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David Halen Lives Dream with St. Louis Symphony
At the top of his game in the
world of symphonic music, David
Halen still remembers how the
musical performances he heard at
Central Missouri State University
touched his life when he was a
young boy.
“My dream came from visits
the St. Louis Symphony made to
campus,” he said. “I heard that
orchestra and felt that it was my
goal to be a part of it.”
Through hard work and
persistence, Halen’s dream came
true in a big way. In 1995, in
an unprecedented decision, he
was appointed concertmaster
of the St. Louis Symphony.
It was an opportunity that
came without audition, due to
overwhelming support from his
fellow musicians, the symphony’s
Board of Trustees and the music
directors. He also serves as the
symphony’s violinist first chair.
“The job of the concertmaster
is really multi-faceted and difficult
to pinpoint in a general sense,”
he said. “I act as intermediary
between the director and the
musicians, the board and the
public at large.”
Halen’s dedication to his craft
has brought him critical acclaim
in performances across the world.
One of his most recent honors
took place as part of CMSU’s 2005
winter commencement, when he
was conferred an honorary degree,
the Doctor of Humane Letters.
Part of a musical family with
strong roots at CMSU, Halen
spent much of his youth in
Warrensburg and attended the
university’s Laboratory School.
He was able to begin his college
education at the age of 16, and
within three years completed
his bachelor’s degree in music
from CMSU in 1979. Additional
educational pursuits took him
to the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, where he
earned a master’s degree in music.
Halen’s strong aspirations for
becoming a professional violinist
were nurtured by parents who
understood the educational and
professional sides of the business.
His father, the late professor
emeritus, Walter Halen, was also
a violinist. He conducted the
CMSU Orchestra and taught in
the university’s Department of
Halen Scholarship (continued from page 13)
strings and orchestra specialist
in Ohio. He went on to teach
at Drury College in Springfield,
MO, and served as concertmaster
of the Springfield Symphony.
His awards were numerous
and included two teacher
recognition honors from
the Music Teachers National
Association, the Achievement
in Music Award from Ohio
University, the Arts and
Sciences Distinguished Faculty
Award at CMSU, and the
Byler Distinguished Faculty
Award, the top honor given by
CMSU to a faculty member.
In 1992, he was named
the first recipient of the “Artist
Teacher” Award from the
Missouri American String
Teachers Association.
Thanks to the new
scholarship in his name, Halen’s
passion for music and his desire
to nurture student success will
now live on at CMSU.
— Jeff Murphy ’76 hs, ’80, ’95
Walter J. Halen is remembered for his 22 years as a
professor in the CMSU Department of Music.
Music for 22 years.
His mother, Thalia
R. Halen, played
for the Kansas City
Philharmonic as
well as the Kansas
City Symphony. His
brother, Eric, is the
acting concertmaster
for the Houston
Symphony
Orchestra.
David, the
youngest member
of the family, began
playing for the
university’s orchestra
when he was in
the fifth grade. He
still remembers
how his passion for
music grew after
discovering the
power of music as a
way to reach people.
“To me,
it’s the most
important form of
communication we
as human beings have,” Halen
said. “That’s my ultimate goal,
to be a conduit to help people
be more in touch with
themselves.”
The same year he
graduated from CMSU,
Halen was named
national strings winner
in the Collegiate Artist
Competition sponsored
by the Music Teachers
National Association. He
also became the youngest
Fulbright Scholarship
recipient ever, giving
him an opportunity to
study and play violin in
Germany.
After working briefly
with a string quartet, the
talented violinist joined
the Houston Symphony in
1983, and was promoted
“chair by chair” over
the next several years.
He eventually became
assistant concertmaster.
In 1987, Halen
purchased a 250-year-old
Guadagnini violin made
in Italy and decided the
best way to make use of it
was to follow his dream
David Halen ’79, concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony,
was honored during CMSU’s 2005 winter commencement.
to St. Louis. His career blossomed
after joining the symphony in
1991. During the group’s 1994
European tour, he earned praise
for his solo performances in
Frankfurt, Vienna and London,
while also gaining admiration
from colleagues who supported
his appointment as concertmaster
the following year.
In addition to the symphony,
he continues to advance his
profession as concertmaster at
the Aspen Music Festival and as
artistic director of the Innsbrook
Institute, an intensive program
that provides outstanding young
students with classical music
instruction and performance
opportunities.
Halen’s rise up the
professional ladder emphasizes
his belief that people can
achieve anything with the right
motivation.
“Anyone who has a dream is
unstoppable,” he said. “They can
find the means to do anything if
they truly believe in themselves.”
— Michael Bradshaw ’05 and
Jeff Murphy ’76 hs, ’80, ’95
page 14 central today
winter 2005