Here are some select clippings from the past week 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.)
Vivek Jayaraman Named Concertmaster of the Canton Symphony Orchestra
(Broadway World 2/2/2016)
Jayaraman received a Master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Glenn Dicterow, former concertmaster of the NY Philharmonic and a Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music studying with Charles Castleman. He is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma in Concertmaster Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster, William Preucil.
Hear cello rock Friday with Break of Reality
(Press & Sun-Bulletin 2/2/2016)
But Break of Reality takes the fusion to a new level. Often described as “cinematic rock,” “cello rock” and “indie classical,” the band includes cellists Patrick Laird, Laura Metcalf and Adrian Daurov as well as drummer/percussionist Ivan Trevino.
Formed at Rochester’s Eastman School of Music in 2003, Break of Reality draws equally from fans of Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and Yo-Yo Ma. In 2013, the band’s cover of the “Game of Thrones” TV show theme song was called “the best rendition of the theme song you will ever hear.”
Bill Holman to debut piece with Eastman Jazz
(Democrat and Chronicle 2/4/16)
The Eastman School of Music has brought in its share of luminaries over the years, but this latest visit — from legendary jazz arranger and composer Bill Holman — has special significance.
The Eastman Jazz Ensemble commissioned a work from Holman, “Arbitration,” and they’ll be debuting the work on Thursday, Feb. 11, after a couple days of workshops at the school with Holman. Holman, a three-time Grammy winner, will direct the ensemble at the performance, which is free and open to the public.
(Democrat and Chronicle 2/6/2016)
A diverse, packed Eastman Theatre audience sang the thrilling “Black National Anthem” together Jan. 30. Eastman School of Music patrons stood beside Rochester School District students; Akoma gospel choir members joined Eastman singers and local actors as part of Kathleen Battle’s stirring program of spirituals and readings from Douglass and Tubman.
St. Paul’s announces Valentine’s Day organ recital
(The Dispatch 2/6/2016)
Dr. Jeff R. McLelland, director of Music and Fine Arts at Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, will present an organ recital …
Considered one of the nation’s premier organists, McLelland will perform works by composers including Herbert Howells, Alexandre Guilmant, Louis Vierne and Johann Sebastian Bach, including Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.”
A native of Hattiesburg, the organist received degrees in organ performance from The University of Southern Mississippi, The Eastman School of Music and The University of Alabama. He is a past dean of several chapters of the AGO and has served on the AGO Executive Council as regional councillor for the southeast United States.
(The Jerusalem Post 02/4/2016)
There are few more thrilling sounds in jazz than the lusty swirling textures produced by the Hammond organ. Patrons of next week’s Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat will have two chances to catch some of those sumptuous keyboard vibes when Larry Goldings takes the stage, together with his longstanding trio of guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Bill Stewart.
Just three years into his musical path, Goldings got an opportunity to see what improvisation was all about.
His jazz ante jumped a couple of notches at the age of 16 when he attended a jazz program at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Concert highlights works by Hungarian Jewish composer
(St. Louis Jewish Light 02/3/2016)
Classical music composer György Ligeti, a Romanian-born Jew, escaped oppression twice during the first 40 years of his life, leaving him acutely distrustful of groups, clubs and systems.
That experience, conductor Alan Pierson says, plays out in Ligeti’s work, which will be presented via music, text and imagery when Pierson’s chamber group, Alarm Will Sound, returns to the Sheldon Concert Hall Friday, Feb. 12.
Pierson graduated from MIT with dual degrees in mathematics and music, and he earned a doctorate in conducting from the Eastman School of Music.
Concert series aims to expand horizons
(The Sun Community News © 02/4/2016)
For the past eight years, Wadhams resident Rose Chancler has been bringing world-class musicians to Elizabethtown as part of the Piano By Nature concert series, which runs from September to June.
Chancler, who attended the Eastman School of Music, reached into her orbit and began plucking out participants: a violinist here, a pianist there — pals who made it and were working as professionals in New York City.
It may be the middle of winter, but FLCC is looking forward to a new summer music academy
(Finger Lakes Times 2/1/2016)
Jon Belec and Geoff Smith view a jazz recording academy being offered at Finger Lakes Community College this summer as an opportunity for the area’s top high school instrumental and vocal musicians to showcase their talent.
Smith, a professor of music, earned a bachelor’s degree in music … master’s degree in jazz and contemporary media at the Eastman School of Music.
Cheryl North: S.F. Symphony bassoonist Stephen Paulson to show his prowess on ‘the clown of the …
(San Jose Mercury News 2/1/2016)
The San Francisco Symphony happens to have a superb bassoonist, Stephen Paulson, who will step into the solo spotlight for two upcoming concerts. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music who joined the orchestra in 1977
Bienen Students Showcased at Kennedy Center February 16
(Northwestern University NewsCenter 2/2/2016)
Pianist Dong-Wan Ha is a doctor of musical arts degree candidate studying with the Bienen School’s Alan Chow, associate professor of piano. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Ha began his piano studies at the age of seven. He received a bachelor of music degree in piano performance from Seoul National University in 2011, then moved to the United States to pursue a master of music degree in piano performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music. –