(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.)
Eastman appoints top Peter Grimes as professor of voice
(Slipped Disc © 04/14/2015)
Grammy-winning tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, whose signature roles include Peter Grimes, and lyric baritone Jonathan Retzlaff, associate professor of voice at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, have been appointed to the faculty of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester.
“I’m very excited to be coming back to Eastman in this role,” said Griffey. “Eastman has always held a special place in my heart from the time I was accepted to study with John Malloy. It is a collegial and supportive place for students who come to work and learn, with tremendous camaraderie among the faculty. I love to teach, and to teach and continue to perform is to combine both of my loves.” (Also reported by High Point Enterprise)
Robin Scott joins Ying Quartet as first violinist
(The Strad © 04/16/2015)
Robin Scott has been appointed first violinist of the Ying Quartet. The American musician (pictured with the quartet, second right) joins siblings and founding members David, cello; Janet, violin; and Phillip, viola, and also receives an appointment to the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where the ensemble is the string quartet in residence. He replaces previous first violinist Ayano Ninomiya, who performed with the ensemble since 2010. (Also reported by The Violin Channel )
As interest wanes, classical music hits sour note
(USA Today © 04/14/2015)
The Philadelphia Orchestra filed for bankruptcy in 2011. The New York City Opera followed suit two years later. The struggling Minnesota Orchestra was effectively shut down for more than a year over labor issues until early 2014. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was shut down twice in two years due to lockouts of musicians.
Ultimately, the rarified world of Ravel and Kalliwoda faces the same mercantile business problems as Radio Shack or Eastman Kodak Co. — a product that fewer customers want.
“We’ve always imagined the elitist part of society were the people who’d patronize that, so we’ve marketed ourselves into a dumb corner of our own making,” said Robert Freeman, former head of Eastman School of Music and author of The Crisis of Classical Music in America.
It’s a business and marketing message increasingly being echoed in some corners of the fine arts world. The Eastman School in January put on a one-day seminar as part of Chamber Music America’s national conference that featured a variety of presentations about such issues as branding and sponsorships. The keynote of the event was a talk by the founders of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival about how they built that into a successful annual event. (Also reported by Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Slipped Disc)
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer receives DSO award
(Newsworks 04/13/2015)
Kevin Puts is the recipient of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s 2015 A.I. du Pont Composer’s Award. He will accept the award at the DSO’s final Chamber Concert of the season at the DuPont Country Club on Tuesday, April 14 at 8 p.m. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Puts earned his bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, his master’s from Yale University and a doctorate in musical arts from Eastman.
JAZZ | Jeff Beal: “An Evening of Film and Film Music”
(Rochester City Newspaper © 04/15/2015)
Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music in 1985, Jeff Beal has written evocative music for television shows like “House of Cards,” “Monk,” and “Ugly Betty,” and for films including “Pollock” and “Blackfish.” In “An Evening of Film and Film Music,” three-time Emmy Award-winner Beal and others will conduct The Empire Film Music Ensemble, consisting of Eastman and University of Rochester students, while scenes from the films and television shows are projected on a screen above the orchestra.
Jeff Beal will perform on Sunday, April 19, at Kodak Hall, Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs Street. 8 p.m. Free. 274-1100; esm.rochester.edu. (Also reported by WXXI, Democrat & Chronicle, Batavia Daily News, Fox/13 WHAM, Fox13/WHAM [Part2] )
Portrayal of Lucia a dream role for Kathryn Lewek
(Toledo Blade 4/19/2015)
Dramatic coloratura soprano Kathryn Lewek is no stranger to Toledo Opera audiences. She earned local fandom as Zerlina in Verdi’s powerful Don Giovanni during the company’s 2013 production. And, in a showcase of her artistic diversity, Lewek also was soloist that year in the Toledo Symphony’s performances of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Still, when she takes on the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, the Donizetti showcase that’s the final season production Friday and April 26, she will be stepping into one of the two top coloratura roles in all of opera.
“Lucia has been on my list since before I was a coloratura soprano,” said Lewek. “I’ve wished I could sing it since I was a mezzo in college.” (She attended the Eastman School of Music, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.)
Twenty-four semifinalists advance in search for KC’s next SuperStar
(Kansas City Star 04/07/2015)
Auditioning for the first time this year was Austin Klein, 17, a senior at Blue Valley Northwest and the younger brother of Keith Klein, last year’s KC SuperStar winner. Keith Klein, 19, who graduated from Blue Valley Northwest, is now attending Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
Roc City Interviews: The Lotte Lenya Competition
(WHEC TV © 04/16/2015)
It’s a competition that brings together musical theater singers from all around the world and it was created in Rochester. Professor Kim Kowlke, from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester, came up with the “Lotte Lenya Competition.” We spoke with him to learn more about the competition. (Also reported by Fox/13 WHAM, City )
NYS Baroque concert tops culture calendar
(Ithaca Journal 04/17/2015)
NYS Baroque presents a beloved masterpiece of music, Monteverdi’s famous “Vespers of 1610.” An all-star cast of 24 national and international early music specialists in voice, brass, strings and organ will be conducted by Grammy Award winner and Eastman School of Music professor Paul O’Dette.
Symphony concert is homecoming for Dunlap, Nuestadter
(Herald Times Reporter 04/08/2015)
Two Manitowoc natives who left the area to pursue their musical dreams will return on Saturday, April 18, as Garth Neustadter and Andrew Dunlap will perform at the Capitol Civic Centre as featured guests of the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra.
Dunlap is currently a student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. “He is not only a fantastically talented violinist but also very emotionally and intellectually gifted as a musician,” Wildman said.
Religious events from around the Washington area
(Washington Post 04/17/2015)
Sunday, 5 p.m.: Organist Nathan Laube, assistant professor of organ at the Eastman School of Music, will perform a program of works by J.S. Bach, Alfred Hollins, Felix Mendelssohn, Camille Saint-Saëns and Percy Whitlock. A reception will follow. Church of the Redeemer, 6201 Dunrobbin Dr., Bethesda. Free-will offering. 301-229-3770.
Studio Visit: Molly ORoark
(Champaign News Gazette © 04/12/2015)
Studio Visit is a Q&A with a local artist. Here, University of Illinois student Molly O’Roark chats with The News-Gazette’s Melissa Merli. O’Roark is finishing a master’s degree in harp performance and will work on her doctoral of musical arts degree here as well.
Did you come here to study with Ann Yeung?
Yes. I started coming to her summer masterclasses at age 13 and just kept coming back every summer. It was like a pilgrimage. I did my undergraduate degree at the Eastman School of Music and still came back. After that, I always wanted to study with her full time.