The George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music (GWC) at the Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, is excited to announce the inaugural season of its Recital Series, with media sponsorship from WXXI Classical. The George Walker Center Recital Series will showcase a diverse range of musical talent and offer an inclusive platform for performances that celebrate underrepresented voices in classical music. Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle, Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion and Director of the GWC, is “thrilled to organize this series to spotlight music and musicians that are often overlooked in traditional concert settings.” The Recital Series will feature at least four concerts per year, with two in the fall and two in the spring specifically curated by Battle.
Additionally, this fall the GWC will sponsor Sisters in Jazz Day — a day of improv workshops for female-identifying musicians ages 11-21 — on Saturday, September 21, 2024, through an Eastman Departmental Diversity Initiative (EDII) Grant.
FALL 2024
Faculty Artist Series: Crystal Sellers Battle
Soprano Dr. Battle will launch the series with a solo performance on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall. The program includes works by Burleigh, Barber, Carter and Hoiby. Titled “…a little help from my friends,” the recital explores how friendships have sparked the creation of magnificent music, featuring pianists Zachary A. Peterson, Priscilla Yuen and Alison d’Amato. Please note: This concert is free, but a ticket is required for entry. Reserve your seat by visiting EastmanTheatre.org.
The series continues with a celebration of Hispanic heritage on Saturday, October 4, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in Hatch Recital Hall, with a performance by the Eastman Latino and Hispanic Students’ Association. This concert will highlight the rich cultural contributions of Hispanic artists to the classical music landscape.
Gateways Music Festival presents Joshua Mhoon
On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in Hatch Recital Hall, the series will include a special collaboration with the Gateways Music Festival (GMF) presenting rising star pianist Joshua Mhoon on a program of Rachmaninoff, Kapustin, Gershwin and Eric Nathaniel. This event is part of the GMF’s longstanding tradition of showcasing outstanding pianists, a legacy established by its founder, Armenta Hummings Dumisani, a distinguished pianist herself.
Alexander Laing, President and Artistic Director of GMF, exclaims that “partnering with Crystal Sellers Battle and the George Walker Center is a natural fit, and we’re thrilled to work together to bring extraordinary pianists to the community.”
“This new collaboration with GMF is a dream and I am so excited to work with Alex Laing to bring incredible musicians of the African diaspora to Eastman as a part of the GWC series,” Battle adds.
SPRING 2025
The series will present a celebration of LGBTQ+ performers and composers on January 27, 2025, in Hatch Recital Hall, and a concert honoring Black History Month on February 19, 2025, in Kilbourn Hall. Further details about these performances to come.
For more information about George Walker Center performances, and all other Eastman events, please visit esm.rochester.edu/events.
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.