VCSU Music Hall of Fame to induct two

The Valley City State University’s Music Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Sept. 15 at the Town & Country Club in Valley City, to formally induct two individuals into the Hall of Fame: William A. Lydell, who graduated from VCSU with music education and English degrees in 1955, and the late Gloria Peterson, former longtime VCSU Music Department faculty member and founder of the male vocal ensemble The Troubadors.

Lydell will be attending the banquet, as well as two of Peterson’s sisters. All VCSU alumni and friends of the university are invited to attend this event. A social hour will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. The evening will include reminiscences about their days at VCSU as well as the contributions they have both made to music during their careers.

Lydell devoted himself to music from an early age, beginning the piano at age 6, the trumpet in fourth grade, and the French horn in college. He graduated from VCSU in 1955 with degrees in music education and English. Following service in the U.S. Army, he turned down a job offer to be a performing pianist in order to begin his career as a music teacher, first in Hoffman, Minn., and later in Minneapolis for 31 years. In between, he earned a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Michigan. His choirs toured internationally and in the United States over the course of his career, including invitational performances throughout Scandinavia, England, Holland, Belgium and France. Since retiring from teaching, Lydell has maintained an active performance schedule with his jazz band in the Twin Cities, and currently volunteers his time weekly to play the piano at the Minneapolis Regional Veterans Hospital.

Peterson had a long and distinguished career in the field of music education, culminating with a 32-year term as a music professor at VCSU. Born and raised in Turtle Lake, N.D., she earned music degrees from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., and the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, teaching music for five years in the Hatton (N.D.) Public School along the way. In 1963, she was appointed instructor of music education at VCSU, eventually reaching the rank of associate professor. She taught music education courses, music theory, ear-training and supervised student teachers. She served as the VCSU Music Department chair at the university from 1986 until the time of her death in February 1995. In addition to her teaching duties, she organized the college handbell choir, coordinated annual Christmas madrigal dinners, oversaw production of performances of Handel’s Messiah, and J. S. Bach’s Magnificat in D. She also organized The Troubadors, a community male vocal ensemble that is still performing today. In the words of a former student, she “epitomized the quality of teacher for which Valley City State has always been famous.” She left a lasting legacy at the university and in the community.

For more information, contact Paula Larson in the VCSU Music Department office at paula.larson@ vcsu.edu or 701-845-7272. Tickets for the event are $35 and the music department must receive payment no later than Sept. 3. Tickets may be purchased online by going to http://music. vcsu.edu and clicking on the “Music Hall of Fame Banquet Registration” link on the left.

Tags: diversions, music, perfromances