A passion for teaching music

Tanner Denne is quick to talk about music — until you ask his favorite type.

He pauses.

“I have no idea,” he says. “I can’t answer that question.”

His love of music began in middle school when he joined the choir. Now he’s a senior at Eastern Oregon University, and on Saturday he will perform his senior recital with Tricia Kunkle.

The public is invited. It begins at 3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in La Grande, 1612 Fourth St. Admission is free.

Denne will perform Schumann’s “Liederkreis,” a German song cycle set to poetry.

Denne is the son of John and Cindy Denne of Baker City.

His music career in Baker City was helped along by Tom Isaacson, who directed choirs both at Baker Middle School and Baker High School before retiring several years ago.

While in high school, Denne was one of four students in Oregon invited to participate in the National Honor Choir performing  in Los Angeles. Two BHS students participated in that — Denne and Drew Scrivner.

He graduated from BHS as valedictorian in 2006, and began attending EOU that fall.

He was a member of the EOU Chamber Choir, under the direction of Dr. Peter Wordelman, and in 2007 the choir traveled to perform in China.

That’s when Denne decided to pursue a degree in anthropology, in addition to his degree in music.

“We toured China and that got me turned on to culture,” he said.

In the last two years he’s made three trips to Jamaica to teach hand drumming, singing and recorders in public schools.

“It was tremendous,” he said.

The country gave him plenty of culture, too.

“It’s the West African coast condensed into an island,” he said. “It’s so rich with culture — you couldn’t learn everything in a lifetime.”

He will graduate in June. His dream is to teach music abroad in American schools, but also make the time to immerse himself in the culture of his surroundings.

“My main passion is international teaching,” he said.