Colorado State University is a multifaceted campus. With highly acclaimed STEM, veterinary medicine and agricultural programs, oftentimes, programs such as music and art can be overshadowed. But the department of music at CSU has not allowed itself to be held back in the process.
Damian Lesperance-Young is a current senior in the CSU music department who will be graduating this upcoming spring semester.
Ad
The young musician first fell in love with playing instruments in his elementary school music class, and while that was a third-grade class and a recorder was the instrument of choice, Lesperance-Young has gone on to be a multitalented musician and a highly regarded student.
While Lesperance-Young began playing instruments like the viola and recorder, he found his passion lies with the saxophone. He still actively plays and practices the piano, flute and clarinet.
“The nature of existing and gaining experience by doing has taught me a lot about myself. I have learned so much about where my interests lay, specifically with music, and a lot about collaborating and what qualities I like to work with.” -Damian Lesperance-Young, jazz performance student
CSU’s music program has multiple areas of concentration along with highly acclaimed professors. Professors such as Wil Swindler and Peter Sommer have fostered Lesperance-Young’s passions during his time at CSU.
“They’ve both been huge mentors and huge influences,” Lesperance-Young said. “They’ve both given me so much guidance about how I should approach playing music and writing music.”
Connections like these not only teach students important core values within the arts but also enable them to find their own artistic style.
“I’ve learned how to accept and be in the moment while also having discipline, which was something that I used to lack,” Lesperance-Young said. “They showed me how to have discipline without going too far while also showing me how to maintain ease, fun and artistry.”
Pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance with a concentration in jazz performance, he has been able to learn and grow as well as turn his passion into a promising career pathway.
Lesperance-Young has played for on-campus TED Talks as well as the Fall 2024 Dance Concert, giving him an opportunity to showcase himself as an artist in multiple different settings. He has even been able to play on cruise ships for the past two summers, and from this, has been able to play along the Caribbean Islands and Northern Europe.
Lesperance-Young is a lover of jazz and has expanded his love for the genre by writing his own music within it. The musician estimates that he has now written about 10 pieces and plans to continue writing music in the future.
Ad
Not only has the program allowed him to explore himself as a person and a musician, but it has also shown him what he values in a musical partner and collaborator.
“The nature of existing and gaining experience by doing has taught me a lot about myself,” Lesperance-Young said. “I have learned so much about where my interests lay, specifically with music, and a lot about collaborating and what qualities I like to work with.”
Reach Ruby Secrest at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
