On Monday night, 18 May, we were treated to a virtuoso performance on the clarinet by Dr. Luis Viquez. An accomplished conductor of international renown, he and his lovely wife came as our guests. When handed the baton as our speaker, he shared his journey with us from his boyhood home in Costa Rica to his present position as the Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Luis began by noting the ability of music to unite us in a way that nothing else can do. Like Rotary, he stated, music teaches us how to be resilient, tolerant and how to work in harmony with one another.
Dr. Viquez's love of music began as a boy from watching an arts station on his brother's television. From there he began playing clarinet in a local youth orchestra. He went on to the University of Costa Rica and then on to the United States to earn his Master's Degree from Truman University. After completing his PhD at the University of Missouri he accepted a position at the University of South Dakota. Six years later he arrived at URI and he has become enmeshed in the world of orchestral music in the Northeast. He even has ties to the Chorus of Westerly. What a joy it was to have him and his wife with us for the evening!
