactful part of my journey. I was lucky enough to be a part of the founding year of the Exit 205 A Cappella group, and have stayed close with many of the singers I performed with and admire the incredible professional accomplishments of them all. Also, every time I return to campus I feel the connection with the faculty who taught me via their absence - the faculty is different now than it was then (naturally!) and I am so grateful for the faculty who helped make me who I am. Still, I can't help but feel excited for the current student body and the connections they must be making with the current incredible faculty body. In a nutshell, time at Lamont is about building relationships that will last a lifetime.

Lilith Diringer (PC 2024, Jazz Studies)

It was amazing to be able to present two of my recently composed pieces at the Composers' Concert. They are part of a full-length musical theatre which I have been working on during my year of graduation. In the show "Take the gloves off" I use performing arts to express my research on upholding democracy in a system that is flawed by torture and non-legal behaviour. It was a great opportunity to present parts of my work and discuss with the audience.

Katie Grosskopf (BA 2012, Violin)

Right out of the gate at Lamont, I was part of a freshman seminar taught by Sarah Morelli. What an incredible welcome to college and DU! Not only did I meet amazing friends, but Professor Morelli introduced me to a world of music and culture that surrounded me. As part of the seminar, we were given the opportunity to learn Indian dance, go to a Moroccan restaurant, and meet people from foreign cultures living in Denver. This experience opened my eyes to the world and I never looked back!

Brian Goetzinger (MM 2015 and PC 2016, Violin)

I'll never forget the opportunity to compose music and get it premiered by the Lamont Symphony Orchestra. It's such a unique feeling writing something in complete solitude and then hearing it back live, never knowing fully what to expect. My first piece was a surprise dedicated to my mother, titled "A Waltz for Mom." Suffice it to say that subtlety isn’t my forte. I didn't tell her this before the performance, only that my parents should make a point to travel in to hear it. When the final crescendo arrived, I looked over to her in the audience, and she was crying (hopefully tears of JOY...), and that moment has stuck with me ever since. Now in my role at the New York Philharmonic, when people complain to me about this or that piece of modern programming, I let them know all music was once new, and sometimes share that I composed pieces myself. At times, I’ve even shared recordings with donors and supporters of the Orchestra to strengthen our relationships through music. As a testament to the vast and varied amount of programming under Maestro Golan, I also find myself having performed many of the symphonies and works played by the Philharmonic in a given season, making it a joy to relive my time at Lamont from offstage.

William Kyriazis (BM 2013, Jazz & Commercial Music)

I first met Dr. Sarah Morelli in my freshman seminar, where I quickly learned of her integrity as a scholar and her passion for nurturing authentic relationships between diverse cultures. Flash forward a couple years, and Dr. Morelli started a Senegalese Drum ensemble that featured musicians she had befriended from Senegal. Mass Mbaye led the class and put together an Mbalax ensemble. I had the privilege of learning Sabar and playing keyboards in Mass' ensemble. Dr. Morelli created the opportunity for us to learn an entirely different mode of music, from the Senegalese perspective. It forever changed my understanding of rhythm and story. We learned the importance of music in the political structure of the Senegalese society. I carry this experience with me to this day, and think fondly of my relationship with Mass and the Senegalese culture.

Hazel-Anne (Habey) Hoffman-Burdick (BA 2008, Piano)

Yong Sin Kim (BA 1995, Clarinet)

One of the best relationships that came out of my time at Lamont was with JP - Jonathan Parker. He was the glue that kept everything moving smoothly. His perpetual optimism and care for the school and everyone at HFAC at the NE campus and later at the Newman Center was without compare. He made late night opera rehearsals and being the wind librarian a joy. His legacy is passed on thru everyone he supported and his beautiful talented daughter. He is greatly missed.