Eastman School of Music’s 10th anniversary celebration of its Italian Baroque Organ continues with a Third Thursday concert titled “Organ and Body” on Thursday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Memorial Art Gallery.
The program will feature organist Stephen Kennedy; choreography by Vanessa van Wormer, Heather Roffe, and Phaedra Jarrett; projections by Marla Schweppe; and lighting design by Toni Elderkin. Dancers include Christy Benincasa, Allison Bohman, Christina D’Amico, Heather Roffe, and van Wormer. Plainsong and vocal improvisations will be performed by Sarah McConnell, Amanda Mole, and Lydia Kirkpatrick.
“Organ and Body” explores the contrasting states of the human body and spirit. From displacement to resiliency, and from arrivals to departures, the choreography and compositions draw from the depth and dimensions of the human experience.
Kennedy is Director of Music and Organist of Christ Church, Rochester, and Professor of Sacred Music at the Eastman School of Music. He is also Instructor of Organ for Eastman’s Community Music School.
Van Wormer is a choreographer, dancer, and instructor based in western New York. She is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at SUNY, The College at Brockport, and she is an ABT® certified Teacher.
Roffe (MFA) is an assistant professor and the Program Director of Dance at Nazareth College.
Jarrett, formerly of Sacramento Ballet and Oakland Ballet, is currently resident choreographer for Spokane Youth Ballet.
Schweppe is a professor in the School of Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she currently chairs the 3D Digital Design BFA program, which she developed, and teaches in the MFA in Visual Communication Design.
Elderkin earned her bachelor’s degree in painting and illustration from Nazareth College and currently designs for PUSH Physical Theatre.
Eastman’s Italian Baroque Organ was built around 1770 in central Italy. Restored and installed in 2005 at the Memorial Art Gallery, the instrument is the only one of its kind in North America. The organ’s beautiful, authentic sounds have been heard by thousands of people who have come to the weekly Sunday mini-recitals and the special monthly concerts by internationally known guest artists and Eastman musicians.
Admission to the concert is included in Gallery admission, which is half-price on Thursday nights and free to UR student ID holders. Seating is limited and cannot be reserved in advance; early arrival is recommended. This concert is made possible by the Rippey Endowed Trust.
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