The Eastman School of Music is excited to be at the center of the first-ever First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival Sept. 19 to 23. Eastman musician will be performing in both on-campus and off-campus venues, and guest artists and ensembles will appear in Eastman venues.
Here’s a wrap-up from the Festival website of specific events featuring musicians from Eastman and events that are being presented in the School’s venues. For more on the festival, go to http://rochesterfringe.com/
Savor: Portraits of Eating (visual art)
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Wed., Sept. 19 – Sat., Sept. 22
Free
Savor is a series of portraits by Sara Basher, a recent MFA graduate of RIT who appreciates people and the way in which food and drink bring people together, time and time again. The series was inspired by friends and coworkers from Sara’s serving job at Questa Lasagna. It should be said here that coworkers are friends, especially if one works in a restaurant. All ages
Hide the Moon: Based on Salome (theatre)
RAPA’s East End Theatre, 727 East Main St.
Wed., Sept. 19, 8:30-9:30 pm
Sat., Sept. 22, 10:30-11:30 pm
Free
Infatuation. Loathing. Fear. Lust. Hide the Moon: based on Salome leaves no emotion undiscovered. In this reinvention of Oscar Wilde’s scandalous 1891 play, Eastman School of Music students combine drama, music and movement in what promises to be a wild and fresh theatrical event. Featuring a live instrumental ensemble and original arrangements of music by artists like Fiona Apple, Björk, and the Dresden Dolls, Hide the Moon is one Fringe Festival production you simply won’t want to miss. 16+
Peter Ferry: Solo Percussion and Multimedia
Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St.
Thur., Sept. 20, 6-7 pm
Sat., Sept. 22, 1-2 pm
$5
Peter Ferry is an enthusiastic performer of new works written for percussion, using multimedia technology to create an unforgettable experience for all audiences. The show’s powerful musical storytelling will address themes ranging from personal memories to the human cost of the war in Iraq. This Fringe performance will also include the Nostalgia Project, an audience-interactive collaboration created with students and faculty from the Rochester Institute of Technology. All ages.
Present Tense Dance: Veritas
Eastman East Wing, Room 415, 433 East Main St.
Thurs., Sept. 20, 6:45-7:30 pm
$7
Present Tense Dance Company examines the bluntness of truth in this compelling new work, Veritas, by choreographer Anne Harris Wilcox. Additional highlights in the concert will be Wilcox’s comical work, Magnum Opus; the upbeat and swinging Reunion; and Wild Swans at Coole, a collaboration with Eddie Murphy of Drumcliffe Irish Arts. Wilcox delivers work that engages your eyes, your mind and your heart. 10+
Shimmy Shake Down (dance)
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Thur., Sept. 20, 9-10 pm
$10
Tribal Goddess Collective presents a breathtaking display of Middle Eastern-inspired dance featuring a dozen Rochester dancers showcasing swords, veils and more. Trained by world-renowned belly dance professionals, Shimmy Shake Down is a celebration of the feminine power in all women – young or vintage, thin or curvy. You will not want to miss this one-of-a-kind extravaganza! All ages
Spirits Within (multidisciplinary)
Christ Church, 141 East Ave.
Thur., Sept. 20, 9:30 pm
Fri., Sept. 21, 8 & 9 pm
Sat., Sept. 22, 8 & 9 pm
$10
Eastman School of Music’s Stephen Kennedy will improvise on the amazing scientifically-restored 1790 Christ Church organ while dancers from FuturPointe improvise in movement, and RIT Professor Marla Schweppe and her 3D Digital Design students improvise graphics projected on the organ and dancers. Improvisation times three! Every performance will be different. Thanks to Geva for projection support. All ages
Mansfield Avenue Band
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Thur., Sept. 20, 10 pm-1 am
$8
Whether you enjoy your live music served up at center stage or prefer to chill with friends just tapping your toes, this foursome will keep you moving. Mansfield Ave delivers a high-caliber, modern, acoustic-rock sound, and covers music from the 90’s to now. Between the fluid, jam-band grooves of DMB, and pop gems revived from a time before Bono put on the orange shades, this group delivers. 21+
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra: Marimba Band
Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St.
