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.)
(National Review, 05/22/2017)
The composer George Walker
George Walker greets me at the door, smiling and dapper. I figured he would be (dapper). Mr. Walker is a gentleman of the old school. I’ve never seen a photo of him when he wasn’t wearing a coat and tie. He is dressed that way now, in his own home. I have a feeling he wouldn’t welcome a guest any other way. . . . Mr. Walker has many “firsts” to his credit. He was the first black person to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, the famous conservatory in Philadelphia. He was the first black person to earn a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music, the famous conservatory in Rochester, N.Y. He was the first black person to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. And so on.
‘The Ordering of Moses’: An Oratorio ‘from Scripture and Folklore’
(WOSU Radio 05/19/2017)
The Ordering of Moses is an oratorio by Robert Nathaniel Dett, written in 1932. The text, “from scripture and folklore,” is a retelling of Moses leading his people out of captivity and into the promised land. . . . The grandson of slaves, Dett was born in Ontario in 1882. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1908 and continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music. For over 20 years, Dett chaired the music department at Virginia’s Hampton Institute. He died in 1943.
Dr. Isrea Butler set to lead WWI tribute band 369th Experience
(Baltimore Post-Examiner 05/16/2017)
The 369th Experience is pleased to announce Dr. Isrea Butler as band director for the re-creation of The 369th Experience World War I Centennial Band. Dr. Butler will lead the talented group of African American and Puerto Rican male music students who make up this historic tribute band. . . . He holds degrees in trombone performance from the Eastman School of Music, BM and MM and performer’s certificate. He earned the DMA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He has taught at the Eastman School of Music, Juilliard’s MAP and Rutgers University, Jackson State University, University of Mary and now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Three Pianists Return to Indonesia to Show National Pride
(Netral English 05/15/2017)
Following the anxiety of many people after the 2-year sentencing of Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), three pianists who have been settled abroad have returned to the country. The three pianists are Anthony Hartono, Randy Ryan, and Edith Widayani. . . . Edith Widayani has just won the Arnuero International Chamber Music Competition in Spain. Together with his partner, cellist Henry Chen from Taiwan, she will return to Spain this fall for a concert. Edith has now graduated as Doctor of Music (S3) from Eastman School of Music, Rochester, USA. She is also the winner of Kosciuszko-Chopin Piano Competition in America.
Greensboro Symphony musician wins national award
(News & Record 5/19/2017)
Greensboro Symphony Orchestra principal timpanist Peter Zlotnick has received a national award for his work managing the orchestra’s education series. Zlotnick is one of five orchestra musicians from across the United States to receive the Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service from the League of American Orchestras. . . . lotnick also teaches percussion through The Music Center, City Arts Greensboro and at NC Governor’s School West. He received his master’s degree in music from Northwestern University in Illinois and his bachelor’s degree in music from Eastman School of Music in New York.
Noted Pianist Michael Fennelly to Perform in Morris Choral Society’s 5/20 Concert
(Broadway World 05/17/2017)
Jason Tramm and the Morris Choral Society welcome acclaimed pianist Michael Fennelly who will perform Beethoven’s exquisite “Choral Fantasy, Op. 80” this Saturday May 20th at the Dorothy Young Concert Hall at Drew University. . . . Michael Fennelly’s early piano teachers were Trula Whelan and Earl Voorhies in California. He attended the Eastman School of Music as a pupil of Dr. Nelita True, and was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate.
Nephina performs at First Baptist Church
(Valdosta Daily Times 05/18/2017)
Nephina, featuring Nina Lutz on violin and Nephtali Santiago on guitar, will perform in concert 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21, at First Baptist Church, downtown. . . . Lutz is the string area chairwoman at VSU and has been concertmaster of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and first violinist of the VSU Faculty String Quartet since 1992. . . . She graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in performance from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in violin performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music.
Hot Jobs: composers, music directors
(Democrat & Chronicle 05/16/2017)
When freelance composer Herb Smith is working on a new piece, he tries to answer one overarching question: “How can I take a thought that’s internal and make it so that someone else hears it and then feels it internally?” . . . The third trumpet with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and a trumpet instructor at the Eastman School of Music, where he received a bachelor’s degree in music education, Smith has been commissioned to compose all kinds of music. A few years back he wrote a 45-minute piece for Garth Fagan Dance.
Aiken Civic Orchestra to make symphonic debut
(Aiken Standard 05/17/2017)
Joining the full-scale orchestra will be soloists JulieAnne Bennett on violin, Kendall Driscoll on flute and Susan Zhang on piano. . . . Zhang holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a graduate certificate in performance from USC and a Master of Music degree in piano performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music.
Annual Chamber Music Festival on June 9, 16
(Seacostonline.com 05/17/2017)
Janice Weber, pianist, is a summa cum laude graduate of the Eastman School of Music. She has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, National Gallery of Art, and Boston’s Symphony Hall. She has appeared with the Boston Pops, Chautauqua Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Hilton Head Orchestra, Sarajevo Philharmonic, and Syracuse Symphony. Her world premiere recording of Liszt’s 1838 Transcendental Etudes elicited acclaim from Time Magazine.
Last dance recital – Lee Dell Mustain retiring from teaching
(Miami News Record 05/19/2017)
Fiona Stout (French horn student at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY) said, “I started dance lessons with Lee Dell at age two, and that experience allowed me to grow stage presence and a sense of confidence that has helped me pursue a career as a classical musician.”