Here are some select clippings from the past week showing the variety of hits/mentions identifying musicians and scholars as Eastman School of Music alumni, faculty or students. Note: Some links may have expired.)
(Times Higher Education 10/31/2013)
A composer and conductor who played a major role in American musical education has died
In 2007, Professor Lowry was appointed the sixth head of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, going on to become the Joan and Martin Messinger dean in 2011.
His tenure was marked by several important changes within the institution. The main performance venue was renovated as Kodak Hall, where one of Professor’s Lowry own compositions, Geo, was performed on the opening night.
Equally indicative of Professor Lowry’s determination to remain, and to keep Rochester, at the cutting edge of musical life was his foundation of the Center for Music Innovation and Engagement and the Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research, the latter dedicated to creating models for alternative ensembles.
The Top Hollywood Music Schools
(Billboard © 11/01/2013)
5. EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC Rochester, N.Y.
The University of Rochester school has thrived on buzz of late, partly for its Institute for Music Leadership, which provides skills and seed money for entrepreneurs. THR’s voters like that pragmatic innovation and what dean Jamal Rossi calls “a core of absolute musical excellence.” Eastmanites recently played at President Obama’s inauguration and won a Fulbright-mtvU Award to teach Iraqi refugee children in Jordan. “The question we grapple with is what a life in music might look like years into the future,” says Rossi. (Also reported by Hollywood Reporter[hollywoodreporter.com])
Eastman celebrates and remembers Doug Lowry[mediatracking.com]
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 11/03/2013)
In some ways, Doug Lowry’s memorial concert was as it should be. A Viking funeral, with the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre stage bristling with musicians, melancholy and a few tears. The Eastman Philharmonia, the 14-piece Eastman Trombone Choir and, spilling out into an entire section of theater seats, the Eastman Chorale.
But that only goes so far. No one said no laughter allowed, and that emotion seemed to resonate equally, if not more.
A Renaissance man, Eastman dean since 2007, Lowry gave the day’s speakers more than enough material for a nearly 2½ hour celebration that was largely devoid of something Lowry dreaded, as one of them put it: “Bloated, puffy remarks.” (Also reported by WHEC-TV[whec.com], WXXI News[wxxinews.org])
City Week
(Tucson Weekly © 10/31/2013)
Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Cowdrick, a professor at the Eastman School of Music, is visiting Tucson to perform Bon appétit!, a mini-opera based on one of Julia Child’s recipe for chocolate cake.
Oct. 28: Tribute to Howard Hanson
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 10/28/2013)
Oct. 28, 1896: Howard Hanson, who was head of the Eastman School of Music from 1924-64, is born. Eastman School historian Vincent Lenti tells of the importance of Hanson in shaping the school and its traditions.
JAZZ | Clay Jenkins
(Rochester City Newspaper © 10/30/2013)
Right out of college, trumpeter Clay Jenkins earned his stripes with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He went on to tour with Harry James, Buddy Rich, and Count Basie before becoming a professor at the Eastman School of Music.
Clay Jenkins performs Tuesday, November 5, 8 p.m. at Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman School of Music, 26 Gibbs St., $10 (free with UR ID), esm.rochester.edu, 274-1100. (Also reported by <b”>Rochester Democrat and Chronicle[democratandchronicle.com])
Early music takes centerstage this weekend[mediatracking.com]
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 11/04/2013)
Next weekend will be dominated by two big concerts highlighting Rochester’s unusually large and accomplished early music community.
Also on the schedule this week is a Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Philharmonics Series concert with guest conductor Christoph Campestrini, musical director of the Oper Klosterneuburg Festival outside Vienna, and Eastman School of Music’s Barry Snyder on piano.
The Eastman Faculty Artist Series continues with jazz trumpeter Clay Jenkins at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Hatch Recital Hall, 433 E. Main St. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.
(The Huntsville Times – 10/31/2013)
he quartet is made up of three siblings, Janet, Phillip and David Ying, with Ayano Ninomiya as the fourth member of the group. All four are on the faculty at the Eastman School of Music, which puts them in touch with what young people and helps inform the way they approach their own music.
Lee Koonce Named New Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico[mediatracking.com]
(Broadway World © 10/28/2013)
Lee Koonce, an experienced arts administrator and proven leader, has been named Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico, the nation’s preeminent Latino dance institution.
An accomplished pianist, Mr. Koonce received a Bachelor’s of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a BA in Spanish Literature from Oberlin College and a Master’s of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.
Small gatherings provide for the greater good[mediatracking.com]
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 10/30/2013)
Ever since George Eastman made philanthropy trendy in Rochester, the impulse to party for a cause has thrived. The gala circuit is well-traveled, of course. But more and more, people are taking up the idea in their own personal entertaining.
The Belasco siblings threw a huge bash one year in their family summer house on Cranberry Pond in Hilton. The next year, they thought, ‘Why not use the party to support a cause?’
Jazz on the Pond brings in acclaimed musicians (think: Chaka Kahn, John Legend and Philip Bailey) to perform at a backyard concert that raises money for 25 scholarships at the Eastman School of Music. As the energy builds, Eastman students take the stage to perform with the big names.
Classical pianist performs Sunday in Binghamton
(Press & Sun-Bulletin 10/30/2013)
Classical Pianists of the Future will present a concert from Olga Krayterman on Sunday afternoon at the Tri-Cities Opera Center in Binghamton. She was awarded her bachelor and master of music degrees at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, where she is also currently completing her doctorate in performance and literature.