Here are some select recent clippings 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.)
Making the earth move with Libby Gardner Hall’s majestic organ
(Salt Lake Magazine 01/08/2015)
Naturally, Jason Hardink, Nova’s artistic director, has recruited Richard Elliott, the MTC’s principal organist, to bring forth the most glorious sound from the instrument, a tracker organ made by Lively-Fulcher in Washington, D.C., with electronic assisting capabilities in addition to three manuals (keyboards) and pedal with 48 stops. Elliott will perform one of the warhorses from the organ musical literature: Bach’s Passacaglia in C Minor. Alex Ross, The New Yorker magazine music critic, once said parts of the work should “be heard less as a note than as a minor earthquake.”
Elliott, who did not commit fully to a career in organ until he was working on his doctorate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., is a natural fit for Nova’s mission which emphasizes musical collaborations especially among local composers, musicians and community performing groups.
Sidelined by accident, St. Peter pianist, professor returns to performing
(St. Peter Herald 01/06/2015)
Flat on her back, lying on a St. Peter street with a fractured skull, 82-year-old Helen Baumgartner was surprised at how little pain she was experiencing. Struck by a van while attempting to cross South Third Street in downtown St. Peter, she remembers little from the accident. But she was worried about the music.
Baumgartner’s husband and performing partner, Paul, sounded relieved, as well. The couple is scheduled to perform Friday, Jan. 16 at the Arts Center of Saint Peter, a four-handed evening of piano music.
The Baumgartners met as graduate students while at Eastman School of Music, the famous music conservatory in Rochester, N.Y, established in 1921 by philanthropist George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Co.
Eastman sophomore headlines Warfield concert
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 01/11/2015)
William Warfield’s legendary career was built on diversity, and Alicia Rosser will have that in mind Sunday for William Warfield: A Legacy in Music, a concert supporting the William Warfield Scholarship Fund. Rosser, a sophomore at the Eastman School of Music, headlines the 4 p.m. Sunday show in the school’s Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
The Warfield Fund has been awarded since 1977 to African-American classical voice students at Eastman. Warfield, who grew up in Rochester and was an Eastman graduate, died in 2002.
Music on the Streets talks with Patrick C. Knight of the Portland Metro Concert Band
(Oregon Music News 01/06/2015)
The band is under the direction of Jay Burchak, co-founder, and Dr. Roger Nickerson. Jay has over thirty years of directing experience, including service in Portland’s David Douglas School District. A graduate of the University of Montana and the Eastman School of Music, he plays trumpet with the Oregon Symphonic Band and other groups. He also directs the Black Magic Big Band and the Mt. Hood Brass Quintet.
Festival brings artists to Main Street Dunedin
(Tampa Bay Newspapers 01/05/2015)
Paul Laoria grew up in New York City, but now resides in Palm Harbor. Laoria attended Julliard and the Eastman School of Music studying voice, piano, and composition. He has been painting since he was 3 years old.
Battenkill Chorale opens 20th season with Haydn
(Saratogian Local News12/29/14)
The Battenkill Chorale, opens its 20th anniversary season with Franz Joseph Haydn’s masterwork, “The Creation,” on Sunday, Jan. 18.For “The Creation,” Battenkill Chorale will be joined by a 42-piece professional orchestra and soloists soprano Sylvia Stoner, tenor Rand Reeves and bass-baritone Keith Kibler.
Kibler made his national debuts at the age of 24 with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa. He is an award-winning singer who has sung at major summer festivals and appeared in concert and in opera roles internationally. Kibler’s doctorate was earned at Yale University and the Eastman School of Music. Kibler teaches in the music department of Williams College.
FSU professors perform in concert Sunday
(The Apalichicola Times 01/08/2015)
Three distinguished Florida State University musicians – a tenor, baritone and piano accompanist – will present the second concert in the Ilse Newell Fund for the Performing Arts series this Sunday, Jan. 11. Tenor Chuck Chandler, baritone Evan Thomas Jones, and pianist Read Gainsford will perform the concert set for 4 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola.
Jones enjoys a diverse performing career in concert, opera, and musical theatre. He has performed with Opera Memphis, Opera Naples, Berkshire Opera Company, Compañía Lírica Nacional de Costa Rica, the Rochester and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Memphis and Helena Symphonies. A proud FSU alumnus, Jones is completing his doctorate at the Eastman School of Music.
Henry Cho’s ‘clean comedy’ show returns to civic center
(The Tullahoma News 01/01/2015)
January Events at the Civic Center
Along with Cho’s performance, South Jackson will also hold two other events in January. The annual Jazz on Jackson will take place at 8 p.m. on Jan. 17. The event will feature arranger, composer, trumpeter, and educator Jamey Simmons.
Simmons earned his Bachelor of Music at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and his Master of Music in jazz and contemporary media at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under jazz composer and arranger Fred Sturm.
Sound ExChange builds a bigger music monster
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 01/04/2015)
The technology of social networking, in particular on mobile devices: Is this art?
That is the question that Sound ExChange would like to answer with its $100,000 grant from the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation. Sound ExChange is a collective of seven Eastman School of Music students whose goal was to “reinvigorate classical music,” says the group’s executive director, Emily Wozniak.