Eastman School of Music Posts and Musings

A Premiere with Previn

Conductor of the world’s great orchestras, composer for the concert hall, opera house, movies, Broadway, and the West End, classical and jazz pianist, writer, and television personality, André Previn is one of the most celebrated, distinctive, and varied contemporary musicians in the world.  Tonight, the Eastman Wind Ensemble will be celebrating Andre Previn and his…

Hanging Out with Great Hornists

For about a year, four other Eastman horn players (Nikki Labonte, Chelsea Nelson, Caroline Baker, and Rennie Cotner) and I have been on the lookout for the Berlin Philharmonic ticket sale for their tour performances at Carnegie Hall this month. With a horn section as famous and important as Berlin’s, we knew we couldn’t miss…

A Day to Remember

I remember meeting the dean for the first time, in the Eastman Student Living Center. I was naught but a callow freshman, reeling from the thought of having to start school over again, when I was greeted warmly by the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music—Douglas Lowry. His wit, sincerity,…

A “Titan”-ic Eastman Concert

Eastman Philharmonia, October 2010 Come join the Eastman community in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Saturday, September 27 at 8 p.m., for an exciting concert filled with the Grimm Brothers, titans, and poetic song cycles.  The Eastman Symphony Orchestra (ESSO) and the Eastman Philharmonia, conducted by Neil Varon, will be joined by Megan Moore for…

By the Dawn’s Early Light

Surprisingly, it has been thirteen years since the morning of the September 11th attacks. All of us remember that day in great detail and how our world has changed as a result of that terrible tragedy. This year, a young freshman student from Croatia, Marco Pranic, had an idea; to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” in…

“C” You in September

Grade schools used to talk of teaching the Three Rs: reading, (w)riting, and ‘rithmetic. For the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year at Eastman, talking about the Three Cs might be more appropriate. On this coming Tuesday, September 2, the following “C”s will be prominent: CLASSES. International, freshman, and returning students are all here and…

The Next Stage for A Soprano

Soprano Renee Fleming (MM ’83) has performed on plenty of stages across the world, but always to musical accompaniment. Last week she took a vacation from the worlds of concerts and opera to make her dramatic debut in a new comedy, Living on Love, which premiered at the Williamstown (MA) Theater Festival on July 16.…