SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Vandal following in mentor’s footsteps
MINOT, N.D. – While he can’t quite recall the exact age he sat down to play the piano for the first time, Kevin Vandal does remember growing up with music in his home.
He does, however, remember precisely when his abilities on piano matched him up with mentor, Dianna Anderson, Minot State University’s professor of music.
“I really started my music career in 2017 when I went to International Music Camp at the Peace Gardens for piano week,” he said. “During that session, I studied with Dr. Dianna Anderson, and then I began traveling to Minot to continue to study with her, starting my freshman year in high school. I would come to Minot once a month for a two-hour lesson because of how far it was to drive.
“It became routine throughout high school, and because of that, I became increasingly more involved with the campus music scene.”
By the time he enrolled as a freshman, his connections with the Minot and Northwest North Dakota music community were paying off.
“All of these events and the combination of events are what made me decide to pursue music professionally,” Vandal said. “Seeing world-class performances at the International Music Camp and learning what chamber music was and how fun it was to play, I was really just dipping my toes into what was possible. So, by my freshman year, I hit the ground running.”
Making music collaboratively at MSU with multiple artists — locally, nationally, and internationally — has inspired Vandal and changed his views of what the possibilities are in the profession.
“Music is a huge world,” Vandal said. “I really ended up getting to do much of that during my college career. I realize I have a lot of interests and passions that align with collaborative performance, and the piano is unique because it is involved so often collaboratively. I’ve had so many opportunities here at MSU.
“Music is just so much fun for me. I can see myself doing many of the things I’ve been able to do here at a higher level down the road, such as playing for an opera company, playing for choirs, for vocalists, in competitions, and in small groups. There is a wide range of possibilities out there, and that is really what my time at MSU has done for me; it’s made me realize just how much there is.”
His interest in collaborative music continued to gain momentum during his sophomore year as he was awarded the Virginia Geesaman Chamber Music internship chaired by John Rumney, Minot State professor of music, along with coaching by Luminus, comprised of MSU professors Rumney, Anderson, and Erik Anderson, and a mentorship with Beo String Quartet, featuring alumni Jason Neukom ’05 and Sean Neukom ’05, a professional string quartet based out of Pittsburg.
“It was a year-long intensive extracurricular, but very instrumental in shaping my musical pursuits,” he said.
Music in general and the piano specifically is Vandal’s calling, but he has considered different avenues to advance in the profession. While he is interested in eventually going to graduate school, he has decided to come full circle and follow in his mentor's footsteps.
“I’ve decided to take a gap year and take advantage of an exceptional teaching opportunity,” he said. “I’ve done some private teaching through college, but now I get to explore what it is to be a professional in that arena. There’s a lot I’m excited about, even from the angle of self-employment and professional development before deciding on graduate school.”
While the pupil looks to become the master, he continues to glean information from Anderson and believes many of the lessons he has learned over the years will manifest in his teaching ability.
“It would be a huge compliment to realize I perform or teach similarly to her,” Vandal said. “I do believe that’s somewhat true already, just because of the amount of time I’ve been able to absorb her style in both of those applications. Through my time with her, the curtain was drawn back, and I was able to understand a lot of the intention and deliberation that goes into each lesson."
“I’ve learned so much as a musician, as a person, and especially as a pianist from her. There is no way to evaluate where I am now without recognizing that her influence has done so much to help me.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 05/20/25
