Mallet Maniac to Take the Stage at Hardin-Simmons Graduation Ceremonies
To call Chris Coltman a "Mallet Maniac" is not only good alliteration, it is also very, very true!
Coltman will graduate from Hardin-Simmons University this Saturday, taking the stage three times in one day: twice to perform, once to get his diploma.
Coltman is the senior selected this year for a special performance during the spring commencement ceremony. Coltman will play Etude in E Minor on the marimba for students and parents attending the two commencements this weekend.
Coltman plays with four mallets, and you pretty much have to see it to believe it's really only one person playing. The marimba is a fairly large instrument. To reach all of the keys, Chris incorporates the grace of a trapeze artist as he flies from end to end.
Coltman says music to him is more than just notes on a page. To him, music is an inspiration and a passion. Coltman says it was one of his teachers who taught him how to look into a piece of music and try to understand what the composer meant by the notes and rhythms.
"I want to be able to teach my students a deeper sense of musical expression, like my percussion teacher taught me," says Coltman. "My parents always encouraged me to do what I wanted, and at the end of high school, I was better in fine arts than anything else."
That may be part of the reason Chris is getting his Bachelor of Music degree. The other part may have something to do with his dad's occupation. Dr. Charles Coltman is an Associate Professor of Woodwinds at HSU.
Chris plays for the Abilene Philharmonic and recently took second place in the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. First place, he says, was taken by a student from the University of Kentucky, which makes Coltman feel pretty good -- to come in second in a competition dominated by huge universities.
Coltman says marimba is not even his main instrument. He says that he is really better on a trap set.
Coltman says his Hardin-Simmons education has developed not only his musical appreciation, but also his faith in God, and in the importance of building relationships.
Coltman plans to move to Dallas to attend SMU for his graduate studies in music performance. On May 24, Chris will marry Melissa Moran who is getting her Hardin-Simmons degree from the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing.
Coltman says he feels very honored to be chosen for the graduation performance, especially since it was by a vote from the faculty of the School of Music.
Commencement ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. this Saturday in HSU's Behrens Auditorium. Stan Allcorn, pastor of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, will deliver the charge to the graduates.
Candidates for degrees will come from the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts, Logsdon School of Theology, Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics, and the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing.
For candidates receiving degrees from the Kelley College of Business, the Irvin School of Education, and the School of Music and Fine Arts, ceremonies begin at 2:00 p.m. in Behrens Auditorium.
Tim Lancaster, the president and CEO of Hendrick Health Systems, will deliver the charge to the graduates entitled "What I Have Learned on My Journey So Far."
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