For Love of Music
Portrait indoor photograph of Richard Berggren ’57 (left) presenting three special trumpets to Professor William Kenny, music, at the Bucknell band’s spring concert at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts as both men smile standing next to each other
Photo: Courtesy of Professor William Kenny, music
Richard Berggren ’57 (left) presented three special trumpets to Professor William Kenny, music, at the Bucknell band’s spring concert at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts.

A Musical Gift

Richard Berggren ’57 spent his career in music. Now, he’s passing on his passion to Bucknell.
by Kate Williard
The sound of a trumpet commands attention. From Haydn’s classical compositions to Sousa’s rousing marches to Louis Armstrong wailing through a jazz solo, the trumpet has a wide range of expressions that can stir emotions, energize a crowd or soothe a soul. It is, in short, an indispensable instrument. Thanks to the generosity of Richard Berggren ’57, the halls of Bucknell’s music department will resonate with that bright, familiar sound from some extraordinary trumpets for years to come.

A passionate musician and music educator, Berggren donated three of his cherished, artist-quality instruments to Bucknell: a Bach Stradivarius B flat trumpet, a Benge C trumpet (most commonly heard in symphony orchestras) and a Bach piccolo four-valve trumpet (famously heard a minute into The Beatles’ “Penny Lane”).

“Most musicians come to Bucknell with the trumpets they played in high school, which are invariably B flat instruments,” says Professor William Kenny, music. “They likely haven’t experienced playing a C trumpet or, especially, a piccolo trumpet.”

In private lessons taught by Dale Orris, artist affiliate in music and director of the Bucknell University Jazz Band, these instruments will contribute to the rich, multi-disciplinary ethos that underlies the student experience at Bucknell. “For the most part, our trumpet students are not music majors,” says Kenny. “They might be studying biology, engineering or marketing, but they don’t want to disconnect from their love of music.” Berggren’s trumpets allow students to explore a broader spectrum of musical tones and textures.

Berggren hand-delivered his horns to campus — a gesture Kenny found added a profound weight to the gift. “These trumpets meant the world to him. He has entrusted us with them and wants them in the hands of students,” Kenny says. “It is truly a moving gift, and we are so grateful.”