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Music residency brings opportunity to campus

February 7, 2019

People who spend time around the Langroise Center for Performing Arts are used to seeing world-class musicians roaming the building. After all, it is home to the esteemed Langroise Trio.

However, this week, students, staff and the community get a rare opportunity to meet, interact with, and learn from even more world-class musicians courtesy of a music residency with cellist Dave Eggar.

“I think that’s one of the things we’re here for,” said Langroise Trio fellow Sam Smith, who helped put the residency together. “To be a resource for the community.”

Eggar performed on Broadway and with the Metropolitan Opera at age seven, and debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 15. He graduated from Harvard and has a doctorate degree from the Julliard School. Among those he has performed with are Coldplay, Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Evanescence, The Who, Pearl Jam, and Tony Bennett.

And he’ll be on the College’s campus again on Thursday with friends of his from the music industry, sharing his experiences and his expertise with as many people as he can.

“I don’t think it’s that different,” Eggar said of working with students in Idaho versus performing with artists like Josh Groban. “I don’t look at music in a commercial way. Everybody has a story to tell. If you want to be an interesting storyteller as a player, you have to be open to finding amazing stories anywhere.”

Which is part of what brought him to Idaho. Smith was contacted by a representative from the Idaho Fine Arts Academy in Eagle, who was bringing Eggar out to do a residency there. Smith and the people at the Idaho Fine Arts Academy worked together to make it a bit of a two-for-one deal. Eggar works with students in Eagle in the morning and then comes to Caldwell in the afternoon for sessions. And he brought friends, like versatile percussionist Chuck Palmer.

“The opportunity to inspire people to continue on their journey and fulfill their potential to be the best that they can be, to be the most passionate about music, or even if they take it into other aspects of their lives, friends, family, career, whatever it is,” Palmer explained. “The opportunity to inspire people and open people’s minds is absolutely invaluable to me.”

Eggar will be joined by others on Thursday in the recital hall at the Langroise Center for Performing Arts, along with any members of the campus or community who want to join them. The session is free and open to the public.

“Some of the most amazing shows I’ve ever had have been for tiny audiences, and sometimes you’re playing in an arena and you’re thinking about doing your laundry,” Eggar said of opportunities like the music residency at the College. “You learn from the students and you grow together.”

The College of Idaho has a 128-year-old legacy of excellence. The C of I is known for its outstanding academic programs, winning athletics tradition and history of producing successful graduates, including seven Rhodes Scholars, three governors, and countless business leaders and innovators. Its distinctive PEAK Curriculum challenges students to attain competency in the four knowledge peaks of humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field—empowering them to earn a major and three minors in four years. The College’s close-knit, residential campus is located in Caldwell, where its proximity both to Boise and to the world-class outdoor activities of southwest Idaho’s mountains and rivers offers unique opportunities for learning beyond the classroom.  For more information, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.