A night full of reunion was celebrated at Del Mar College’s Wolfe Recital Hall where president of St. Joseph’s University, Donald R. Boomgaarden, performed a guest piano recital on Oct. 23.

The program featured works by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and the debut of an original composition by Boomgaarden to reconnect with Del Mar and Richard King High School’s Class of 1972.

“This is the very hall where I played my first recital when I was 15,” said Boomgaarden prior to his performance.

“It’s always kind of touching to come back here and play and connect with the past.”

Boomgaarden started his musical career at Del Mar, notably studying piano with Blaise Montandon and composition with William Schroeder.

Since, Boomgaarden has become a teacher, historian, author of publications about opera, philosophy, and music, a contributor to annual fundraising galas, and an esteemed concert pianist dedicated to connecting people through music.

Excitement for the program also extended to Richard King’s Class of 1972 reunion which was originally planned in 2022 but was stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In between performances of Rachmaninoff and Chopin, Boomgaarden spoke fondly on memories with his past classmates and about his journey with music since then.

Boomgaarden finished the recital with a composition he wrote soley for the celebration, performing it in front of an audience for the first time.

Afterward, the hall overflowed with numerous past friends catching up, new greetings, and Del Mar students interested in the performance.

“What I really liked about this performance was the last piece that he composed himself,” said Peyton Yaws.

“I felt like it took me on a bit of a journey. It just played a lot of emotion, and it felt like he was trying to tell me a story through the music.”

When asked about the recital’s significance to him, Boomgaarden shared that “Del Mar was [important] for me because it was just such a great advantage to me later in life.”