Fri., Sept. 21 5:30-6:30 pm
$15
Described as “one of the Rochester area’s unique and notable treasures” (SUNY Brockport’s The Stylus), the RPO Marimba Band continues a half-century tradition that was established in the 1950’s by the Eastman School of Music’s Marimba Masters. Specializing in music written and arranged for melodic percussion instruments, the RPO Marimba Band primarily features ragtime xylophone pieces and novelty music from the early decades of the 20th century as well as many Latin and jazz tunes, and performs on xylophone, two marimbas, vibraphone, steel drum, drum set, and various percussion instruments. The group is comprised of RPO’s Percussion Section, and was formed in 1979.
On Tap: Original Music with Dance
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Fri., Sept. 21, 7 pm
$10
Live contemporary jazz and classical music – composed by Eastman School of Music and Nazareth College students and alumni – meets local professional dancers. Featured composers Jennifer Bellor, Matt Evans, Josh Forgét, Colin Gordon and Aaron Staebell collaborate with featured dancers and choreographers, including Hannah Beach Chisholm, Alex Dugdale, Rebecca McArthur, Missy Pfohl Smith and Courtney World. All ages
Vanessa Mangione Quartet
Room 415, Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St.
Fri., Sept. 21, 8-9 pm
$5
The Vanessa Mangione Quartet is a young-blood jazz/R&B group with its own take on standards and contemporary hits. With original arrangements of repertoire from Cole Porter to The Beatles to Amy Winehouse, VMQ offers performances that blur the lines between jazz and pop; old and new. Vanessa’s scintillating vocals compliment the rhythm section of Adrian DiMatteo on guitar, Chris Potter on drums and Kyle Vock on bass – all graduates of the Eastman School of Music. All ages
Harlem Gospel Choir
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St.
Fri., Sept. 21, 8 pm
Tickets: $10 – $40
($10 tickets with a valid student ID only.)
The world-famous Harlem Gospel Choir is America’s premier gospel choir and has performed around the globe for 25 years. Rochester’s own sacred steel superstars, The Campbell Brothers, will open the show. ASL Interpretation provided.
Drag 101
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Fri. Sept. 21, 11 pm-12:30 am
Sat., Sept. 22, 12-1:30 am
$8
DeeDee Dubois hosts Drag101, a unique blend of Rochester’s best drag entertainers! A different show each night, featuring seasoned and fresh drag performers. Big heels, bright colors, spectacular costumes, lots of laughs, amazing illusion and fabulous impersonations. This high-energy show is guaranteed to leave you wanting more and wondering, “How’d they do that?” Don’t forget your cameras! 16+
Predictions (Magic)
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Sat., Sept. 22, 4-5 pm
$8
Magic, mind reading and mentalism by Nickle. A high-energy show crammed with humor and mind-numbing magic that will tickle your funny bone and fry your brain. Ages 10+
Breakdown: Dance/Sound (dance/music)
Christ Church, 141 East Ave.
Sat., Sept. 22, 4-5 pm
$10/6 (students)
The fusion of orchestral music and contemporary dance has never been more interactive, surprising, and engaging. Dancers and musicians alike will test assumptions about the roles of audience and performer, stage and house. This family-friendly, multi-art experiment invites all to become part of the visual and aural landscape. Featuring “some of the area’s top modern dancers” (Anna Reguero, D&C), BIODANCE will playfully premiere new dance works that will fuse seamlessly with the power of Sound ExChange’s 30-member orchestra. All ages
Songs by David Temperley
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Sat., Sept. 22, 6-7 pm
$10
David Temperley is a professor of music theory at the Eastman School of Music, but in his spare time, he’s written more than 100 songs. The style is a unique blend of rock, classical and cabaret, with engaging melodies, witty and touching lyrics, and intricate piano accompaniments. Two talented Eastman graduates, Noelle McMurtry and Carli Miller, will sing, accompanied by Temperley at the piano. All ages
Peach Preserves
Room 415, Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St.
