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.)
Smokies Hosts Music in the American Wild Events
(Sevier News Messenger 06/04/2016)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial with Music in the American Wild for two live performances of music from eleven composers and seven performers, all affiliated with Eastman School of Music in upstate New York. The group is traveling to various National Parks in the country and will play two concerts in the park on June 14 and June 15, 2016. (Also reported by glasgowdailytimes.com, The Mountaineer, Mountain Xpress (blog))
Lee University International Piano Festival And Competition To Begin Soon
(The Chattanoogan 06/03/2016)
“Highly-praised performers and teachers Mack McCray, Enrico Elisi, and Shen Lu are the guest artists for this year’s festival. Lee faculty Ning An and Cahill Smith will also contribute to the festival, which is chaired by Lee’s Phillip Thomas,” officials said.
Mr. Smith, who started playing piano at age ten, earned his doctorate of musical arts in piano performance at the Eastman School of Music. He has performed in recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and … While at the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his doctorate of musical arts, he held three graduate teaching assistantships and was awarded the Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
Graduation 2016: Organ music inspired him to excel
(Salisbury Post 06/03/2016)
Alden Wright, a senior at Jesse C. Carson High School, doesn’t remember the first time he heard an organ – he just knows he’s always loved the sound of it.
… Julliard awarded him the Kovner Fellowship, a prestigious award that would cover Wright’s tuition, room and board, transportation costs and give him an open door to the New York City music and arts scene. But Wright turned it down, choosing a solid education over the Big Apple. “The education that I could gain there, especially in the field of organ, is nothing compared to what I could gain from Eastman,” he said. Wright said since its founding, Eastman has been “the place to go” for aspiring organists. The conservatory style set up will provide him with intensive study in the field of organ, and he’ll be mentoring under world-renowned performers. –
Eastman Wind Ensemble gives an impromptu concert on the German Autobahn
(WROC TV 05/31/2016)
Check this out: member of the Eastman School of Music Wind Ensemble performed in a rather unconventional venue – on the side of the German Autobahn! According to the group’s blog, on their way into Salzburg, their tour bus overheated and broke down for several hours, so they decided to pass the time with a roadside concert.
On NEA tour, Slaughter says ‘Art never needs to apologize’
(Democrat and Chronicle – May 31, 2016)
In a one-day tour of Rochester cultural sites, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and Jane Chu, chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, made the case for a valuable link between the George Eastman Museum’s upcoming exhibition of national …
Some of these local arts institutions cross-pollinate. Opening June 4 at the George Eastman Museum is “Photography and America’s National Parks,” an exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service as seen by photographers. Also noting the centennial, and benefiting from a $20,000 NEA grant, is “Music in the Wild,” in which seven Eastman School of Music musicians will perform the music of 11 Eastman composers in national parks and unique venues around the country. (Also reported by WUHF, News 10NBC, WROC-TV, WXXI, 13WHAM-TV)
Miss Apopka Heads to State Pageant
(The Apopka Voice 06/05/2016)
Those attending will wish Arianna Beyer, the 36th Miss Apopka title-holder, good luck before she leaves to compete in the 2016 Miss Florida Scholarship Pageant. …
Beyer, is a Junior at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. She is working towards her Bachelor of Music in Clarinet performance/Arts Leadership Certificate Candidate
Berks’ Best 2016 performing arts winner: Stephanie Bonk, Exeter High School
(News@ReadingEagle.com 06/05/2016)
Come fall, Bonk will head to the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, N.Y., where she plans to major in violin performance.
San Diego’s Swarmius premieres complex ‘Cornelia Street’ at Cornelia Street Cafe
(Examiner.com 06/03/2016)
Back in San Diego he’s added a new pianist, Toni James, fresh from finishing her doctorate at Eastman School of Music. James also sings, “allowing us to bring back our vocal repertoire,
After 33 years, music comes to an end for Iroquois orchestra teacher, OP resident
(Orchard Park Bee 06/02/2016)
Bill Staebell After graduating from the Eastman School of Music with a degree in music education and performance, teaching wasn’t exactly on Bill …
Finger Lakes Concert Band presents ‘Courage’ Saturday in Canandaigua
(MPNnow.com 06/01/2016)
“Our concert focuses on traditional and non-traditional music celebrating acts of bravery and courage,” FLCB conductor Greg Kane stated. … He also holds a Masters of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College in addition to completing coursework at the Eastman School of Music.
Livin’ in Liverpool: Jubilant jazz rings out in June and July
(Eagle News Online 05/31/2016)
Saxophonist Chris Vadala, a veteran of the Chuck Mangione band, headlines the 19th annual Jumpin’ Jazz Jam at …
A native of Poughkeepsie, he graduated from the Eastman School of Music, earning the Performer’s Certificate in saxophone as well as a bachelor’s degree in music education, received a master’s in clarinet from Connecticut College and pursued postgraduate study in woodwinds at Eastman. He now directs the jazz studies program at the University of Maryland.
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