A time for honor

NCU ALUMNI SHARE THEIR FAVORITE LARRY BACH STORIES

By Nathan Droege ’19

NCU is a university full of fixtures— from the skyline views to the chapel altar, from the Miller Hall entrance to the book spines lining library shelves, constants are something we take for granted. But there are a few things, and a few people, that have gone on to surpass the “fixture” status and become practically inevitable, and Larry Bach has become so much a part of North Central and the College of Fine Arts that his retirement seems almost impossible.

Bach’s final concert and alumni choir gathering was all about honoring his impressive legacy and was a chance to recognize a lifetime of inspiration, leadership, and progress. Gathering four decades of alumni together provided the perfect opportunity to spotlight what Larry Bach offered to his many students—his innovation, encouragement, and excellence. Few of us sang under Larry for more than a few years, but somehow, we all took away so much from his leadership.

As you read the following reflections and stories from alumni who submitted stories or sand in the final concert, perhaps it will spark a favorite memory of you singing with, learning from, or working alongside one of NCU’s favorite constants—Larry Bach.

Todd Marshall ’85

“I probably should have never made Chorale in the first place. My freshman year was Larry’s first year. I tried out first semester and did not make it. Then I tried out the second semester. Didn’t hear from him. As we were walking through the hallway between classes with a bunch of people, I was walking beside Larry. I’m like, ‘So am I in?’ And he looks at me, like, ‘All right, come on.’”

Briana Manzari ’22 (December)

“When I was a freshman, I was in Festival Choir and Larry was just so mad because there were so many people that were skipping choir that day. He chewed out the whole choir. And somebody posted it on social media and was like, ‘You guys better come to choir.’ And a lot of my friends who skipped choir that day saw it and they were terrified. So they didn’t miss choir for the rest of the semester.”

Karalynn (Johnson ’08) Hemmer

“I teach piano now and will frequently use the tools that Larry gave me in Chorale to be able to explain to my students how to bring color into their music, how to turn them into sounds and how to turn them into pictures, because of how he explained things. I’m able to use the things that he taught in vocal music to transfer to piano and to everything else.”

Connie (Kyllonen ’86) Hammer

“I was in One Accord, the small group. Larry was quite concerned that we were stiff and unemotional while we were singing, and he couldn’t get it in our head. So we were on the chapel stage and we had a rehearsal and he said, ‘I’m fed up. You guys are stiff as boards.’ So he went to the back of the chapel and said, ‘Now, look. When I walk in the back door, I am Jesus, and Jesus is walking in the room. And I wanna know how would you respond to that?’ So he walks in the room, and we all kind of snicker. And he said, ‘I’m Jesus!! If Jesus is in the room, what are you gonna do? You can’t do nothing because that changes everything!’

“And so he’s like dancing and demonstrative. And he’s saying, ‘Everything changed. Jesus walked in a room, show it, show it, show it!’ “I still come into worship experiences where Larry Bach is in my head saying, ‘If Jesus walked in the room, how would you respond?’”

Joe McLaughlin ’17

“On our Ireland tour, the day we flew into Ireland, Larry had told all of us we needed to stay awake until seven o’clock that night, so we wouldn’t get jetlagged. But we needed to be on the bus at a specific time the next morning. And he said, ‘If you are late—and I have left students—we will leave without you. So all of us get on the bus the next morning and who are the two people that are late? Larry and Josh [Tompkins]. We gave him garbage, but it was all in fun, because he made such a big deal the day before, ‘You gotta make sure you’re on the bus and in your seat on time.’ And he and Josh were late.”

Kristi (Shields ’00) Northup

“Larry told us the truth in love. One time we were in Italy and my best friend wanted to be with her boyfriend. And so we switched groups and then we switched again. And then Larry asked everybody, ‘Hey, please don’t do any switching.’ Well, then we switched again. And we got off the bus and he pulled me aside and said, ‘Kristi, I asked you not to do that. I asked the entire group not to do that. And why do you think you’re the exception to the rules? You need to follow us and I need you not to do that again.’ “Then five minutes later, Larry was laughing and talking about something else. And I realized, he said what he needed to say and moved on. He didn’t hold a grudge or hang it over my head. And I looked at that moment and I thought, ‘I can do that. I want to be like that. I want to be like Larry. Larry wasn’t complicated or hard to figure out, just straightforward. Always. I love that.”

Celeste (Engelson ’89) Johnson

“I realized Larry gave us himself. He took all this richness of his own life and showed us the world. And we’re all richer because of that. Not just music and beauty and art, but culture … and relationships with each other. Just seeing just how big this world is that God gave us—Larry just served it up on a platter.”

