Claire Oliver
For Debi Huddleston, the music never stops.
May 1-3, the adjunct professor of music will accompany 10 performances on piano at the state high school solo and ensemble contest in Eugene, Ore., will perform in two concerts in the Portland area and will provide piano accompaniment for Sam Dinsmore during his senior recital in Ice Auditorium on May 3.
These commitments are in addition to the requirements of her position as conductor of the Linfield Women’s Vocal Ensemble. She is also a staff accompanist at George Fox University, the director of music at McMinnville’s First Presbyterian Church and comprises one-third of the Halcyon Trio Oregon, which performs regularly regionally and abroad.
“I tear up the road a lot,” she said.
For Huddleston, however, her love of music is too strong not to be shared.
“I’d rather accompany [others] than be a soloist,” she said. “Music is alive, and we give it life when we perform. It’s a lot of fun to work with other people.”
This passion for collaboration allows her to work with university ensembles within the Pacific Northwest, as well as at a variety of children’s and professional festivals in Washington D.C., and Europe.
Since the founding of Halcyon Trio Oregon in 2005, Huddleston, along with Professor of Music Joan Paddock and Adjunct Professor of Music Jackie Van Paepeghem, has traveled to Norway in 2007 on a 21-day tour.
All the while, Huddleston said she finds continuous inspiration to improve.
“[Music] is constant learning,” she said. “I draw energy from my students, and it’s fun to be able to help them and see them progress.”
As the conductor of the Women’s Vocal Ensemble, Huddleston works with a small group of primarily non-majors and minors who enjoy singing but do not have the time or experience to be a part of Linfield’s chamber music ensembles.
Playing a variety of music from all ages and participating in community outreach by performing each semester at retirement centers and nursing homes, the group is a skill-building outlet for its members, Huddleston said.
Others in the department have witnessed the results of Huddleston’s work and said she is a leader who is patient and perseverant.
“As a conductor, she leads amateur musicians to good music,” Paddock said. “She’s steady as a storm, and things can be falling apart all around her, but she’s able to do what she does [in spite] of it.”
Van Paepeghem said she thought Huddleston’s positive and encouraging attitude was apparent in her work as an accompanist, as well.
“She teaches musicianship from the piano, Van Paepeghem said.”
Paddock also sang her praises.
“She’s a consummate musician,” she said. “She prepares to the best of her ability, is a sensitive accompanist and an excellent musician in her own right.”
Above all, Huddleston’s colleagues said her love of music is inspiring and infectious.
“She’s a joy for students, she does so much behind the scenes,” Van Paepeghem said.
Huddleston said the feeling is mutual.
“My hobby is my profession,” she said. “I’m lucky.”