The Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester is excited to announce the 2026-27 Eastman Presents season. Legendary musicians and rising stars alike will perform repertoire ranging from Brahms and Beethoven to Reich and Dalt, bringing something for everyone to Rochester. These events will take place in the spectacular halls of the Eastman School of Music: the acoustic and historic splendor of Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre; Kilbourn Hall, one of the finest chamber music halls in the world; and Hatch Recital Hall, a gorgeous, modern performance space.

“This season features world-class musicians and ambitious creative projects,” says Kate Sheeran, Eastman’s Joan and Martin Messinger Dean. “New, large-scale faculty-led initiatives and multi-concert endeavors, and appearances by Emanuel Ax and Chris Thile and Aoife O’Donovan, are only some of this season’s highlights.”

“American artists and Eastman-honed talent take center stage as we mark the United States’ 250^th anniversary,” adds Katharine Schimmer, Associate Dean for Artistic Planning. “Certain concerts throughout the season have been designated as Eastman Explores America events in celebration; these are performances which highlight the manifold traditions and voices which form our national musical identity.” 

Concert tickets are now available for purchase through Eastman’s Box Office. Please note that all listed repertoire is subject to change and will be kept up to date online.

Eastman Presents is only a part of the Eastman School of Music’s extensive annual offerings: Eastman produces over 1000 free or low-cost performances each year, all featuring extraordinary students and faculty. A full season announcement, including Faculty Artist Series recitals, operas, large ensemble performances, and special projects will be made this summer.

 

EASTMAN PRESENTS 2026-2027

 

Joshua Conyers, Kiera Duffy, Nicole Cabell & Friends | In Plain Sight: The Black Anthology
September 15, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

GRAMMY-nominated baritone Joshua Conyers, acclaimed soprano Kiera Duffy, and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Nicole Cabell—all Eastman faculty—shine in this rarely performed collection from the Anthology of Art Songs by Black Composers. They are joined by a selection of accomplished Eastman students in a powerful celebration of Afro-American musical tradition and its impact. Featuring selections and performers from Eastman, student and faculty, at the University of Rochester in February 2026, and scheduled for release this spring on Lexicon Classics.

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America and features Eastman faculty and students.
*This event is part of the Kilbourn Series.

“The project brings together artists across backgrounds to interpret these songs, affirming that this music belongs to the world. It is rooted in Black creative genius and offered as shared cultural inheritance.” — Joshua Conyers

 

Mivos Quartet | Celebrating Steve Reich: The String Quartets
September 20, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

The internationally renowned Mivos Quartet honors the lion of contemporary American composition on his 90th birthday with a full performance of his string quartets. Praised for the fierce virtuosity and warm expressiveness of their playing, Eastman alumni Olivia de Prato and William Overcash, alongside Victor Lowrie Tafoya and Nathan Watts, offer WTC 9/11, Triple Quartet, and Different Trains in a tribute to Reich’s era-defining genius.

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America and features Eastman alumni. 
*This event is part of the Ranlet Series.

These “scores bristle with difficulty; each challenge is met head-on by the Mivos Quartet, and each one spurs them to greater heights.” — Colin Clarke, Classical Explorer

 

Alarm Will Sound | Homecoming
October 2, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

Founded at Eastman 25 years ago, contemporary chamber ensemble Alarm Will Sound returns to Rochester for Meliora Weekend to celebrate with a new award in hand and a new program on offer. The winners of the 2026 GRAMMY Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble present New Acoustica, an innovative program featuring live performances of complex electronica on acoustic instruments.   

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America and features Eastman alumni. 
*This event is part of the Kodak Series.

“With New Acoustica, we present the music of Aphex Twin, Jlin, King Britt, Marcos Balter, SOPHIE, Tim Exile, Lucrecia Dalt, and more, bringing the work of these outstanding and groundbreaking artists to you in a way that you’ve never heard before.” — Alarm Will Sound

 

Kobrin, Jang & Ying | The Complete Beethoven Piano Trios
October 9, 2026 • January 28, 2027 • April 23, 2027 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Eastman faculty members Alexander Kobrin (2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist), YooJin Jang (2017 Concert Artists Guild Competition winner), and David Ying (Naumburg International Cello Competition winner) join forces to perform the complete Beethoven piano trios over three concerts. This is a rare opportunity to hear all these works in chronological order over one season, played by specialists in this repertoire.  