Gina Zarletti ’05

“Larry teaches people how to work hard. So I feel like part of my work ethic when it maybe comes to music and singing is in part due to all my years in Chorale and how he was able to just pull so much out of us and instill in us to work hard.”

Mariah Simonson ’14

“I remember … I was very nervous and a little bit timid with my voice. And when I got into Chorale, I started to gain … skills and … confidence. And then towards the end of my time, I actually gained the confidence to audition for a solo. And I remember auditioning for the solo and afterwards, Larry just looked at me and he said, ‘It’s so great to hear your voice.’ And I’ll never forget that. All the confidence that he gave me and the technical skills … I definitely wouldn’t be where I am as a musician without him.”

Romalee (Morgan ’86) Droba

“I was doing my senior recital and I kept stopping in the middle of a piece and Larry kept telling me, ‘You just need to keep going. You just need to keep going.’ Well, I kept stopping and stopping and he kind of tugged on my arm and I finally said, ‘You’re not the boss of me!’ And then I went on to teach here for 25 years. So he really was the boss of me.”

Taylor Marshall ’18

“Larry has been one of the most influential leaders in my life. He has been one of the core leaders that have influenced where I’m at and my ability and the way that I do things. I’m so thankful for Larry’s leadership. He’s not just a teacher, but he’s a father-figure friend. I’ve seen him in different elements of life and he’s so consistent and excellent in everything he does.”

Gary Grogan ’73

“I appreciate and applaud Larry’s faithfulness, excellence, passion, kindness, steadfastness— only in eternity will we know all he has done for the Kingdom. His impact is deep and wide!”

Bob Ona ’77

“I deeply appreciate his commitment to Christ, and the contributions he has made to so many of us. Bravo!”

Dave Collins ’79

“Larry has been so generous and was instrumental in my getting hired full-time at NCU. We had the best time working together and continue to enjoy a valuable friendship. I learned so much from Larry about teaching, administration, vision-casting, supporting coworkers, and being a generous leader.”

Carol (Schmele ’85) Vidic

“I remember Larry’s joyful spirit and his intensity in his love for God first, and love of music. We all admired him and wanted to follow his example of a life well lived!”

Casandra (Tudor ’91) Carlson

“Larry always challenged us to our core and I can totally see his serious face and emphasis as he would look at the Chorale (so often!) and say, “You’re BETTER than that!” And, oh, the sheer joy of making beautiful music under him traveling! I’ll never forget the time in Munich, Germany when we all were enjoying those delicious hot fresh Bavarian pretzels stacked on the tables before dinner and none of us realized they were NOT free … and we ALL had to pitch in to help pay for those pretzels because there wasn’t enough money in the dinner fund that night.”

Jeanette (Thulin ’05) Claesson

“My absolute favorite memory of Larry was when I in my senior year at North Central was able to help him book a tour with Chorale to Sweden, my home country. One day after a Chorale concert, Larry said, ‘We should do a tour to Sweden!’ and I was like, ‘Sure, let’s do it!’ We immediately started planning for it and were able to fully book a tour in different churches, a junior college, and even the famous Gothenburg Cathedral (Domkyrkan) in my hometown (This was not a planned event, but as we were walking through downtown Gothenburg, Larry spotted the church and decided to go inside and just tell them who we were and ask if we could do a concert there. They said ‘Yes,’ and we were able to do a lunch concert in this iconic church from the 17th century. I love how he just goes for things, fearlessly! His heart for people and love for the Lord is evident, and his pursuit of excellence the same, whether directing at North Central, at his home church, overseas, or in the streets of Stockholm. I know he has touched the hearts of many students and taken countless trips overseas. I’m so grateful God led me to North Central when He did and that I got to be a small part of Larry’s 41 years there.

“Another memory I have is during chapel one fall morning as we were getting ready to lead worship, we were discussing whether to turn the clock back or forward the upcoming Daylight Savings Sunday. Larry proceeds to very confidently say “FALL FORWARD,” as he dramatically falls forward on stage to demonstrate that the clocks will be turned forward. We all looked at him and said, ‘No Larry! It’s fall back, spring forward.’ It was hilarious!!”

Eileen (Panek ’90) Fisher

“Larry and the Chorale were such an important and vital part of my experience at North Central. Singing was definitely a place where I found joy, peace and rest, and Larry helped provide that for me. Larry has touched so many lives; I feel so fortunate to have been part of that legacy.”