The Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman-Rochester Chorus (ERC) will present their final performance of the season on Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. The evening’s program consists of two grand masterworks of the 20th century: Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem (1936) and Francis Poulenc’s Gloria (1959). This event is free and open to the public.
“The overarching themes of these pieces revolve around faith, self-actualization, awareness, frivolity, steadfastness and peace,” shares current doctoral conducting student Colin Mann ’18E (MM), who will conduct the Poulenc as a capstone to his nearly five years of choral conducting study at Eastman. “It is equally exciting to welcome our esteemed guest conductor, Dr. Jerry Blackstone.”
One of the leading choral conductors and pedagogues of his generation, Grammy Award-winner Jerry O. Blackstone is Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance where he taught for over 30 years as Director of Choral Activities and Graduate conducting. He will lead the ERC and Philharmonia in Vaughan Williams’ powerful Dona Nobis Pacem – a riveting work for chorus and orchestra featuring texts from the Mass coupled with the poetry of Walt Whitman. Both works will feature the vocal prowess of soloists and current Eastman students Allyson Arenson, Catherine Creed and Holden Turner.
The Eastman-Rochester Chorus is a select symphonic chorus consisting of singers from the greater Rochester community and students from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. William Weinert (currently on academic leave) has directed the chorus for over 25 years and has molded it into an impressively versatile ensemble with a keen sense of musical integrity.
Featured image: The Triumph of Music by Marc Chagall
Eastman-Rochester Chorus and Eastman Philharmonia
Friday, May 3 | 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Colin Mann, conductors
Allyson Arenson and Catherine Creed, sopranos; Holden Turner, baritone
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.