Eastman School of Music Announces Brett Shurtliffe as Visiting Instructor of Double Bass for 2026-27 Academic Year
Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, is pleased to announce that Brett Shurtliffe ’01E has been named visiting instructor of double bass for the 2026-2027 academic year.
“We are delighted to welcome Brett back to Eastman for the 2026-27 academic year,” shares Kate Sheeran, Joan and Martin Messinger Dean. “Our students will benefit from his committed and insightful teaching, as well as the breadth of his experience as a performing artist.”
“As one of our distinguished alumni, it’s a special honor to have Brett back to share his professional experience with our current students,” states David Ying, chair of the strings, harp & guitar department.
Brett Shurtliffe is the Associate Principal Double Bassist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO). He received his training from Eastman as well as Duquesne University. In 2003, he was the only American prizewinner at the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, and two years later took first prize at the ISB Orchestral Competition, becoming one of only three bassists from around the globe to win prizes in multiple divisions.
“As a proud alumnus of the Eastman School of Music, I couldn’t be more excited to be back as a visiting instructor,” says Shurtliffe. “Eastman was the defining force in my young musical journey, and to now be a part of creating that magic for students is very exciting. I can’t wait to work with all the talented bassists in the Eastman Bass Studio!”
Shurtliffe has appeared numerous times as a soloist with the BPO, as well as with other orchestras across the country, and has given recitals across the continent. He has recorded both a world premiere concerto with the BPO and a solo album on Beau Fleuve Records, for which he was praised for his “effortless mastery of the instrument, clarity, and inherent musicality” (Bass World, 2024). Shurtliffe previously served as visiting faculty at the Eastman School of Music and on faculty at SUNY Fredonia, and now spends his summers as a faculty member at the International Festival Institute in Round Top, TX.
James VanDemark, current professor of double bass, is retiring after a remarkable tenure at Eastman. In addition to Shurtliffe, Eastman will welcome additional distinguished guest artists in double bass in the 2026-2027 academic year. A search for a permanent professor of double bass will take place in fall 2027.
Media only: Jessica Kaufman, Executive Director of Marketing & Communications,
(585) 278-4743, jkaufman@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 comprising more than 170 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 1,000 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, over 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.