Wharton Center featured the Verdehr Trio, a classical musicians group at Great Cobb Hall on campus Wednesday night. They played a variety of classical music, some of which they composed, and some from other musicians from around the world.
After becoming the first violinist ever to receive a doctorate from Juilliard School in New York, Walter Verdehr pursued a career with the MSU College of Music in 1968 and has been with the university ever since.
A few years later, in 1972, Verdehr and his wife, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, created The Verdehr Trio. Adding a third musician who was changed periodically, then trio traveled all over the world to Europe, Asia and Australia and have performed in every state in the United States.
38 years later, the trio perform annually in Great Cobb Hall at Wharton Center for the MSU and the greater Lansing community.
The trio performed Wednesday evening for a crowd of professors, students and members of the community.
“Over the years, the university has been really helpful to us,” Walter Verdehr said. “The College of Music over the years always has been very much like a big family, it’s a very nice feeling, that’s what kept me here, and my wife also.”
Walter Verdehr is a professor with the College of Music and teaches one student at a time at advancing their proficiency at playing the violin.
Students should open themselves up to the classical side of music because music enhances people’s lives and minds, he said.
“We have so many young people who are very influenced by music, by the power of music,” he said. “To the point where they want to become musicians.”
By performing for the community, Walter Verdehr said he hopes to touch people with music in ways that words can’t do.
“(Music) can affect people in a very direct, emotional way, in more so than words some times,” he said. “It’s the power of art, it goes through the way you listen.”
The performance featured a great variety of music, from romantic to newer modern music, Walter Verdehr said.
“We like to have a nice variety of music styles, it’s kind of a wild mixture of stuff,” he said.
MSU jazz studies senior Sarah Slonim was at the concert, and said she enjoyed her first time hearing the trio.
“I’ve been trying to check out more of the classical music on campus, so I decided to come here,” Slonim said. “I like the trio, it’s cool to hear them.”
Retired MSU professor Allan Schmid has been following the trio for 20 years and returns to campus annually to see them perform.
“I’ve been watching the trio for many, many years,” he said. “They have commissioned a lot of original works, and I think that makes for an interesting concert of new material. It’s just fun.”
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