Campus sion: music. ”I found myself turning to the young, now 13-year-old Clara, for comfort,” said Peter, portraying Robert Schumann. He turned broken-heartedly to her for comfort in his academic failures. Their love began as friendship, maintained largely through letters, as Clara was on concert tours with her “The Love and Life of Clara and Robert father for much of her youth. Clara’s father, Schumann” was performed in the McKay Friedrich Wieck (1785-1873), a music teacher, Auditorium on Tuesday Feb. 2. Chicago is described as domineering and authoritarcouple Peter and Kathleen Van de Graaff played Clara and Robert Schumann, accom- ian during the performance. “I can’t help panied by Sharon and Charlie Peterson, also thinking that he thought of me more as his of Chicago, on the piano. Kathleen said, “We little money maker than his daughter,” Clara wrote in her diary. have been performing this show for almost One of Robert’s letters to Clara two years. … We really love doing the show says, “I think of you not as a brother or a and enjoy doing it more and more.” sister, nor of a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but The courtship and marriage of as a pilgrim of a distant shrine.” He dated Robert and Clara Schumann was described another before he shared his first kiss with on the BYUH website as being “one of the most poignant love stories in human history.” Clara when she was 15 and he was 25 and Sharon and Charlie Peterson began their relationship is speculated by some to the show with a musical introduction on the have been innocent and platonic until that piano, bringing Clara to the stage. She came first kiss. Clara and Robert desired to marry before she turned 21, which was the legal age out and opened a small trunk, removing a to marry without parental consent in Europe book of music and hugging it to her chest. at that time. Her father fought against it, She said, “Robert, how I miss you! Those until the two took him to court and received brief years together, how happy we were!” legal consent to marry. Out of spite, they She then dictated the story of how she was married the day before her 21st birthday. born in Leipzig, Germany in 1819 and was Clara and Robert Schumann coneducated as a musician from an early age by tinue to inspire those in the music profession her father. At the age of 8, child-piano-prodigy and are powerful examples of love, according to Kathleen Van de Graaff. “We wanted to Clara met 18-year-old Robert, who came to seek musical counsel from her father. Robert, do something special for Robert Schumann’s 200th birthday, which is this June. We also like many young students, tried his hand at thought a husband and wife duo should a series of majors before allowing himself honor a husband and wife duo,” she said. to be fully absorbed into his heart’s pas-
C o u p l e p e rforms “ L i f e o f C l ara and R o b e r t S c humann”
–CARRIE COLLINGRIDGE
Craig Hale, former president of XanGo, encouraged students to “enjoy the ride” as they take risks in business. Photo courtesy of Xango-Russia
Former Xango C E O shares experien c e s Craig Hale, the former president of XanGo, LLC was invited to give a lecture for the Lecture Series on Thursday, March 4 about his experiences as an entrepreneur. In his lecture, Hale described his view of entrepreneurship and recounted experiences from when he went on a mission, when he attended law school and his recent occupation as the president of a company, during which he oversaw expansion to 38 countries. Hale stressed important values such as hard work and family. Hale urged young entrepreneurs to “enjoy the ride” and to take risks in the business world. Hale told students about two kinds of mistakes that a person can make in life: avoidable process mistakes and mistakes that one cannot avoid if they want to be successful. Hale said, “It’s OK to make mistakes that are born out of going for it.” The lecture focused on capturing the American entrepreneurial spirit, and Hale told the story of twelve successful American entrepreneurs, including Benjamin Franklin and Oprah Winfrey. Jantz Pilling, a freshman in biology from Canada who attended the lecture, said, “I can tell that he’s a really humble man. I like how he told stories about waking up at four in the morning and working hard for his family.” –BEN HALE
G o o nlin e to Ke a l a kai.byuh.edu Fo r f u r t h e r info r m a t i on.
March 11, 2010
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