Three alumni, one family
A drummer, a violist, and a tuba player walk into a bar…
No, this isn’t the setup to a joke, but it’s how the Dennison-Perry family found themselves back on campus earlier this month at our All-Classes Reunion. Sharon Dennison ’79MM (viola), Stephen Perry ’81MM (tuba), and Doug Perry ’14AD (percussion) each attended the School of Music at different times and studied different instruments. And yet, their shared experiences have deepened their bonds as a family and as musicians.
All three performed in the Yale Philharmonia at Woolsey Hall, gave recitals in Sprague Hall, and attended lectures and master classes in Hendrie Hall. Stephen and Sharon also spent summers at Norfolk, a tradition they shared with Doug early on, bringing him to hear Robert Van Sice perform when he was a teenager.
Doug grew up hearing stories of the Philharmonia and his parents’ teachers. By the time he arrived on campus for his Artist Diploma, many of those faculty had retired, but a few remained: Syoko Aki, Tom Duffy, and Joan Panetti among them. Taking Panetti’s musicianship class was especially meaningful. “I still remember sheepishly approaching her after my entrance exam to ask if she remembered a tuba student named Steve Perry,” Doug says. “She emphatically responded affirmatively!”
During Doug’s time at YSM, Stephen reconnected with Panetti, taking his favorite mentor out to dinner with his family. “It’s a wonderful memory that I’ll always cherish,” he says.
Sharon, too, was able to reflect on her own time at YSM as her son was a student. “Coming back to see Doug perform in the same halls where I performed decades ago felt like coming home,” she says.
Of course, YSM has seen plenty of changes across the decades — changes that manifest in the family’s experiences. Doug spent time in the Center for Studies in Music Technology (CSMT), exploring audio production and recording. Sharon recalls a very different era: no cell phones, no livestreams, and “drop the needle” exams that required someone to physically drop the needle on a record player.
Over the years, the family has had many opportunities to perform together. Sharon and Stephen played in the Hartford Symphony, and Stephen served as principal tuba with the Springfield Symphony. Doug joined them on stage with both orchestras. Playing Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 alongside her son, Sharon describes her final concert with the Hartford Symphony as “a proud mama moment.”
Doug has also enlisted his parents in his own creative projects, including arrangements of video game music. “I’ve always found excuses to sneak my parents into various projects,” he says. His mom played strings in early compositions, and his dad joined a recent collaboration with Doug’s band DiscoCactus, based on Paper Mario: The Origami King.
“Needless to say, we are incredibly proud of him,” Stephen says.
