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.)
A Wrong Note Sets The Right Mood In ‘House Of Cards’
(NPR © 02/27/2015)
House of Cards returns to Netflix queues around the country on Friday, when every episode of the third season will become available to viewers. Once again, the Emmy-winning series about the Machiavellian machinations of Washington politics will be propelled by a distinctive score.
That music is the work of composer Jeff Beal, whose resume also includes the television series Carnivàle and Monk, and documentaries such as Blackfish. Before a single frame of House of Cards had been shot, director David Fincher hired Beal, and together they came up with the show’s musical tone and style.
For three seasons running, Beal has composed music for each of the hour long episodes without the help of any assistants or orchestrators. He also plays all of the trumpet, piano and guitar parts himself and records a 17-piece string ensemble in the living room of his house in Agoura Hills, Calif.
“That’s Jeff. That’s his personality,” says Beal’s wife of 25 years, Joan. The two met as college students at the Eastman School of Music — she was a singer; he was a trumpet player in the jazz program.
Beal has made his work a family affair: Joan provides eerie operatic vocals throughout Season 2, and their son, Henry, plays bass in the main title and in many episodes, recording the tracks in his dorm room at the University of North Texas. (Also reported by Variety, Oregon Public Broadcasting )
(The Atlantic 02/25/2015)
Those who go looking for evidence of increasing self-absorption seem to find it everywhere these days. Inflated egos are apparently smiling in the selfies people snap, self-obsession woven into their compulsive online sharing. Even the tiniest language choices are revealing. First-person pronouns like “I” and “me” are crowding out “we” and “our” in all kinds of communication—from advertising copy to academic writing to newspaper articles to song lyrics.
“Seeger’s criticism against Dylan at this time was that he took the ‘we,’ and turned it into a ‘me,'” said John Covach, a professor of music theory at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. “But what usually triggers this narcissism criticism is that what somebody’s telling you about themselves is not something that you want to hear. If they seem to be whining about their situation, or seem to be entitled, you tend to view it as narcissism. But if someone is saying something that happened to them and it resonates with your own experience, then you don’t call it narcissistic. You call it poetry.”
Rochester Music Hall of Fame names five new inductees
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 02/25/2015)
Jazz bassist Ron Carter, Gibson Guitar Corp. chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, jazz keyboardist Gap Mangione, bass-baritone William Warfield and the fondly remembered regional R&B band Wilmer & the Dukes are the five new members of the Hall of Fame.
They’ll be inducted during an April 26 show at Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, a concert featuring hard rocker Chris Daughtry and The Sing-Off’s Jamal Moore. Other special musical performers will be announced in the coming weeks, organizers said.
Eastman School of Music musicians will perform one of Carter’s compositions at the 7 p.m. show. It’s estimated that the 1959 Eastman graduate has appeared on more than 2,500 albums, including recordings with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Billy Joel.
Warfield’s induction will be accompanied by an interpretive dance by his nephew, Thomas Warfield. Moore, who studied at the Eastman, will perform the song Warfield is most associated with, “Old Man River.” Warfield graduated from the Eastman in 1942 and appeared in the film Show Boat and the Broadway musical Porgy and Bess. He won a Grammy in 1984 for his narration of Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait,” which was recorded with the Eastman Philharmonia. Warfield died in 2002.
The hall also announced it was establishing the Douglas Lowry Award, in honor of the late Eastman dean. It will be presented to a high school senior. (Also reported by City )
MUSIC INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO PRESENTS COMMUNITY MUSIC FESTIVAL
(Chicago3Media © 02/25/2015)
- Ying Quartet – Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m.
The Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet has established itself as an ensemble of the highest musical order. Quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music, this distinguished Music Institute alumni group performs classic repertoire along with works the quartet has commissioned. Special media sponsor for this performance is Mandarin Quarterly.
Milford grad performs classical trumpet this Saturday
(Milford Times © 02/24/2015)
Steven Marx, a professor of trumpet at Colorado State University, will perform diverse works at Huron Valley Council of the Arts as February’s Classical Series at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the HVCA art center, 205 W. Livingston Road in Highland.
After graduating from Milford High School, Marx earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Grand Valley State University, a Master’s of Music in performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Doctor of Music Arts in performance and music education from the Eastman School of Music. He has taught at the University of Northern Colorado, Nazareth College, the National Brass Academy, International Grand Valley Trumpet Institute and the Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp prior to his appointment at Colorado State University in 2010. (Related story reported by Spinal Column Newsweekly)
Virtuoso organist to give recital in Stamford
(Stamford Patch 02/24/2015)
Virtuoso organist Jonathan Ryan will be performing at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 628 Main St., Stamford, on Sunday, March 1 at 4 p.m.
A native of Charlotte, NC, Ryan has a Bachelor of Music degree with academic honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Todd Wilson. As a student of David Higgs, he received a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music where he studied improvisation with William Porter.
Joywave launches spring tour, album
(Democrat & Chronicle 02/22/2015)
Who doesn’t like big drums and sweaty men in loin cloths? The longtime Japanese percussion and dance ensemble Kodo brings “Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery” here for a 7:30 p.m. March 3 show at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St. It’s part traditional Japanese folk music and part original compositions by contemporary composers and the troupe, which does include a few women. A smattering of reed and string instruments make an appearance, but it’s the guys wrestling with the big, booming drums that are the show. The event is part of the Eastman School of Music’s new “Eastman Presents” series. Tickets (ranging from $20 to $85) are at the Eastman Theatre box office at 433 Main St.; (585) 454-2100 or eastmantheatre.org.
These pianists have 176 keys for Keys Shows
(Florida Keys Keynoter and Reporter 02/19/2014)
After close to four decades and more than 1,000 performances together, Canadians James Anagnoson and Leslie Kinton are recognized as one of the world’s finest piano duos performing today. The New York Times has called their performance “an outstanding two-piano recital with formidable precision and panache.”
Anagnoson is the dean of the Glenn Gould School in Canada and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. He received his master’s degree from the Juilliard School.
Piano concert Feb. 28 to benefit Music-to-Go Worcester
(Telegram 02/27/2014)
But such an effort also requires funding, and for the first time, a concert will be held at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 with proceeds to support the program.
The concert will feature pianist Cahill Smith, a recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and also a new faculty member at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Martha Graham Timeline
(GoErie.com 02/26/2015)
She creates her first modern dance pieces as a teacher at the Eastman School of Music