Media Only: Katey Padden, Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator, (585)451-8492, kpadden@esm.rochester.edu
The Eastman School of Music is pleased to announce the details of the 2021-2022 Eastman Presents Season. Concerts in each of the five series feature some of the world’s greatest artists performing in the three jewels at the Eastman School of Music: the acoustic and historic splendor of Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre; Kilbourn Hall, one of the finest chamber music halls in the world; and Hatch Recital Hall, a gorgeous, modern performance hall.
Tickets to all concerts will be available November 29 and offer the best pricing of the season – including free concerts. Patrons are encouraged to purchase as soon as available to secure the best seats for the most sought-after concerts and receive the highest level of savings. Back this season, discounts will be available. Pick the concerts that best fit your tastes and personal schedule.
“Eastman is thrilled to bring back our Eastman Presents series for live audiences. With the variety of artists and ensembles in our lineup, Eastman School of Music is once again offering quality and quantity of music at the highest level,” shares Kevin Gibson, Executive Director of Operations at the Eastman School of Music.
Special Performance by Ben Folds: Friday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m.
A Collaboration with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)
Tickets available through RPO here.
Widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation, rock sensation Ben Folds joins the Rochester Philharmonic for an evening of genre-bending music, performing hit songs like “The Luckiest”, “Capable of Anything,” and “Landed.” The multi-platinum selling artist, who was a judge for five seasons on NBC’s critically acclaimed a capella show The Sing Off, has recorded numerous solo and collaboration records, including music for film and TV and a classical piano concerto that topped the Billboard charts.
Kibourn Concert Series – in Kilbourn Hall
Lorelei Ensemble: Monday March 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Heralded for its “warm, lithe, and beautifully blended” sound (New York Times) “impeccable musicality” (Boston Globe) and unfailing display of the “elegance, power, grace and beauty of the human voice” (Boston Music Intelligencer), Boston’s Lorelei Ensemble is recognized nationally for its bold and inventive programs that champion the extraordinary flexibility and virtuosity of the human voice.
DakhaBrakha: Tuesday April 5 at 7:30 p.m.
DakhaBrakha returns, by popular demand, after a sold-out 2017 performance! This hot Ukrainian folk-punk quartet, whose name means “give-take” in old Slavonic, stirs up a mesmerizing sound that melds traditional Ukrainian folk music, African grooves, Eastern colors, and a contemporary sensibility the band calls “ethno-chaos.”
Eastman-Ranlet Series – in Kilbourn Hall
Ying Quartet: Sundays at 3 p.m. January 30 and May 1
The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. As quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music, the ensemble performs three Eastman-Ranlet Series concerts during the season.
Cuarteto Casals: Sunday, February 27 at 3 p.m.
With its astonishingly fresh, sometimes surprising performances, the Cuarteto Casals has quickly established itself as one of the world’s most compelling younger chamber ensembles – and one of the most respected. Blending passionate expressiveness with elegant sophistication, the Barcelona-based players bring immaculate technique to their searching, searing insights.
Aizuri Quartet: Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m.
Praised by The Washington Post for “captivating” performances that draw from its notable “meld of intellect, technique and emotions.” Through its engaging and thought-provoking programs, branded by The New York Times as “genuinely exciting” and “imaginative,” the Quartet has garnered critical acclaim for bringing “a technical bravado and emotional power” to bold new commissions, and for its “flawless” (San Diego Union-Tribune) performances of the great masterpieces of the past.
Eastman Piano Series – in Kilbourn Hall
Boris Giltburg: Thursday February 24 at 7:30 p.m.
The young Moscow-born, Israeli pianist is lauded across the globe as a deeply sensitive, insightful, and compelling interpreter. At home in repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Shostakovich, in recent years he has been increasingly recognized as a leading interpreter of Rachmaninov: “His originality stems from a convergence of heart and mind, served by immaculate technique and motivated by a deep and abiding love for one of the 20th century’s greatest composer-pianists.” (Gramophone).
Seong-Jin Cho: Friday March 4 at 7:30 p.m.
With an overwhelming talent and innate musicality, Seong-Jin Cho is rapidly embarking on a world-class career and is considered one of the most distinctive artists on the current music scene. His thoughtful and poetic, assertive and tender, virtuosic and colorful playing can combine panache with purity and is driven by an impressive natural sense of balance.
Eric Lu: Thursday March 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Only in his early twenties, Eric Lu is already a star among pianists of his generation. A pupil of Dang Thai Son, the young American won First Prize at the Leeds Competition in September 2018, where his passionate performance captivated the audience and judges alike.
Richard Goode: Thursday April 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Richard Goode has been hailed for music-making of tremendous emotional power, depth, and expressiveness, and has been acknowledged worldwide as one of today’s leading interpreters of Classical and Romantic music. In regular performances with major orchestras, recitals in the world’s music capitals, and through his extensive and acclaimed Nonesuch recordings, he has won a large and devoted following.
Barbara B. Smith World Music Series – Hatch Recital Hall (unless noted)
A Moving Sound: Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m.- CANCELLED
Award-winning ensemble Sheng Dong—A Moving Sound—boasts the otherworldly vocalizing of Mia Hsieh and the ancient timbres of erhu (two-stringed fiddle), zhong ruan a (lute), Chinese percussion, and Tibetan singing bowls.
Okaidja Afroso: Tuesday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Okaidja is an Afropop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Ghana, West Africa. His unique artistic vision has led him to combine his native rhythms with unforeseen pairings of musical flavors. His sound is a spicy fusion of Ghanaian music with diverse cross-cultural influences. Although most of Okaidja’s hypnotic arrangements are sung in his native language, the meaning shines through. His calling and life purpose is to bring us all together so that we can laugh and grieve and dance and forge forward together, in community.
Gamelan: Monday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. : Kilbourn Hall
Since 1993, Eastman Gamelan Lila Muni has provided students and members of the Rochester community the privilege to learn music from two very different Balinese gamelan ensembles: Gamelan Lila Muni (Heavenly Sound) and Gamelan Sanjiwani (Life Force). Gamelan Lila Muni is an ancient four-tone gamelan angklung which traditionally performs music for rituals and ceremonies. Gamelan Sanjiwani, of the five-tone gamelan gong kebyar, is an ensemble developed in the 20th century associated with youthful exuberance, playing music characterized by explosive changes in tempo and dynamics.
Tickets will be available November 29, 2021 and may be purchased at the Eastman Theatre Box Office, 433 East Main St. or online at:www.eastmantheatre.org or by calling 585-274-3000
The three-semester-long Eastman Centennial celebration began in Fall 2021 and continues throughout 2022. Highlights include acclaimed guest artists performing alongside Eastman’s ensembles; national academic and music conferences; alumni events throughout the country; a documentary being produced in partnership with WXXI, and more. Pillar events include: “Opening of the Doors,” a community-driven celebration scheduled for March 3-6, 2022; “100 concerts to celebrate 100 years”; and a Meliora Weekend celebration in Fall 2022.
For up-to-date information on the Eastman Centennial, including feature stories, future events, videos, testimonials, ways to engage, and more, please visit our Centennial website at https://www.esm.rochester.edu/100.
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About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.