Music at Mount Hermon Flats

There is a large flat area above Oakville on the Mount Hermon property. On Thursday afternoon we were treated to some musical performances in the open air. The hope was that sunset on the mountain ranges to the north would be visible, but there were clouds. It was quite cold, but there were some contained fires in the back that people could use to warm up a bit.

The opening performer was David Wagner ’63, who was to be a presenter the next day. He played music on his recorder that was reminiscent of the sounds heard back in the hills when he did a lot of hiking nearly 50 years ago. A hauntingly beautiful start to the evening.

Paro Anand’s mother-in-law is a lifelong singer who favored us with a selection of songs in Hindi, Kashmiri, and Dogri. This interview with her is from the Chandigarh Tribune.

The audience enjoyed Harshi’s singing tremendously. At the end of each song, she smiled shyly and cocked her head to the right.

Note: IPTA was the Indian People’s Theatre Association, the cultural wing of the Communist Party in India in the 1940s.

After Harshi finished singing, Pete Wildman of the Development/Alumni Office sang a few Beatles numbers. He was joined for a number by Eric Templeton, CNI pastor of St. Paul's, Christ and Hindustani Churches here in Mussoorie. Then Abe and Bethany Okie, new staff in the music department sang a number of rousing songs. They ended with "Mountaineers are Always Free," based on the West Virginia state motto. By the time they sang, it was too dark for my little camera to get a good shot.