Adjudicator Kim Witman of the Wolf Trap Opera Company, with the prizewinners of the 2016 Friends of Eastman Opera Voice Competition. From left to right: Keely Futterer, Emily Helenbrook, Alan Cline, and Emily Siar. By John Fatuzzo Last Friday, February 12, Eastman vocalists performed in the annual Friends of Eastman Opera (FEO) Voice Competition in…
Alexander Borodin by Garrett Wellenstein The Eastman School Symphony Orchestra (ESSO) will present its second concert of the semester tomorrow, Saturday, February 20, 2016, in Kodak Hall. Maestro Neil Varon opens the concert with a bang, conducting Alexander Borodin’s Overture to Prince Igor, followed by the lush, mystical harmonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on…
The manuscript title page of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony. showing the composer’s violent correction of the dedication to Napoleon. Eastman students have been providing program notes for this semester’s concerts by Eastman orchestras: the Philharmonia, Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, and Graduate Chamber Orchestra. Here are the notes from the Friday, February 19 Philharmonia concert, featuring works…
by Peter Folliard Eastman Philharmonia presents its second free concert of the semester this Friday night at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall. The program opens with Beethoven’s tragic Coriolan Overture conducted by second year DMA student Peter J. Folliard, and concludes with Beethoven’s heroic Third Symphony. Contrasting quite perfectly, Maestro Varon programmed Mahler’s Rückert Lieder…
Contemporary music theory in Paris: the 2014 “Study Abroad in Paris” group with director Robert Hasegawa (back row, in striped shirt). by Andrea Schuler, Summer@Eastman Program Coordinator Paris vacations never really need justification, but if you’re seeking intellectual and musical validation for your next June trip, Summer@Eastman can help. Professor Robert Hasegawa, who taught music…
By Tahlia Cott On Thursday February 25, join us for a special opportunity to engage in an informal exchange with Bela Fleck about his career, and watch as he collaborates with two Eastman student music groups in an informal rehearsal setting. (And there just might be a few minutes of him performing!) Mr. Fleck will…
Jazz legend Bill Holman (background) speaking to Eastman students Post and photographs by Dan Gross On Wednesday, February 11, during the second installment of Bill Holman’s visit, students, faculty, and some community members quickly filled in the Ray Wright Room. Holman’s afternoon started with an informal talk about his life and his work. Holman started…
Eastman Jazz Ensemble, rehearsing with Bill Holman (far right) The great jazz arranger and composer Bill Holman is in residence at the Eastman School of Music this week. Besides rehearsals and meetings with Eastman students, the Eastman Jazz Ensemble will premiere Holman’s “Arbitration” at a concert tonight, Thursday, February 11, in Kodak Hall. Admission is…
Last month’s blog post about the opening Eastman Philharmonia concert on January 29 was inadvertently deleted. We re-post it here and are sorry for any inconvenience the deletion may have caused. by Peter Folliard Soloist Wei-Han Wu rehearses Ravel’s Concerto in G with conductor Neil Varon and the Philharmonia The Eastman concert season kicks off…
Photographs from the inaugural Ritsos project in Athens, July 2015. During a visit to her grandmother’s homeland in 2013, composer Aristea Mellos learned that the residents of the Greek island of Samos had few opportunities to hear live classical music. She set out to change that when she got back to Eastman. With the help…