September 28, 2009

Harding dean to perform on European piano tour

SEARCY, Ark. — Dr. Jeffrey Hopper, Harding University’s dean of
International Programs, will travel across Europe performing his own
piano tour from Oct. 16 - 24, visiting London, England; Copenhagen,
Denmark; Florence, Italy; and Athens, Greece.

He will be playing at a range of locations and for various audiences.
The recital locations include St. Olave’s Church during the Recital
Series they sponsor; Kong Arthur Hotel for a European tour guides
convention; Strozzi Renaissance Palace for the general public; and the
Harding Villa in Athens for students in Harding’s international
program there.

In both Athens and Florence, Harding’s international program students
and faculty will be able to attend his performance.

While there is no theme for his musical selections, Hopper said they
are all beautiful and profound to him. This tour was natural for him
to take as he travels to visit Harding’s European programs each year.

Hopper said he sees this tour as an opportunity to motivate himself to
improve and learn new pieces. Finding time to practice is difficult in
his busy schedule, but this tour has pushed him to practice intensely
since the middle of last summer.

“I look forward to seeing our Harding students, visiting with the
directors, and possibly reaching out to touch some of the audience
members with beautiful music,” Hopper said.

Hopper began studying piano in first grade and, after graduating from
high school, studied at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
before transferring to Harding. His master’s degree is in piano
performance, and his Ph.D. is in music history and theory.

He had the opportunity to perform in Switzerland, Poland and Italy in
1971 as a Harding student and has not gone a year without a public
performance since.

A music professor at Harding for 27 years, he accepted his current
position as dean of International Programs in 2001 and also serves as
dean of the Honors College.

“Through it all, I’ve always enjoyed playing in concerts,” Hopper said.