Laura Diddle will direct her last concert at the Spring Festival of Music on Saturday, April 25, at 5 p.m.

The SDSU choir ensembles will perform to celebrate Diddle’s final concert as director.

Laura Diddle is a professor of music and the director of choral activities at SDSU. After 23 years of directing, she will be retiring at the end of the school year. Diddle announced her retirement at the beginning of the school year.

“I told the choirs the first day of classes,” Diddle said. “They’ve known for the whole year.”

To celebrate her career, her colleagues wanted to do something special. David Reynolds, who is the director of the School of Performing Arts and a professor of music, said, “It’s only right” to give her a celebration at the Spring Festival of Music.

Reynolds added that this year’s festival will look different from past years. One of those differences is that Diddle will be inviting concert choir alumni to sing a few pieces with the concert choir. Diddle said that many alumni singers have already started booking flights to come back and sing one last time for her.

Another one of Diddle’s colleagues, Andrew Robinette, who is a professor of music and the Statesmen choir director, said that since they are expecting many alumni singers to return, they are also expecting more people to attend the concert.

Reynolds said that the money from the admission fee will go toward a choral scholarship fund in Diddle’s name.

Diddle said the concert will feature the three choir ensembles, which are the Concert Choir, Choralia (women’s choir) and the Statesmen (men’s choir). She added that there might be one or two pieces where all three ensembles will sing together.

“To have 200 to 250 singers up there making a difference and singing together,” Diddle said, “for me, it’s always been a great honor to stand in front of those young people.”

Diddle said she has picked out music she knows has resonated with current and past students. During rehearsals, she could tell in the students’ expressions what pieces they enjoy, and she’s excited to bring back past music the choir has sung.

Robinette said the audience can expect this concert to be filled with excellent music. He added that it will give the community a chance to see how much Diddle has given to the program.

Reynolds said the audience can expect the concert to be of the highest quality.

“Dr. Diddle has always instilled in her students a willingness to strive for the best in all that they do,” Reynolds said. “It will be wonderful music and incredibly well programmed.”

Diddle said she hopes the audience will see the power of choral music and community while the choirs are performing. With so many students involved in the choral program, Diddle said that many of the students may not have another opportunity to sing in a big group after college.

She thinks it’s important for the students to take in the moments and enjoy the memories made along the way.

Robinette has worked with Diddle for 13 years, and he said he has enjoyed every moment of it.

He said he particularly enjoyed touring with her in Nashville. He also said he has learned a lot from her, such as learning professionalism in choral music.

“We have a real, genuine friendship and connection,” Robinette said. Diddle said that although her retirement has been in the works for many years, she doesn’t feel any fear or sadness about it.

“It’ll be bittersweet for that very last chord and the cutoff at the end,” Diddle said. “But I have full faith and confidence in these incredible young people that they will continue to do marvelous things, and this program will continue to grow and develop and bloom.”