Everett Gates, Professor Emeritus of music education, graduated from the Eastman School with a bachelor’s degree and a performer’s certificate in viola in 1939, and a master’s degree in 1948. He returned to his alma mater as professor of music education in 1958, and was promoted to chair of the department eight years later. Throughout his distinguished tenure, he served on several important Eastman and University of Rochester committees, and earned an Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1968. Before his appointment to the Eastman faculty, Mr. Gates was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1937 to 1948. For the next 10 years, he was principal violist and assistant conductor with the Oklahoma City Symphony and a member of the faculty of Oklahoma City University. Mr. Gates also had many compositions published by Boosey and Hawkes throughout his career. After his retirement in 1979, he remained in close contact with many of his former students and continued to be an active member of Rochester’s music scene until his death in 2006.
Eastman School of Music
