Concert celebrates longtime orchestra director’s impact on community

On Sunday, Larry Maupin got to see a thing few people ever do -- a tribute given in his honor by musicians whose lives he has touched.

The harmonious parade included former students, colleagues and his first violin teacher.

The crowd that filled Trinity United Methodist Church sat transfixed as the notes floated through the sanctuary. Some people spoke before performing, but most silently set about the task at hand -- honoring a man who has meant so much to so many.

Sunday's concert was a benefit for Maupin, who taught orchestra at Grand Island Senior High for 38 years and founded the Tri-City Area Youth Symphony in 1972. He learned in August that he has inoperable pancreatic cancer.

The performers included the GISH orchestra, Trinity United Methodist Church choir, members of the Hastings and Lincoln symphony orchestras, and former members of the youth symphony.

"It's overwhelming," Maupin said after the two-hour concert. "It's very humbling to think these people came to see me."

He added that such a gathering is often "done after the fact." Just last week he performed in a similar event for a fellow musician who had passed away.

"But I got to see this," he said. "I've seen a lot of people who've meant a lot to me over the years. One guy, a former student, came from New Jersey. It's just overwhelming. It was wonderful and done very professionally. It helps me get through what I'm going through. I keep hearing about all the prayer lists I'm on and I feel that."

After the concert, Maupin stood near his seat in the balcony, shaking hands and hugging former students.

"That was a great program," he said to one. "It really was, such a variety. That was fun. It was really fun."

To another, he laughed and said, "It was a great concert and I didn't have anything to do with it."

The concert was filled with humor and serious moments, as well as a variety of musical styles. There was piano and organ music, violins, guitars, cellos, trumpets, a saxophone, a flute, a trombone, singing and even kazoos. There were hymns, classical tunes, a Native American piece, some Irish songs, and a twist on "Ode to Joy."

Katie Conroy, a GISH and Tri-City Youth Symphony alumnus, said she had contacted a number of Maupin's friends and former students, asking for stories. She received so many that she decided to set them to music. She recruited several of the other musicians to sing her written lyrics, which were set to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."

The piece began with "Mr. Maupin, you are the greatest teacher on planet earth" and described him as a "music Superman" for his work at GISH, with various symphonies and for helping to bring Nebraska Public Radio to Central Nebraska.

A note of humor was also shared by the GISH orchestra. A young woman introduced one of their pieces by saying, "Mr. Maupin taught me to play my cello when I was in the fifth grade and in his 38 years of teaching he probably heard ’Twinkle, Twinkle' a million times. So here it is one more time."

More humor was brought into the celebration by Dave Klein, a former student who is now a music teacher in Kearney. Klein was unable to be at Sunday's concert but sent a DVD of himself playing the "Jaws" theme. He uses the song to teach students about "half steps" and to get them interested in string instruments.

Klein credits his use of humor in teaching to Maupin, whom he only had as a teacher for one and a half years.

"So, thank you," he said. "Mr. Maupin, you're my hero."

Some of the other performances were slightly more serious, such as Cindy Brosman's rendition of "Amazing Grace" on the violin. Before she began, she told Maupin she loved him and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

To end the concert, the Trinity United Methodist Church choir, under the direction of Marsha Dunn, sang two songs. The first, "Song of Unity," was chosen by Dunn because it reminded her of Maupin.

She read some of the lyrics before the choir sang. "Our differences make music, a harmony of life, a symphony of caring. We are one voice, we are one music, we are one great song of love. We are one."

After the concert, people enjoyed cookies and coffee while talking about Maupin.

Larry and Karen Berstler of Grand Island have known Maupin since he taught two of their children. Their son, a drummer, still plays and their daughter pursued a career in musical theater in New York City.

"He's just a great person," Karen Berstler said.

Trinity United Methodist Church's senior pastor, the Rev. Jay Vetter, who spoke just before the concert, said finding out about Maupin's illness was like a kick in the stomach to those who know him.

Vetter shared a story of traveling to Omaha with Maupin to visit a sick friend. Maupin insisted on driving.

"There are as many stories here about Larry as there are people, maybe more," Vetter said. "And I have an idea that Larry would rather drive than ride, but Larry, you'll just have to ride today.”