Curran Lays Down Baton After 38 Years

At the annual Honors Convocation this spring, WPI's first professor of music did what he has done so well throughout his career--he let his music speak for itself. Honored by the faculty on the occasion of his retirement, Louis Curran declined to make a speech, but instead stepped aside as historical photos of the Men's Glee Club were projected on the screen in Kinnicutt Hall and the sounds of singing filled the room.

"This is what I inherited back in 1966," Curran explained over a recording of the 13 Glee Club members and 12 musicians who made up WPI's student music program that year. From those humble beginnings, he produced a polished, professional, highly regarded choral powerhouse whose music has dazzled audiences around the world. Curran holds a bachelor's degree in music from Yale and a master's from the University of Tulsa; he completed postgraduate study at the New England Conservatory of Music and Oxford University (where he was a Fulbright scholar). He stepped down in 2001 as Glee Club director, but continued to teach music theory and history and advise projects until his retirement.

Curran's career at WPI was celebrated during an April weekend of concerts and gatherings; the highlight was a stirring performance of the Mozart "Requiem" directed by John F. Delorey, associate adjunct professor of music, who now conducts WPI's vocal ensembles. The chorus of 300 voices was made up of current and alumni members of the Glee Club, Alden Voices, and various vocal groups from nine other colleges.

"We knew a lot of WPI alumni would return, but we were not expecting the participation from so many of the other colleges WPI sang with throughout the years," says Ted Dysart '94, co-founder of the Glee Club Alumni Associates, which helped organize the event and provided funds for a 40-piece orchestra. Curran received a standing ovation from the capacity audience and evoked tears on stage when he stepped up to the podium one last time to conduct several perennial favorites from the Glee Club's repertory.

Of Curran's legacy, Patrick J. Quinn, head of the Humanities and Arts Department, says, "The progress of any academic program is dependent on the people who teach it. Louis Curran brought energy, imagination, passion, and dedication to WPI's fledgling musical division. Today, the presence of wide-ranging musical diversity on this campus owes its success to his vision and determination to make WPI a place where humanities and technology come together in harmonious sympathy."

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