Conductor Austin Chanu, Composer Florence Price, and an Eastman Premiere

The music of the African American composer Florence Price (1887-1955) has recently been the subject of excited attention. Many of her works have been unearthed and rediscovered, and one of her orchestral works, The Oak, has an important Eastman connection. DMA conducting student Austin Chanu will conduct the Eastman Philharmonia in a rare performance of…

American Anthem: Philharmonia’s “Star-Spangled Banner” for the 21st Century

Austin Chanu rehearsing Banner with the Philharmonia strings in Kodak Hall. Photograph by Maurice Cohn.   By David Raymond On Monday, October 19, in a livestreamed concert, the strings of the Eastman Philharmonia will perform Banner, a 2014 work by the contemporary American composer Jessie Montgomery. Master’s conducting student Austin Chanu will conduct this work,…

Double Treat: Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Eastman Philharmonia take on a Cosmopolitan Program led by Maestro Neil Varon

Neil Varon conducting the Eastman Philharmonia By Sarah Forestieri On Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and the Eastman Philharmonia will be presenting an eclectic program taking the audience on a journey to Italy, France, and Austria, all led by Maestro Neil Varon. No matter where your tastes lie,…

The Eastman School of Music Philharmonia and Soprano Renée Fleming Present the World Premiere of ‘Letters from Georgia’ by Pulitzer Prize Winner Kevin Puts

On Saturday, November 12, in Rochester, NY, and Monday, November 14, at Lincoln Center, the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music Philharmonia Orchestra will present the world premiere performances of Letters from Georgia – a new song cycle by Kevin Puts.  Puts, a Pulitzer Prize- winning alumnus of Eastman (BM ’94, DMA ’99), wrote…

Eastman School of Music Philharmonia to premiere new composition with Renée Fleming at Lincoln Center

The Eastman School of Music announced the Eastman Philharmonia, conducted by Neil Varon,  will take the stage with Renée Fleming at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on November 14, 2016. The performance will include a new composition by Eastman alumnus and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Kevin Puts, written specifically for Ms. Fleming and the Eastman Philharmonia.…