On Feb. 14, PLNU celebrated the inauguration of Dr. Kerry Fulcher as the university’s 15th president. That evening, a special concert was held in honor of the occasion.
“The whole event was planned very organically,” said Dr. Bruce Mansfield, PLNU’s director of bands. He noted that the jazz band had been planning to do an alumni concert for Homecoming. Transforming that event into something special made sense and gave students a unique opportunity to perform at the inaugural concert.
Mansfield drew on his previous experience planning concerts, including during the 22 years he served as a Navy band master before coming to PLNU. During his Navy career, Mansfield spent four years as a ceremonial conductor in Washington, DC, where among the performances he ran was the 2012 inauguration of President Barack Obama.
For Fulcher’s inauguration, Mansfield wanted to create something meaningful to both PLNU’s new president and to PLNU. To this end, he invited soloists and Concert Choir to join the university bands in making the performance special and unique.
“It had a classical concert feel on the front and back end with jazz in the middle,” Mansfield said. “We wanted it to be very student-focused while also featuring a couple of our faculty and a group of alumni … We had about 120 students involved. They put so much time into it.”
The faculty involved included Dr. Victor Labenske, who played Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” on the piano alongside alumna Sarah Giles, and John Wilds on trumpet.
Labenske, who is an alum and longtime professor of music, has a long history of playing “Rhapsody in Blue” on special occasions, so when he and Mansfield learned it was one of President Fulcher’s favorite songs, it made sense to include it as a highlight of the concert. Labenske previously played the song at the 1984 Olympics with 84 pianos and orchestra. He also performed the five-minute Olympic version at Northwest Nazarene University (Fulcher’s undergraduate alma mater) in 1984 for the Homecoming basketball game.
Senior Chrystina Sayers was one of the soloists at the concert. Being part of the special occasion was meaningful to her and inspirational for her as she looks to her future.
“As a PLNU senior, the inauguration reminded me that every choice we make can be a reflection of God’s character within us that leads to a path of righteousness if we continue to surrender everything to Jesus Christ for God’s will to be done in our lives.’
