"Love them as I have loved them."

I've been missing on here for awhile. The past few days have been incredibly busy and incredibly emotional.

I want to take this time and this post to dedicate to a great man who has made an impact on so many lives.

I had initially met Mr. Dearing at PMEA Regional Chorus during my senior year of high school back in 2007, but it wasn't until I came to IUP two years later that I really met him. You could tell right away that he loved his job and loved his students. I can remember the day after I had auditioned for the Music Performance major he called me over after a rehearsal to talk to me. Apparently, people who have never had experience with Operas shouldn't audition for that major, something I hadn't a clue about until he told me then. Then he told me, if it was up to him, I would be in. He was the first person at IUP who showed faith in me, something that I really needed to hear at that time because I didn't really have anyone there. If there is one thing I admired about him the most, it was the fact that he never cared about how much experience you had. You could have been singing in choirs and doing opera and all kinds of things since you were young, or you could have walked in to audition for his choirs without any experience at all. All he cared about was if you had the talent. You just needed to be able to sing. He gave everyone that chance. I was blessed to be able to work with him for the two and a half semesters I had with him. I only wish there were more.

Last semester, he passed away after a long battle with cancer. It was a tough semester. He had been ill since before I arrived at IUP, but it wasn't until this semester that things took a real bad turn and it hurt to see him unable to do the one thing he loved more than anything. His passing, while not completely unexpected, was hard for many. It wasn't until this weekend, though, that it really hit me. This weekend, I volunteered to take part in singing at the memorial concert that was set up for him. It was so beautiful. It was amazing to see how many people showed up to sing; how many people were inspired by him. He was a great man, and I will miss him greatly.

That being said, the new choral director we have has been so great about everything. He is a really wonderful man who understands what he has walked into. The title of this post is what Mr. Dearing wrote in his farewell letter to the Chamber Singers and I believe that this new director plans on doing just that.

Farewell, Mr. Dearing. You have touched the lives of so many, and we will never forget the love and music you shared with us. I hope you're up in heaven directing the choir of angels with some of the greats and telling everyone your jokes.