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.)
Rita Shane, a Met Soprano Known for Range and Intensity, Dies at 78
(New York Times 10/12/2014)
Rita Shane, a dramatic coloratura soprano admired for the range, flexibility and size of her voice, as well as the intensity she brought to her performances, died on Thursday at her home in Manhattan. She was 78.
Ms. Shane, who was a professor at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, sang regularly with the Met until 1982. Her last performance at the Metropolitan Opera House was as Berthe in Meyerbeer’s “Le Prophète” in 1979. (Also reported by Slipped Disc)
Lowry Hall dedication honors former dean of Eastman and CCM
(Cincinnati Enquirer © 10/07/2014)
The main hall at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, in Rochester, New York, has been renamed Lowry Hall in memory of Douglas Lowry, the late dean of the school. Mr. Lowry was also the former dean of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music before he took the job in Rochester.
(Broadway World 10/07/2014)
The recipient of New Music USA’s 2013 Trailblazer Award, the quartet has performed to critical acclaim at Carnegie Hall (USA), Lincoln Center (USA), Wigmore Hall (United Kingdom), Suntory Hall (Japan), Salle Pleyel (France), Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ (Netherlands), La Biennale di Venezia (Italy), the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), Bali Arts Festival (Indonesia), Reykjavik Arts Festival (Iceland), Festival Internacional Cervatino (Mexico), Kolner Philharmonie (Germany), Donaueschinger Musiktage (Germany), Wittener Tage fur neue Kammermusik (Germany), and Darmstadt Internationale Ferienkurse fu?r Neue Musik (Germany).
The members of the quartet met while attending the Eastman School of Music and studied closely with the Arditti Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Muir String Quartet and members of the Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Celebrating Andre Previn at 85
(WXXI PBS News © 10/10/2014)
A new work by Andre Previn will receive its world premiere by the Eastman Wind Ensemble this evening at the Eastman School of Music. “Music for Wind Orchestra: No Strings Attached” will be performed as part of a series of events this week celebrating Mr. Previn’s 85th birthday. The all-Previn program will feature several of the composer’s chamber music pieces, and an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Rochester will be awarded to Mr. Previn during the concert. (Related story reported by WXXI 10-9-14)
First United Methodist to dedicate new organ Sunday
(Lincoln Journal Star 10/07/2014)
“We are so thankful for university students from Union College, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Concordia, and Nebraska Wesleyan,” said First Church Pastor Larry Moffet. “They are already practicing and playing the organ for worship and community events.” A master class of organists in Lincoln is set for Sat., Oct. 19 with David Higgs, professor of organ at Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York.
Midic Winds in concert on Saturday
(Grand Rapids Herald-Review © 10/07/2014)
The Midic Winds will present a free fall concert of chamber music this Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the Grand Rapids United Methodist Church. Midic Winds is an award winning ensemble comprised of graduates from the renowned Eastman School of Music. The group is on tour throughout northern Minnesota and will provide one performance in the Grand Rapids area. (Related story in Duluth-News Tribune)
Eastman School and UR combining opera and comic books
(Fox Rochester © 10/07/2014)
A series of events called “The Veils of Salomé,” at both the University of Rochester and Eastman School of Music, studies the intersections between religion, the arts, and gender over the centuries. Matthew Brown, professor of Music Theory at Eastman School of Music and Emil Homerin, professor of Religion and Chair of Arts, Sciences & Engineering at University of Rochester, explain how it will all come together October 8-11.
From vaccines to Vivaldi: NIH musicians give it their all
(Maryland Gazzette.net 10/08/2014)
On Tuesday evenings at the National Institutes of Health’s main campus in Bethesda, about 70 scientists, federal workers and community members come together, instruments in hand, to play orchestral music.
Nancia D’Alimonte of Fairfax, Va., is the music director and conductor; and McLaughlin developed the group in 2005 as a branch off the NIH community orchestra. Some of the musicians from the community orchestra had created a chamber group on their own, but did not have a conductor to direct them.
These are a type of people that are wonderful at everything they do, and in turn those people want to be good at their passion,” said D’Alimonte, who holds a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. “They want to be just as good with their hobby as they are with their day job.”
Wichita Symphony Orchestra showcases hometown talent
(The Wichita Eagle 10/03/2014)
Mark Foley, the other soloist for this concert, has been principal double bassist at the symphony for 30 years. He, like Scholl, is a professor at WSU. Trained at the Eastman School of Music, Foley was late in coming to the double bass. Although he played piano starting at age 5 and trombone for his Minnesota high school marching band, Foley did not become mesmerized by music until he started playing the electric bass.
David Ying, Elinor Freer perform Sunday
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 10/04/14)
The married duo, cellist David Ying and pianist Elinor Freer are performing at 8 p.m. today, followed by the regular Compline at 9 p.m., at Christ Church, 141 East Ave. It’s free, but donations will be accepted. (Note: Ying and Freer are on the Eastman faculty.)
The University of Rochester, in a multidisciplinary effort, will present a concert presentation of Richard Strauss’ opera Salomé, with Table Top Opera (a chamber group of Eastman School of Music students, faculty and alumni) with projections of comic book artist P. Craig Russell’s graphic novel illustrations behind them. IT will be performed at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St., and 8 p.m. Friday at the River Campus’ Interfaith Chapel, 320 Wilson Blvd. Tickets are $10 for Wednesday and free for Friday. Go to esm.rochester.edu.
The Eastman Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Mark Davis Scatterday, will be premiering Andre Previn’s new work, Music for Wind Orchestra (No Strings Attached) in a concert at 8 p.m. Friday at Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St. Tickets are $15. Call (585) 454-2100 or go to eastmantheatre.org.
Welsh Festival of song to be led by internationally acclaimed conductor
(The Herkimer Telegram 10/03/2014)
Danan Tsan will be the featured soloist. She will sing “The Lord’s Prayer” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel.” Her piano accompanist will be Irina Popov. Tsan grew up in New Hartford and is currently a resident of the Syracuse area. After receiving her master’s degree from Eastman School of Music, Tsan joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus. . . . More recently she has joined the roster of the Syracuse Opera chorus and performed the lead role in the opera’s summer performance of “Man of La Mancha.” She is associate director of the Syracuse Community Choir. She will appear in the role of Charlotte in a musical this fall with the Syracuse Opera and as the featured soloist with Symphoria for regional holiday concerts.
Interview: Doug Borwick Keynote Speaker at the Central Oregon Arts Summit
(The Source Weekly 10/03/2014)
The keynote speaker, Doug Borwick is the author of the game changing academic guidebook, “Building Communities, Not Audiences: The Future of the Arts in the U.S.” Borwick was the President of the Board of the Association of Arts Administration Educators and for nearly 30 years was Director of the Arts Management and not-for profit management programs at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. He touts himself as “over-educated in the arts” with a Ph.D. in composition from the Eastman School of Music. His theories on the state of arts organizations nationally, come from his long experience in the field, and assert that arts began as an expression of community, but during a long historical progression the two have grown dynamically apart.
‘Silents’ Get Sound in Eastman School of Music’s Organ and Film Festival
(Musical America 10/03/2014)
The art of organ accompaniment to silent film will be explored in an upcoming four-day event that includes screenings of several iconic movies from the early 20th century with live accompaniment by internationally known organists.
The Organ and Film Festival, presented by the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative and the Film/Music Cluster of the University of Rochester, will be held Oct. 23 to 26 at the Eastman School of Music and several locations around Rochester.