Conducting a Lasting Tribute

When UCO President Don Betz announced in June that he would be retiring at the end of the 2018-19 academic year, the College of Fine Arts and Design was especially touched. Betz, UCO’s provost from 1999-05, was the top academic person who helped shepherd the college into being in 2001.

And when Betz returned as UCO’s 20th university president in 2011, it was the School of Music that started the tradition of hosting an annual President’s Concert, showcasing the talents of each of its divisions, while sharing the school’s major accomplishments.

So, when the fall 2018 event opened, it was no surprise that the concert would be a poignant one, honoring a man deeply involved in the School of Music’s development, someone whose support and commitment as UCO president will be missed.

However, Brian Lamb, D.M.A., director of the School of Music, kept one surprise until the very end.

The concert series has a tradition of ending with the wind symphony performing on stage, then joined by all the other evening’s student performers. Members of the UCO Symphony Orchestra, Concert Chorale, Jazz Ensemble I, Musical Theatre, Opera, Piano and the Brisch Center for Historical Performance — they fill the front of the stage area, spilling into the aisles with clapping and singing. Audience members are pushed to their feet, joining in the fun and excitement.

This year, however, was even bigger.

Lamb, after again noting gratitude for all of President Betz’s support, described how important it felt to give this man something like never before, something “intangible,” never to be forgotten.

“One of the biggest adrenaline rushes that any band director will ever experience is standing in front of a band playing our national march, ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever.’ The piccolo solos, the brass, the rush of the enthusiastic crowd. Tonight, this adrenaline rush will be yours,” Lamb said.

And, so it was, that on the evening of Sept. 18, President Betz found himself on stage, a conductor’s baton in hand, leading the wind symphony in John Philip Sousa’s most rousing music.

Afterward, with a big smile, President Betz was ever the gracious honoree, thanking everyone for such a wonderful evening. Those in his office the next morning, however, reported that he was still animated and thrilled, describing the incredible experience.