Clarel Antoine II '07-'09

When one of his friends was dealing with a bout of sadness, Clarel Antoine II ’07-’09 knew how to lift his spirits.

Though it was almost midnight and the temperature was sub-zero, Antoine hastily made his friend put on a jacket and run outside to the frozen Charles River. Amid the snow and ice, the two friends stepped cautiously onto the frozen river and back to its bank.

Antoine died suddenly in late December of last year. Those who knew Antoine said they remembered his vivacity, charisma, and empathy.

“If anything really characterizes Clarel, it was how intensely he loved people,” said Antoine’s girlfriend of three years at Harvard. She asked that her name not be used because of the sensitive nature of Antoine’s death.

The son of immigrants, Antoine came to Harvard in September 2003. After having nearly finished a five-year music program, he was preparing to graduate in January.

Second to his considerate nature, Antoine’s friends and peers recalled his passion for music.

According to Antoine’s ex-girlfriend, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music before college. During his year-long leave of absence in 2006-2007, he worked as a steward at the Boston Opera House, where he watched music performances for free.

Antoine could always find time to talk about his plans for the College’s music department, said Charles W. Altchek ’07, who had known Antoine since their freshman year at the Horace Mann School in New York, nine years ago.

Antoine, who played the violin and piano, had wanted to expand the interaction between the music department and undergraduates, Altchek added.

The stress of planning and performing in the Class of 2007’s freshman musical—which Antoine produced—was palpable, according to Daniel A. Koh ’07, who sang in the show and lived in Thayer Hall with Antoine.

But while people were tensing up about the next act, Antoine was backstage cracking jokes, Koh said.

Antoine’s ex-girlfriend joked that this “sweet” personality got him a free pass. “Once he handed in his term paper two-and-a-half months late in a class, and he still got an A- on it,” she said. “Certain rules didn’t apply to Clarel. For some reason, he was the exception. He was so touching. You always wanted him to succeed—whether you were a TF, a friend, or a peer. Everyone was rooting for him.”

Though music and people were essential to his life, Antoine had diverse interests. He learned Spanish, French, and German. He played soccer and tennis, and he swam. During his year off, he studied to become a pastry chef while working at the local Whole Foods.

“He wanted to make sure that he was always learning and growing and meeting new people,” Altchek said.

Antoine’s family would not take phone calls, and the cause of Antoine’s death remains undisclosed.

—Staff writer Ahmed N. Mabruk can be reached at amabruk@fas.harvard.edu.