Arts, Etc.Music

Morgan showcases Best of La Verne

Freshman music major and cellist Jessica Lewis rehearses “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)” by Cole Porter before the Best of La Verne concert Sunday in Morgan Auditorium. The showcase is an end-of-the-year tradition in which students and faculty from the music department perform together. / photo by Breanna Ulsh
Freshman music major and cellist Jessica Lewis rehearses “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)” by Cole Porter before the Best of La Verne concert Sunday in Morgan Auditorium. The showcase is an end-of-the-year tradition in which students and faculty from the music department perform together. / photo by Breanna Ulsh

Tyler Evains
Staff Writer

The stage was set with a grand piano and three chairs with amplifier cords draped over them, waiting to be plugged in by guitarists.

Soft jazz set the atmosphere Sunday as people trickled into Morgan Auditorium for the Best of La Verne concert.

The performance was the conclusion of this year’s Lyceum series, which featured a variety of the University’s most talented singers and musicians.

The first ensemble to perform was Optional Ending, an all-male barbershop quartet.

“Three of us are seniors and one of us is going to study abroad in Ecuador for a year, so this might be one of the last times we sing together,” senior music major Garrison Holder said.

Holder said that was the reason the quartet chose to perform “From the First Hello to the Last Goodbye” by Roger Whitaker.

Junior business administration major Jonathan Rios also performed, playing violin.

He was accompanied by pianist and assistant marketing professor Astrid Keel.

Rios said that he met Keel while studying abroad in Cuba where Keel was his marketing professor.

“Obviously I’m not a music major and she’s a marketing professor; I thought it was significant to point out that business people make music too,” Rios said.

Barbershop coordinator Carol Stephenson illuminated the stage wearing a shimmery, gun-metal dress.

She was accompanied by senior soprano Annie Johnson who also sparkled on stage.

Together they sang “How Can I Keep From Singing,” by Robert Wadsworth Lowry.

Some students showcased multiple talents. Junior music major Andrew Medina, of Optional Ending, played trumpet in a wind trio with two flutists.

Holder and senior music major Terry Dopson, also of the quartet, returned to the stage for solos accompanied by pianist Grace Xia Zhao.

Senior music major Julian Johnson, another member of Optional Ending, also performed a solo piece in the middle of the show.

Johnson sang “No Man’s Land,” a song about World War I, and played acoustic guitar without a microphone or amplifier.

“As a bass player, I’m always supporting other musicians in an ensemble,” Johnson said. “I think it’s important for musicians to come out and perform by themselves.”

The La Verne Guitar Trio quickened the tempo for the night as they poured passion into their Latin sounds.

Stephenson took the stage again with the quartet Mixed Nuts and later with guest mezzo-soprano Heather Normandie.

After Normandie left the stage Stephenson closed out the concert with a solo.

The sparkles on her dress twinkled with the resonance of her voice.

A reception in the Hanawalt House West Courtyard was held immediately after the concert.

Tyler Evains can be reached at tyler.evains@laverne.edu.

Tyler Evains, Editorial Director
Other Stories
Breanna Ulsh
Other Stories
Previous article
Schiff named athlete of the year
Next article
Cook hopes for political revolution

Latest Stories

Related articles

Arts, Etc.

Music department brings Irish spirit

The Spirit of Ireland enchanted the Morgan Auditorium and brought the country across the pond to the guests in their seats. 
Arts, Etc.

Happenings

Campus and community arts events for the week of Feb. 27, 2026.
News

Study considers dental care satisfaction

Astrid Keel, professor of marketing, presented a lecture on her research on dentistry titled, “Understanding Patients Dental Care Satisfaction Through Depth Interviews.” 
News

Keel considers impacts of celebrity endorsements

Astrid Keel, professor of marketing, discussed the effects of celebrity endorsements’ on business revenue Tuesday during her talk in the Randall Lewis Center.