E. Harold Lickey
Harold Lickey, now retired and living in Oregon City, Oregon, has played a prominent role in choral music in Adventist higher education and in the debate on appropriate music in life and worship in the Adventist church. He was on the music faculty at four Adventist colleges and Andrews University, where he taught and also held the Oliver S. Beltz Chair of Sacred Music at the SDA Theological Seminary.
Lickey was the first Adventist musician to articulate a stance against rock music, writing four articles that were published in the church's primary magazine, The Review and Herald, in late 1971 and early 1972. He has since written additional articles and conducted seminars on rock music and the subject of appropriate music for worship services. He also served on the committee which produced the 1985 church hymnal, serving as chairman of the Texts Subcommittee.
Lickey graduated from Union College in 1950 with a degree in religion. Following a year at Enterprise Academy in Kansas, he accepted a position with the television program "Faith for Today" as an original member of its resident male quartet. While at that program, he worked with Melvin West, organist for the program, whom he had known earlier. After leaving FFT, he taught successively at Union College, Southwestern Junior College, now Southwestern Adventist University, Pacific Union College, and Walla Walla College, now University. During those years he also studied at Westminster Choir College and completed a master's degree at Texas Christian College (now University) and a DMA at Indiana University.
In his work in Adventist higher education he established a reputation as a fine tenor soloist and a dynamic choir director. While at WWC, he worked closely with West in performing landmark works in choral literature. West would later observe that working with Lickey in the presentation of music such as the Brahms and Durufle Requiems, Creston's Prophecy of Isaiah, and the Poulenc Gloria was a highpoint of his experience at WWC. In addition to heading the vocal/choral program at WWC, Lickey also served as chair from 1974 to 1979. He left in 1979 to accept a position at AU where he taught until he retired.
Since retiring, Lickey has been active in music activities in the Portland, Oregon, area. He also participates in concerts, seminars, and hymn festivals, the latter with West, who also now resides in that area.
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