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.)
Gustin series features gifted artists, Glorious music
(Saskatoon StarPhoenix 08/13/2015)
The summer recital of 2016 takes place Tuesday, August 23, and features violinist Kerry DuWors and pianist Futaba Niekawa as duo526. Performing together since 2011 when they met at Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, the artists are devoted to exploring the repertoire and art of violin with piano. Their Saskatoon musical program spans two centuries, from Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata to works by Szymanowski and Copland. DuWors, recipient of many awards, performs widely, even as she completes doctoral studies in violin performance. Niekawa, originally from Japan and now based in the Boston area, is a prize-winning solo and ensemble performer on harpsichord as well as piano.
Edmonton’s newest Symphony Orchestra to perform this week in the Park
(Sherwood Park News 08/10/2015)
The Edmonton Metropolitan Orchestra will soon bring class to the Patio Series with a performance by featured players on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Touted as Edmonton’s newest Symphony Orchestra, the group officially came to fruition in the past year.
The group is currently under the direction of Brazilian-born conductor Danielle Lisboa, who holds a doctorate of orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music.
Charlie Parker celebration to kick off at 18th and Vine
(KCTV 5 08/18/2015)
The second annual Charlie “Bird” Parker celebration kicks off Thursday night at The American Jazz Museum in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. The celebration, which continues through Aug. 29, seeks to explore and recognize the brilliance and legacy of Parker.
Artist-in-residence: Acclaimed trumpeter, esteemed professor and jazz recording artist Clay Jenkins will participate throughout the 10-day celebration.
Panelists include Scott DeVeaux, a professor at the University of Virginia and author of The Birth of Bebop: A Social and Musical History, Jenkins, acclaimed trumpeter and recording artist and faculty member at the Eastman School of Music in New York and Chuck Haddix, local radio host and author of Bird: the Life and Music of Charlie Park and Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to BeBop.
Variations on a Rhythm: Meet OU Percussionist Roger Braun
(WOUB 08/19/2015)
In the music rehearsal space, seven students cluster around a vibraphone—a metallic cousin to the xylophone—to peer at the curious things Roger Braun has done to it. Along the steel bars are wooden clothespins and tubes of cardboard that look oddly familiar. “This toilet paper tube—as silly as it is—has a pitch-bending effect,” the Ohio University percussionist notes, explaining that the clothespins dampen the sound produced when he strikes the instrument with yarn mallets.
Tucked between these impressive, beautiful instruments is a classic drum kit. Braun notes that he got his start with percussion like a lot of American teens do—providing the back beat for the local rock band. He played all over his hometown of Westport, Connecticut, and made his first recording at age 14, early musical experiences that pushed him to enroll in the nation’s top percussion programs at the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music.
Jeremy Siskind Trio with Nancy Harms Holds a “Housewarming” at Vieuz Carre, August 22
(Jazz Police 08/18/2015)
Jeremy Siskind is a young pianist/composer with degrees in music from Eastman and an MA in Literature, now turning heads on the New York jazz scene. For a second time, he turned to Minnesota native Nancy Harms and saxophonist Lucas Pino for trio magic, yielding the much acclaimed Housewarming (BJU Records, 2014) . The trio recently celebrated the release in Los Angeles and have been touring this summer throughout the West and Midwest, now stopping in St Paul on Saturday, August 22, for the ongoing “housewarming” at Vieux Carré.
Jeremy Siskind has earned such praise as “a remarkable pianist” and “a rising star on the jazz scene” from Piano Jazz host Marian McPartland. The southern California native began playing piano as young child, and by his early teens was performing original compositions through Yamaha’s Junior Original Concert program. He went on to win the soloist competition at the Fullerton College Jazz Festival, “Most Outstanding Rhythm Section Player” in the Reno Jazz Festival, and in 2002 was the youngest winner of the American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publisher’s (ASCAP) Young Jazz Composer’s Awards while still in high school. Armed with a substantial scholarship, Jeremy studied at the Eastman School of Music with Harold Danko, Tony Caramia and Bill Dobbins, earning his degree in Jazz Performance and Music Theory. He then earned a Master’s degree at Columbia in English and Comparative Literature, simultaneously starting his career as a New York-based pianist and recording with the likes of Chris Potter, Marcus Printup, Chris Lightcap and Jo Lawryand while continuing piano studies with Sophia Rosoff and Fred Hersch. He’s also written for music magazines and composed beginning piano music for FJH Publishers. Jeremy was the winner of the 2012 Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition and the second place winner of the 2011 Montreux Solo Piano Competition. Siskind has headed the Piano Department at Western Michigan University since 2014.
Scaggiari to open jazz festival
(Cecil Whig © 08/20/2015)
Saturday, Sept. 12, is the big day, with four acts taking the stage at Wilmer Park from noon to 6 p.m. Fittingly, the opening act will be pianist Stef Scaggiari, well known to local audiences. It will be his sixth appearance at the festival.
An accomplished classical pianist as well as a strong jazz player, Scaggiari has appeared all over the world, both as a solo act and as an accompanist to the likes of Ethel Ennis, Eva Cassidy, Ernestine Anderson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Sue Matthews, Frank Russo, Keter Betts, Steve Abshire and Herb Ellis. He has toured with internationally famous groups such as the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Count Basie All-Stars and Mel Torme. And he can be heard on some 30 recordings, including nine on the Concord label.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, with a master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory, Scaggiari also earned his stripes with the U.S. Marine Band, playing some 200 gigs at the White House.
NM grad holds 5th chamber music recital
(Nashoba Publishing Community News 08/14/2015)
For the past five years, a Pepperell clarinetist has made sure that local music students have a chance to perform and learn over the summer.
“This is a really great experience,” said Joe Clark. The 2012 North Middlesex Regional High School graduate is entering his senior year at the Eastman School of Music. As a music education and clarinet performance major, organizing and leading a chamber music recital is just up his alley. Clark gets to lead musical groups, perform and even write music.
Since holding the first recital at Lawrence Library the summer before his senior year at North Middlesex, interest has skyrocketed. Friends came and were interested in taking part, Clark said. The first year, six students played, the next, 20. This year, 35 musicians will be part of the show. The venue moved from Pepperell’s Lawrence Library to St. John’s Church in Townsend.
“As an aspiring high school band director, I can try things out and create music,” Clark said. The musicians under his baton include high school, middle school and North Middlesex alumni who are studying music.