| GRESHAM RILEY AWARD RECIPIENT 2008 |
 Michael Grace '63
In 1959, Michael Grace was a self-professed hippy, newly graduated from a New England boarding school and entrenched in playing the guitar and singing the urgent protest music of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
He was eager for an adventure. “I wanted to go west and see something different,” he says. “And I found Colorado College.”
The college was a perfect fit, Michael says. “I had come to Colorado before. I loved the mountains. And I liked the college from the beginning. I loved the close relationship between the students and the faculty. I felt like they knew who I was. We had a sense of pride in the fact that our faculty was made up of great teachers who truly embraced the mission of teaching.”
When he arrived at CC, Michael signed up for courses that interested him, including music. One of Michael’s instructors, Albert Seay, was known for his work as a music historian.“I was fascinated by his classes, and by music history,” Michael says.
“I had always loved music, and I was thrilled to have somebody share my love for it. And I realized that knowing about what you are listening to makes music even more fun.”
Since he started teaching at CC 41 years ago, Michael has taught music history and related courses. He served as chairman of the department, most recently in 2007, was dean of the summer session for three years, and spent a year as interim president of the college. He founded CC’s Summer Conservatory and Music Festival, Baroque Chamber Orchestra, Collegium Musicum and the Collegium Musicum Ensemble.
Spending more than four decades at the college “seems so natural,” Michael says. “It is my home. It’s the only full-time job I ever had. Sometimes, it makes me feel like I must have missed something, but then I realize that this is the perfect place for me. Academic freedom is a reality for us.”
That freedom has allowed Michael to do what he loves – pass on his love of music. “I knew I couldn’t be a concert pianist. But music history is something I love. There’s something wonderful about teaching Medieval and Renaissance music. You can learn to love it if you get inside the music.”
When Michael isn’t teaching, he spends time with his wife, Susan, a concert pianist and artist-in-residence at the college. He has three children and two grandchildren. Michael and Susan travel frequently, both with a program they designed that incorporates painting and music, and for the adventure of seeing exotic places such as the South Pacific. He skis and plays golf. And he continues to find new ways to teach about what he loves.
“I’ve often thought about teaching and how important it is to me. And the block plan has a lot to do with that. Each class has the feeling of a family.”
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