Category Archives: Student Success

Congratulations to Yiran Zhao, a DMA conducting student, who is the winner of the American Prize in Composition in the college/university division for shorter works for chorus.

Congratulations to doctoral student Angela Rubin on winning the first AMP Up Grant. Angela received funding to support her efforts in developing an audience for her DMA recital that took place on Sunday, November 24, 2024 in Kilbourn Hall. Learn more about Angela’s funding award and performance here.      

Congratulations to Ruixue Hu, a third-year Ph.D. student in music theory, for receiving Honorable Mention for the Society for Music Theory’s Diversity in Course Design Award. His award-winning syllabus, “Engaging with Timbre,” explores timbre in a wide range of global musical genres.

Congratulations to the winners of the Central New York Finger Lakes NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) chapter student auditions held at Buffalo State University on November 2, 2024, which included students from the voice studios of Joshua Conyers and Katherine Ciesinski: Treble Voices post High School: Evan Anderson, First Place 1st year Kai…

Congratulations to Jazz Voice student Harrison Candelario, from the studio of Sara Gazarek, for being selected by the Recording Academy®‘s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team and the GRAMMY Museum® as a recipient of the Quinn Coleman Memorial Scholarship. Aiming to elevate the next generation of Black and Brown music creators, this scholarship offers a comprehensive…

Congratulations to undergraduate jazz bassist Gavin Rice for winning the 2024 Young Talent Award from the Whitley Bay Classic Jazz Festival, a festival dedicated to the preservation of early jazz/popular music from the turn of the century to the 1930s. The award is given to a young musician ages 18–23 who shows extreme talent and…

Congratulations to doctoral student Luke Poeppel ’24E (MM) for being named a David T. Beals III assistant conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra for their 2024/2025 season.

Congratulations to Jack Earnhart, a master’s student in Music, Teaching and Learning, for receiving an award at the Greater Rochester Excellence and Achievements in Technology event hosted by TechRochester on October 15, 2024 (pictured left). Recognized as a “leader and visionary” within the music industry, Earnhart’s company, which builds custom brass mouthpieces, was honored for…

Congratulations to Eastman clarinetist, and current master’s student, Zhiwei “Victor” Ni ’24E for being named a “Performance Today” Young Artist in Residence for 2024/25! This program showcases young soloists from American conservatories who have demonstrated strong potential for careers in music. As a Young Artist in Residence, Zhiwei will be interviewed by Performance Today host…