After 16 years, Dr. Solveig Holmquist is ready for change

Western's music department will be losing a beloved instructor as Dr. Solveig Holmquist retires this year.

Holmquist has been here for the last 16 years and has handled a variety of subjects within the music department. She conducts the concert choir and chamber singers, provides musical direction for the musicals in collaboration with the theater and dance departments, and teaches conducting, choral methods and choral literature.

Holmquist has worked closely with many of her colleagues on a number of musical productions since she arrived. She has worked most closely with theater and dance Professor Sharon Oberst and Michael Phillips, theater and dance associate professor, and has named "West Side Story," "Reefer Madness" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" as some of her favorite productions.

"Her love and respect of the theater is unique to her. Not all musicians have that interest in theater," senior Sam Benedict said.

Like many good teachers, Holmquist has influenced the lives of some of her students. Holmquist could have retired a few years ago, but was asked to stay on by the masters students she was overseeing. As a result, she has seen many of her students grow into promising young artists.

"Dr. Holmquist, in a particularly huge way, has affected who I am as an artist," Benedict said. "She will be greatly missed."

According to Holmquist, she has always considered herself to be an individual who follows her gut instincts.

 "I've never really been a long-range planner," she said.

The day Holmquist felt it was time to retire, she remarked that she had accomplished plenty here at Western and that it was time for her to move on. While she will miss her colleagues, there is one thing about Western that she will miss more.

"[I will] really miss the students. I don't know how to define it, but the students are unique," Holmquist said.

According to Holmquist, her life has been tightly scheduled since she was 5 and she wants to see what it is like to have some form of freedom. She plans on doing "anything [I] want," but still wants to stay busy and continue being involved in music.

As a certified judge, Holmquist is in demand at many different choral festivals. In addition to this, she serves on many different committees in high ranking positions, which absorbs much of her time.

When not working on these things, she plans to spend more time with her family. As someone who came from a large family and has a large family of her own, being the mother of six children and grandmother to nine grandchildren, Holmquist wants to see more of her grandchildren's performances and games.

Holmquist also wants to take some time to cross some items off of her "bucket list." She will travel to Venice, Italy, as a gift from her sons, and resume her piano playing, among other things. She also wants to embark on a cross-country road trip.

As her days at Western come to a close, Holmquist is busy working on one last project; a final concert titled "A Few of My Favorite Things," which will feature the Concert Choir and Chamber singers performing some of Holmquist's favorite pieces. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, in Rice Auditorium, the concert is free to all.