We are in for a very special treat this Friday, our own Hari Kern and Rich Illman will be providing the Special Music. Their bios follow:
When Hari Kern was a toddler in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, her mother began teaching her piano fundamentals. A few years after immigrating to the Chicago area with her family, Hari, at age 14, won an audition to appear with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in two concerts, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto # 1. She continued her piano studies at the Chicago Musical College and the Juilliard preparatory schools, Ithaca College (B.Mus. in piano performance,) Yale University, and the University of MI. In the Detroit area for many years, Hari taught piano privately, gave solo and chamber music recitals and played concertos with several community orchestras, and was active in Detroit area arts organizations.
In the mid-1970’s, Hari began her studies in clinical psychology at Oakland University and continued with her graduate work at the University of Detroit. She has retained an independent psychotherapy practice for the past 35 years. In 1994, she moved to East Lansing and two years later, married Dr. Ralph Edminster, a Lansing pathologist. Ralph died in 2008. Hari’s son, David Gerlach, is a member of Rotary in Mt. Clemens, MI.
Rich Illman was Professor of Trumpet at MSU from 1990-2015. He has also taught at Eastern Kentucky University (12 years). The University of Kentucky (one year), Transylvania Univeresity (3 years), and Ashbury College (3 years). Formerly he was a regular member of the Millennium Brass, the Lansing Symphony Big Band, and was Principal Trumpet in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. For many years he has given performances at elementary schools designed to get students interested in playing a musical instrument. Since his retirement in 2016, that has been one of his primary interests, along with performing multi-media concerts in planetariums, churches, and art museums.