Eastman Showcase 2006
Dr. Walker's Weekend
Eastman Weekend 2006 (October 20-22, 2006) was the School's first attempt at hosting an event for everyone in its vast interconnected community, combining Alumni Weekend, Family Weekend, and Eastman Community Music School Open House.
It was a great opportunity to meet old and new Eastman friends, but there were musical highlights as well. Chief among them was the Philharmonia's October 21 premiere of Foils for Orchestra: Hommage à St. George, by Pulitzer Prize winner George Walker (PhD '56). Neil Varon led the performance, acknowledging Walker at the end. This was the second Walker piece premiered by the Philharmonia, which performed and recorded his Eastman Overture in 1983. (Another ESM alum contributed to this concert, as it ended with Debussy's La Mer in an edition by Professor of Theory Marie Rolf [PhD '77].)
The energetic Dr. Walker was much in evidence throughout this first Eastman Weekend: attending a rehearsal of his piece on Friday afternoon with great pleasure, being photographed in the Eastman Theatre on Saturday while hearing his music, and being one of the honored guests at a Medallion Ceremony for 50-year alumni. In this new Eastman tradition, Interim Dean Jamal Rossi and University of Rochester President Joel Seligman presented specially designed medals to alumni from the Classes of 1953, 1954, 1955, and 1956. Most of them proudly wore their medals all weekend!