On September 23, the Minnesota chapter of the Fulbright Association hosted a commemorative musical recital for Julieta Alvarado-Rieppel, former chapter president and wife of current board member Dr. Daniel Rieppel. Dr. Julieta Margarita Alvarado-Rieppel passed away on May 2, 2017 at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. To read more about Julieta’s life and accomplishments, please click here.

Pianist Daniel Rieppel, a Minnesota native of Austro-Hungarian and Norwegian descent, holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Indiana University, and earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota under Lydia Artymiw. Before relocating to the Twin Cities, he studied in Munich, Germany with eminent German pianist Gerhard Oppitz. Dr. Rieppel has served as Professor of Music at Southwest Minnesota State University since 1998 and is also on faculty at the McPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. He is artist faculty for the young Artist World Piano Festival in Minneapolis, the premiere piano institute for aspiring young pianists in the Midwest.

The evening was indeed a fitting homage to a harpsichordist, musicologist, teacher, wife, mother, friend and Fulbrighter. The beautiful auditorium in Antonello Hall, McPhail Center for Music was a perfect location to celebrate the life of Julietta, and the memorial was surrounded by the music she loved, including pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Franz Joseph Haydn, as well as a special piece by Moritz Eggert commissioned and played by Daniel Rieppel in her loving memory. Many alumni, chapter board members, Fulbright Association Board members, and musicians from the Minnesota community attended the event.

Julieta’s life was filled with joy and love that she spread infectiously to everyone she met. I remember her musical voice always happy and willing to give so much to the Fulbright community. She led the Minnesota chapter as president and hosted the chapter’s 70^th year anniversary celebration at Saint Paul’s campus in Saint Paul, next to the historic cathedral. It was an honor and delight to be part of this commemorative event for Julieta.

 

–Shaz Akram
Deputy Director