Donald Neuen gives ‘last lecture’ on following passions

Donald Neuen, a choral conducting professor and choral studies director at UCLA, has conducted the orchestra and chorus in front of as many as 5,000 people.

But on Tuesday, Neuen anxiously tugged at his tuxedo collar after he stepped up on the stage in front of about 450 students and faculty members to give his “last lecture.”

“Boy, this is scary,” Neuen said with a chuckle.

Neuen, who will be retiring at the end of this quarter, was selected by students from across campus as the fifth annual recipient of the My Last Lecture award. Before he was presented with the award, he shared with the audience what he considered to be the formula for success at work and in personal life on Tuesday evening at De Neve Auditorium.

The award, presented by the Alumni Scholars Club, is meant for a current UCLA faculty member who has had a profound impact on students, said Paul Dupenloup, the vice president of the Alumni Scholars Club. The recipient is asked to answer the question: “What would you tell your audience if you had but one lecture to give?”

Neuen has been a choir director for almost 60 years and a collegiate choir director for about 50 years. Before accepting his current position at UCLA in 1993, he taught choral music at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York for 12 years.

Neuen is also the conductor of UCLA Chorale, a choral ensemble primarily made up of students with non-music majors. Last year, he helped develop the UCLA master and doctoral programs in choral conducting.

When Neuen was involved in sports and music ensembles throughout high school and college, he said he didn’t know music would become so meaningful to him.

It wasn’t until he became the conducting director of a church choir during his second year in college that he realized his passion for choir and orchestra conducting. He said he thinks nothing can universally reach and touch a person’s soul as deeply as music.

“There’s no losing in the arts if you work hard enough. Everybody can win – the audience, participants, coach or conductor,” Neuen said.

In his lecture, Neuen encouraged the audience to chase their passions even if they have to abruptly change the direction of their lives.

He said passion is a powerful emotional force that drives people to success. This is why it was important for him to pursue choral music and take advantage of the opportunities that would eventually lead him to a career in the field.

For Rebbeca Lord, an associate director of choral activities at UCLA, Neuen was the reason she decided to do her graduate study at UCLA.

Neuen was the “master craftsman” she had been looking for – someone with the skills to help her become the conductor she aspired to be one day.

He pushed her hard to achieve the utmost perfection, working closely with her to prepare music scores and lectures, Lord said.

Though Neuen invests himself in his career, he doesn’t think it should define who he is. Devoting time to his family and friends is a priority in his life, said Neuen.

As he began traveling abroad to conduct performances in Europe, Asia and other continents, Neuen said he started paying more attention to the people around him and developing a better understanding of his own values.

“Love is the most important essence of human existence,” Neuen said. “I fully realized (the importance of love) mid-life through observing humankind worldwide and coming to know the difference between peace and conflict.”

At 80 years old, he said he enjoys conducting choruses and orchestras far more than when he first started working as a conductor, despite the two-hour commute from campus to home every school day.

He will miss working with UCLA students the most, Neuen said. Although he will no longer be around on campus after spring quarter, he said he believes students are capable of making a difference in a world that is getting smaller as a result of technological development.

“You can make a difference in this small world,” Neuen said, as he ended his speech, singing “it’s a small world after all” with the audience.