By Chase Ellison Late in August, the members of the Eastman Jazz Sextet (Christian Crawford, trumpet; C.J. Ziarniak, saxophone; Luke Norris, saxophone; Sterling Cozza, piano; Ryder Eaton, bass; and Chase Ellison, drums) left for Japan with Eastman professor Jeff Campbell, for a series of university workshops and performances culminating in concerts on September 1 and…
The Eastman Jazz Sextet has arrived in Japan! As the first stop on its journey, the members of the sextet — Christian Crawford, trumpet; C.J. Ziarniak, saxophone; Luke Norris, saxophone; Sterling Cozza, piano; Ryder Eaton, bass; and Chase Ellison, drums, led by Professor Jeff Campbell – did a workshop and concert at Shobi University’s Kunitachi…
By Dan Gross The Eastman Jazz Sextet left today (Thursday, August 24) at 2 p.m. to go around the world. Current students and recent graduates — Christian Crawford, trumpet; C.J. Ziarniak, saxophone; Luke Norris, saxophone; Sterling Cozza, piano; Ryder Eaton, bass; and Chase Ellison, drums — have gathered under the watchful eye of Professor Jeff…
Participants in the 2017 Eastman Summer Saxophone Institute. Photo: Sylvie Beaudette by Andrea Schuler, Summer at Eastman Program Coordinator The 40 days of Summer at Eastman 2017 were a whirlwind of music, study and fun! Here are some numerical highlights of the season: Summer students came to Eastman from 35 states (plus Washington, DC) and…
Music schools and conservatories face constant challenges, from attracting students across the world, to offering relevant curricula, to seeking out funding to support their endeavors. Participants from around the country gathered for the Eastman Leadership Conference on June 21 – 24, 2017. Outstanding presentations, interactive work sessions, conversations, and social events highlighted this conference dedicated…
By Dan Gross Pianist-composer Bill Dobbins has been an esteemed member of Eastman’s jazz faculty twice: from 1973 to 1994, and again from 2002 to the present. (He spent the intervening years as music director of the West German Radio [WDR] Big Band.) He is now Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media, as well…
By Dan Gross Pianist-composer Bill Dobbins has been an esteemed member of Eastman’s jazz faculty twice: from 1973 to 1994, and again from 2002 to the present. He is now Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media, as well as conductor of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble and Eastman Studio Orchestra. His Eastman career has spanned…
“An overall inspiring presence”: composer-conductor Juan Trigos By Dan Gross Mexican composer and conductor Juan Trigos was in residence as Eastman’s Howard Hanson Visiting Professor from April 2 to April 8. His music, including the world premiere of his String Quartet No. 2 with Italian soprano Danilla D’Ingulfo, was featured in two recitals, and Trigos…
By Dan Gross Rochester-born David Finck grew up in Philadelphia, but returned in the 1970s to study at Eastman, where he graduated in 1980. Since then he’s become one of the jazz world’s premiere free-lance bassists, making recordings with musicians from André Previn to George Michael. In the most recent, Low Standards on the SoundStream…
Karl Stabnau performing at the Rochester Public Library during Jazz Festival 2016 By Dan Gross Karl Stabnau graduated from Eastman (BM ’11); MM in Music Education with jazz emphasis in December 2013. Among many other things, he is currently the Jazz Director at SUNY Brockport and the college’s music business coordinator. Instead of playing as…