August 1, 2018
Trevor Wheelock ’19 of Schenectady, N.Y., is spending his summer as the pianist for Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of Tarzan. A Fine & Performing Arts major with a concentration in music who recently added our new music production minor, Wheelock said it’s been a blessing to be a part of such an intellectually and creatively stimulating job.
“Productions like these require the work and dedication of many people across a wide range of disciplines to produce a successful show,” he explained. “The best aspect of this position is the opportunity to be involved with a highly successful and credible regional theatre company to do something that I absolutely enjoy doing. It never feels like work to me.”
Wheelock (pictured above with music instructor Jeff Link) did not waste any time in standing out as a musician on campus, as he performed an original piece his very first semester at MCLA, during the winter jazz band concert. “Since then, the band has done another original composition of mine, ‘Splash.’ I also play trombone and piano in the wind ensemble,” he added.
He also is the music director for the Harlequin Musical Theatre Club, for which he has played and provided musical direction for two musical revue shows and two musicals, Young Frankenstein and Be More Chill.
His other campus performances have included those at President James F. Birge’s inauguration, as well as playing for the 2017 Baccalaurate and Commencement events. Last year’s Commencement experience included welcoming U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, to campus. “It was an extraordinary moment for me, meeting such an extraordinary man,” Wheelock said of Lewis.
With the goal of attending graduate school at Berklee College of Music, Wheelock plans to complete his bachelor’s degree one year early, in May 2019.
