Students who frequent the Lawn may have recurrently noticed an impromptu one-man show. For 15 years, Class of 1979 alumnus Todd Bullard, motivated by a love of music, serene weather and the Lawn, has made a habit of visiting to sing and strum his guitar.
Bullard’s folk-style sessions typically take place on sunny afternoons, where he sings both original songs and classic 1960’s folk rock tunes from artists like Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles and Cat Stevens. His original folk songs span many themes, sometimes relating to his marriage or reflecting on how he hopes to be remembered after passing, for example.
Bullard previously performed his own pieces weekly at The Local, a restaurant in Charlottesville’s Belmont neighborhood, and has also featured at hotels in Shenandoah National Park. In Bullard’s eyes, however, scheduled performances were not as personally fulfilling as his time playing at the University is. Financial gain has never been the muse for his artistic hobby and the strings attached to pre-arranged gigs remove the flexibility and peace he finds on the Lawn.
“It's almost like work when you're arranged to do a gig. You have to be there at a certain time and set up your PA system and you play for a while … But it's all scheduled,” Bullard said. “That's one fun thing about going to the Lawn. If I just feel like sitting there, sometimes I don't play anything. I just sit there and enjoy the weather.”
His undergraduate experience was interestingly not at all defined by anything musical. After graduating from the School of Architecture, Bullard went on to work at the Charlottesville-based architecture firm VMDO Architects in 1981, eventually becoming a co-owner for nearly two decades prior to his retirement.
The company has worked on a number of projects for the University, with Bullard himself involved with some designs on Grounds throughout his career, like the construction of Hereford Residential College in the 1980s. It was during his professional and retired life in Charlottesville that Bullard began his musical pursuits and found his place on the Lawn, serenading the University he once attended and once helped shape.
“I didn't sing, I didn't play an instrument at that point in time, at all. In fact, I hardly ever went to the Lawn when I was a student,” Bullard said. “It wasn't until much later, I kind of rediscovered it and found that it was kind of fun to be out there.”
After a decade and a half of vocalizing on Grounds, however, Bullard said that even visiting alumni recognize him through the modest notoriety that his public performances have built.
“A few days ago, this young couple walked by and they said ‘Well, we've graduated, but we remember you when we were students here,’” Bullard said. “I get that every once in a while.”
His low-key displays have often accompanied meaningful events for many passersby over that time period as well as his gentle vocals blend with the Lawn’s evergreen idyllic atmosphere to enhance these golden memories. According to Bullard, his tunes once backed a young man’s proposal at the Rotunda after the man’s parents approached Bullard and requested a song just before the event.
On another day, Bullard’s expertise in the Beatles’ discography set a reminiscent mood for a couple on the steps of the Rotunda when he played the song “In My Life” upon their request.
“She [said], ‘Do you know this song?’, and it happened to be a Beatles song... She was with a guy, and they slow danced on the portico while I played,” Bullard said. “There must have been something about that song that was special to them.”
Bullard himself is no stranger to unforgettable romantic days near the Lawn, as he was married adjacent to it at the University Chapel in 1985. The Chapel remains a common wedding venue today and Bullard said he changes his tune to match the occasion when wedding parties are present.
“It's also funny how many times wedding parties will come up on the Lawn,” Bullard said. “I know a number of, I guess you’d call them ‘love songs,’ that I'll play when I see wedding parties and they seem to appreciate it.”
With frigid wintertime temperatures creeping in, the soloist said his appearances will become more sparse until the spring promises more pleasant days outside — though he still visits the Lawn year-round. Bullard’s showings of his passionate, long-lived hobby are as enduring as the iconic site they take place on, and plenty more encores are certain to come.
“One thing I look forward to every day is playing music. And if the weather's good, I love going by the Lawn… I hope to keep it up as long as I'm able,” Bullard said.
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