Sat., Sept. 22
8-9 pm; $5
Peach Preserves is the inspired music child of Adrian DiMatteo, several rhythm players from Eastman School of Music, and a night of jamming. The jazz, rock, funk fusion with uniquely smooth melodies was too good to confine to just one jam session, and so Peach Preserves was born. Peach Preserves has released its first, self-titled album graced with the artwork of young Rochester artist, Khari Thompson. All ages
GRR! (music)
Sproull Atrium, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music (Next to Max of Eastman Place)
Sat., Sept. 22, 8-9 pm
$10
The GRR! trio will take you on a genre-bending musical journey. Expect original compositions and select cover tunes ranging from fun and quirky to dark and haunting, always with carefully-crafted arrangements and provocative twists and turns along the way. The brainchild of guitarist Geoff Tesch, bassist Ron Broida and vocalist Robin Whiteman, GRR! will travel from stark, riveting Blues, to Folk, Jazz, Funk, and beyond. All ages
Patton Oswalt
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St.
Sat., Sept. 22, 8 pm
$15 – $55
One of today’s hottest comedians, Patton Oswalt has five TV specials and five critically-acclaimed albums, two of which were nominated for Best Comedy Album Grammys. Opening for Oswalt will be Rochester’s own Jamie Lissow. ASL Interpretation provided.
Renaissance ReMix: 16th-century Art, Music, and Dance for All Ages (multidisciplinary/children’s)
Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.
Sat., Sept. 22, Noon-4pm
Free with gallery admission
This multi-faceted event celebrates the Memorial Art Gallery’s new Gill Discovery Center exhibit, Renaissance Remix: Art & Imagination in 16th-century Europe. Designed especially for families, the afternoon features performances and mini dance lessons with the Rochester City Ballet, interactive organ demonstrations and concerts by Eastman School of Music faculty and students on the antique Italian Baroque Organ, and guided tours of the Gill Discovery Center and other Renaissance artworks. All ages, especially 10-13
Signal (film)
The Little Theatre 1, 240 East Ave.
Sat., Sept. 22, 2 & 3 pm
Free
In Signal, visual compositions of Sun images interwoven with animated sequences respond to the perceived chaos on the Sun. Following a musical trajectory that features sharp contrasts of dynamics, register, timbre and texture, Signal is “a dramatic revelation…of chaos that is pleasing to see.” A collaborative work by Prof. Stephanie Maxwell (RIT School of Film and Animation), Peter Byrne (Associate Prof., RIT School of Design), David Saroff (RIT PhD student, Astrophysics), and composer Elizabeth Kelly (PhD candidate, Eastman School of Music). All ages
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra: Argos Trio
Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St.
Sun., Sept. 23, 2-3 pm
$15
The Argos Trio – formed in 2007 with violinist Liana Koteva Kirvan, cellist Lars Kirvan and pianist Chiao-Wen – has received consistent praise for its superb interpretations of baroque to contemporary music. Combining the strict yet artistic training of the Eastern European School with the refined freedom of the American conservatory, the Trio was recently praised by Stephen Neal Dennis (allartsreview4u.com), after performing Shostakovich’s Trio No. 2, as giving “a defining performance of what must have been one of the greatest piano trios of the twentieth century. You won’t want to miss this performance of some of the RPO’s most “charismatic, fiery, and unabashed” musicians.
Bill Evans and Company: Modern Jazz, Modern Tango and Contemporary Dance
Room 415, Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St.
Sun., Sept. 23, 2 pm and 3:30pm
$10/$5 (students)
This exciting, dynamic, emotionally-moving and entertaining choreography by award-winning dance-maker, Bill Evans, will be performed by nine world-class dance artists. The 50-minute program includes athletic modern jazz, visually stunning modern tango, and both humorous and lyrical contemporary dance. This fast-paced and uplifting event includes a variety of musical styles and is suitable for all ages.