Eastman School of Music Posts and Musings
Robert Swensen with three of his tenor students, after the students won the 2015 NATS auditions (L-R: Henry Benson, Nathanial Bear and Patrick Kelly). by Andrea Schuler, Summer@Eastman Program Coordinator Eastman voice professors Robert Swensen and Kathryn Cowdrick have created a brand-new workshop for Summer@Eastman 2017: Schubert to Sondheim: Pedagogy for the Male Voice (July…
Members of OSSIA New Music performing On and Off and To and Fro by Simon Steen-Andersen last fall in Kilbourn Hall: from left, Gordon Fry, Reilly Spitzfaden, Edo Frenkel, Erik Elmgren, Nick Morandi, Kevin Sullivan, Brett Copeland By Erik Elmgren This year marks the 20th season of OSSIA New Music at the Eastman School of…
By Dan Gross The critically acclaimed New York City-based JACK Quartet returns to the Eastman School of Music to present a concert with OSSIA New Music and Musica Nova on Wednesday, February 15, at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. The free concert, featuring works by Morton Feldman, Steve Reich, and Helmut Lachenmann,…
Josephine Gaeffke by Andrea Schuler, Summer@Eastman Program Coordinator Harpsichordist Josephine Gaeffke found her way to Rochester after extensive travel and exploration. She spent the first part of her musical life studying piano, but now plays only harpsichord; she speaks several languages and has studied and performed in many countries around the world. She has also…
By Dan Gross The Danish String Quartet is playing on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall, as a part of the Eastman-Ranlet Series, performing modern Northern European music, Nordic folk music, and Beethoven. The members of the DSQ are Frederik Øland, violin; Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin; Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola; Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello. Here’s…
By Erik Elmgren On Sunday, February 5, 2016, at 5 p.m., the Eastman Philharmonia presents its first concert of the spring semester under Neil Varon. The concert features works by Beethoven and Strauss, as well as William Walton’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra performed by Eastman student Halam Kim. I spoke to Halam to learn…
By Kameron Ghanavati Eastman voice students and opera faculty members are hard at work diving into a subject that seems too surreal to be true. Grief stricken characters in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s newest opera, Out of Darkness, retell their chilling experiences at concentration camps during World War II. What is most fascinating about…
By Kameron Ghanavati Five ordinary people walk into a prison…. No, this is not the beginning of a joke with a clever punch line. Rather, it was the beginning of a life-changing week for a group of five Eastman students and alumni. This winter break, Hannah Harrow (MM ‘18), Stephen Morris (BM ‘17), Kameron Ghanavati…
By Kameron Ghanavati On Thursday, January 19, students from the Eastman Voice Department were selected to perform songs composed by Jake Heggie for an unforgettable Masterclass. Gene Scheer, an Eastman alumnus and current lyricist, was also present to offer insight for the performers. Many of the performers were asked how the text resonates with them…