Eastman Summer (formerly Summer@Eastman) has played a significant role in the Eastman School of Music’s curriculum since its beginnings. In 1928, Eastman School director Howard Hanson described the summer program as “organized so that its courses integrate with the courses of the regular school year,” sharing that the summer sessions were of great importance to “the general educational scheme of the institution” (Sibley Music Library Archives). Under the guiding hand of Pilar Boucher, the new Eastman Summer Program Manager, Eastman Summer is being revitalized as a complement to the degree programs offered at Eastman.
“Joining the Eastman community as the Eastman Summer Program Manager is a true joy,” shares Boucher. “Forging new opportunities for high-level music students to join us on campus and learn from Eastman’s world-class faculty will not only strengthen future classes of matriculated Eastman students but aspiring musicians in general.”
Eastman’s Director of Admissions Colby Carson endorses that goal: “The new Eastman Summer program more directly aligns us with rising juniors and seniors who are interested in studying at the Eastman School of Music.” The admissions team is eager to meet students earlier in their college search by “offering more connections and interactions with Eastman’s faculty, students, and staff.”
Mason St. Pierre ’24E (DMA), recently completed his doctoral studies in Wind Ensemble Conducting at Eastman but started on that path in 2018 (and again in 2020) as an Eastman Summer participant. “The benefit of participating in the Summer Wind Conducting Institute was the opportunity – and privilege – to partake in intensive study over a short period of time with first-rate musicians and people,” exclaims St. Pierre. “I knew that if I were to come to Eastman as a full-time student, I would grow from being immersed in this environment prior to applying.”
Today, Eastman Summer offers nearly 50 programs and courses every year including a summers-only master’s degree in Music Education; collegiate classes in Music Theory, Music History, and Music Leadership; a Study Abroad program in Paris; one pre-collegiate program: Eastman Experience: Summer Jazz Studies; as well as various institutes and online workshops.
Offering students a unique way to experience a day in the life at the Eastman School of Music, Eastman Summer brings people together to pursue their passions through education in performance and musicianship. To apply for Summer 2025, visit our website or email Ms. Boucher directly: pboucher@esm.rochester.edu. Applications are due by April 13, 2025, and decisions will be released on May 2, 2025.
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Pilar Boucher:
A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with her MM in Bassoon Performance, Pilar Boucher has performed with various orchestras, wind ensembles and chamber groups, under the direction of esteemed conductors Andres Cardenes, George Vosburgh, Marin Alsop, Ken Lam, and others.
Her tutelage includes private lessons with Nancy Goeres and Dr. Ryan Romine, as well as involvement in various summer music programs such as Prague Summer Nights, Aruba Summer Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Peabody Bassoon Week.
Prior to joining the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music as the Eastman Summer Program Manager, Pilar has worked as the Programs Coordinator for the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Manager of Programs and Community Engagement at the Paterson Music Project, the Chamber Music Coordinator for the Spoleto Music Festival, and the teaching fellow to Valerie Coleman at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Woodwind Quintet Workshop.
About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music — about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, NY, the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.