Eastman to Go

Eastman To Go (ETG) is a one-semester chamber music course where select ensembles focus on the fine arts of audience engagement and development.  In the late days of each fall semester, chamber groups audition for admittance into this spring-only course. In addition to weekly coachings with our chamber music faculty, groups selected for the program have private sessions with the program director, Dr. Sylvie Beaudette, and experience three guest artist master classes, all with an eye toward preparing a 40 minute program for a wide variety of audiences in our community (schools, independent living facilities, book stores, libraries, community centers, food pantries, sensory-friendly venues, etc.). The goals of the class are to support the highest level of playing while presenting the music in a manner that is most meaningful and impactful for each individual audience.

For most of its history, the Music For All program was integrated into the chamber music curriculum, ensuring that nearly the entire school participated. The scope of the program grew exponentially and more than 2000 people in the Rochester community benefited from this experience. The Ying Quartet, Elinor Freer, and Petar Kodzas, succeeded each other as Outreach Coordinator and met with every group individually to make sure students had the proper tools to perform at the highest level.

Today, up to 15 chamber groups may participate in the Eastman To Go program where they learn the art of presenting and performing for various audiences around the Rochester community.

Eastman School of Music believes that if classical music is to thrive in today’s society, musicians must engage new audiences. As educational and community performances become a significant part of a performer’s job description, the skills acquired and refined through participating in Eastman To Go will be of the utmost importance to our graduates. The Eastman School has a distinguished history of chamber music training, and we want our students to continue to lead the way, whether they are performing on the world’s great stages or winning new audiences in a third grade classroom. It is our hope that through the experiences and training they receive at Eastman, our graduates will be prepared to assume roles of musical leadership in their communities and to influence the way the world hears music in the coming century.

The Eastman School of Music can be proud of our Chamber Music department’s commitment to community engagement. We established the first community interaction/engagement program of its kind among American music schools and these interactions have served the community and our chamber music students well. We are continuing this tradition with the program Eastman To Go.

Eastman To Go is an exclusive destination within the confines of our chamber music offerings. Interested ensembles will audition for the CHB faculty on Friday, November 22 beginning at 6:00 PM in Room 209, during our normal chamber music honors auditions. Groups chosen to participate in Eastman To Go will be selected based on their musical preparation and potential for artistic growth.

Each ensemble will sign up for an audition slot on google docs (contact Mrs. Hoover vhoover@esm.rochester.edu, for the link). Each group will perform a total of ten minutes of repertoire; either a mix of smaller works or a larger multi-movement work. If the ensemble chooses to present a multi-movement work, the entire work must be ready to be performed. The faculty will select the exact pieces and/or movements from your repertoire list at the audition.

Any group, whether they are currently receiving coaching or not, is eligible to audition. The only requirement is that the group contains three to eight musicians. Our hope is to include groups that have been historically underrepresented in past iterations of this program such as guitar ensembles, jazz groups, vocal or percussion ensembles.

The faculty will select no more than fifteen groups from these auditions to participate in the ETG program. In the spring semester, each group will be paired with a coach willing to prepare the ensemble and facilitate/mentor the ETG process. In many cases, this means that the group will maintain its relationship with its current coach, but we can reassign the groups, as needed.

To help with group mentoring, ETG will provide three to four required workshops in the beginning of the spring semester for students chosen for the program. These workshops will provide guidance on performance, preparation and interaction with audiences. Because the number of students involved will be relatively small, these events will provide a rich, intimate and user-friendly experience.

Each group will perform one required school concert in the Rochester area. Selected groups may also be recommended for performance opportunities in other venues. These concerts will be scheduled based on the mutual availability of each group and the host organizations. They will be scheduled directly by the ensemble with the venue, with the help of the Program Director and the Program Assistant. The goal is to include community enrichment programs such as Eastman at Strong Museum, Third Thursdays Performing Arts and Culture Series at the UR Medical Center, etc. These required concerts are to be completed by May 1, 2020. All sites will be offering written assessments to advance the learning process.

Each student participating will receive an additional credit in the spring semester by simply registering for their regular chamber music course plus an additional Chamber Music course listing called Eastman To Go (CHB 286/486). Graduate students will be allowed to register for their regular chamber course in the spring semester for zero credits, but they will be required to register for Eastman To Go (CHB 486). This credit earned by graduate students will count toward the four credit limit of ensemble coursework.

The goal of Eastman To Go is to make our community engagement program an even more vibrant presence within the CHB curriculum, one that is initially based on artistic merit and potential and includes the rewards of an extra credit, a modest honorarium and recommendations for other opportunities. By serving a select number of groups, Eastman To Go provides each ensemble with an opportunity to have more faculty contact and the necessary support to provide a positive, closelymonitored experience.

If you are a school or community site in greater Rochester interested in hosting an Eastman To Go performance, download an application form here. Forms can be filled out with Microsoft Word and emailed to Vicky Hoover, Eastman To Go Program Assistant

Applications must be returned by December 8, 2023 to be considered for the Spring 2023 performance season.

Or contact Sylvie Beaudette, Director, Eastman To Go, Associate Professor of Chamber Music

Eastman School of Music 26 Gibbs Street Rochester, NY 14604 | 585-274-1378