Darlia McLuhan Conn was named Lee University’s Distinguished Alumna during homecoming festivities at the Cleveland, Tenn., university.
Conn is an adjunct member of the piano faculty at Lee, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance in 1977. She also received a master’s degree in accompanying and coaching from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Born in Canada, she spent 10 years of her childhood in Africa, where her parents were missionaries. Her earliest music studies were in South Africa and Zimbabwe, culminating in a Licentiate degree from the Trinity College of London.
While raising a family, she remained active as an accompanist and piano teacher. She has been a member of the Cleveland Symphony Guild since 1985 and is a former president of that organization.
The honoree has accompanied baritone Tony Deaton in recitals around the Southeast. While her primary work at Lee is accompanying faculty and students, she is also involved in donor cultivation for the university.