• October 9, 2026: Op. 1, Nos. 1-3
• January 28, 2027: Op. 11, Op. 70, Nos. 1 (“Ghost”) & 2
• April 23, 2027: WoO 38, Op. 97 (“Archduke”)

*This program features Eastman faculty.
*This event is part of the Kilbourn Series.

 

Chanticleer | Our American Journey
October 25, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

The GRAMMY Award-winning male a capella ensemble Chanticleer, deemed “breathtaking in its accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, of color, and swagger of style” by The Boston Globe, celebrates 250 years of the United States with a program ranging from spirituals to “Shenandoah” and from Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” to bluegrass. A touchingly beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable choral voyage through American musical history.

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America.
*This event is part of the Kilbourn Series.

“As fresh as a blade of grass, tightly focused and keenly expressive.” — The New York Times

 

Ying Quartet | Billy Childs and String Quartet Creativity • Care for Seconds?
November 8, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. | Hatch Recital Hall • April 4, 2027 | 3:00 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Eastman’s beloved Quartet-in-Residence, the Ying Quartet, returns to the stage with two programs designed to delight. Fall features jazz pianist Billy Childs’ Variation on a Rondo paired with Mozart’s K. 465 and Brahms’ String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1. Spring showcases masterpieces from Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Britten.

*These programs feature Eastman faculty. The November 8 concert is part of Eastman Explores America.
*This event is part of the Ranlet Series.

“The Ying Quartet plays as if it’s a single performer. That togetherness among the four musicians is astounding.” — Image Journal

 

Chris Thile and Aoife O’Donovan | Wassail!
December 4, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

Celebrate the holiday season in bluegrass style with GRAMMY Award–winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan (Crooked Still, I’m With Her, A Prairie Home Companion) and MacArthur Fellow and mandolinist Chris Thile (Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek, Live from Here) as they illuminate treasured holiday songs with spellbinding harmonies and joyful musicality. Featuring fresh arrangements of beloved classics, lively stories, and good cheer in abundance, Wassail! is a warm invitation to gather, sing, and revel in the glow of the holidays.

*This event is part of the Kodak Series.

“There was an undeniable chemistry in the way they played together—Thile and O’Donovan’s near-perfect vocal blend…and the playful complexity of their music…” — Atwood Journal

 

Aristo Sham | A Star Ascendant
December 8, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Extoled by The New York Times as a pianist “whose playing combines clarity, elegance, and abundant technique,” Aristo Sham rocketed to prominence upon receipt of the gold medal and audience favorite award at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. His first-ever Eastman outing will feature works by Bach, Chopin, and Brahms (whose Second Concerto he played in the final round of the Van Cliburn).

*This event is part of the Fernando Laires Piano Series.

“There was…something preternatural about Sham’s playing, with rapturous glissandos and indelible melodies emanating from fingers that seemed to dance unnaturally lightly over the keys.” — The Illinois Times

 

Timothy Long | The North American Indigenous Songbook
January 31, 2027 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Following a much-lauded premiere at National Sawdust, Eastman Opera Artistic and Music Director Timothy Long brings his collection of music by Native American, First Nations, and Métis artists to Kilbourn Hall. Grounded “in traditional styles,” with “forays into avant-garde music and groovier singer-songwriter veins” (The New York Times), this unprecedented anthology ranges from art song to funk and promises a profound, joyful, and entirely unique experience. Featuring creator Tim Long at the piano with Martha Redbone and her funk band, alongside classical musicians and special guests.

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America and features Eastman faculty.
*This event is part of the Kilbourn Series.

“At the 250^th anniversary of the United States, we celebrate the entire continent of Turtle Island by bringing hope and unity to the world through words, music, and celebration.” — Timothy Long

 

Bullock, Hanick & Woods | From Ordinary Things
February 23, 2027 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

GRAMMY Award-winning Eastman alumna Julia Bullock, acclaimed for her “brilliant sincerity” and as “an artist of sensitivity and intelligence” (The New York Times), returns to campus with GRAMMY-nominated collaborators Seth Parker Woods, cello, and Conor Hanick, piano. Their evocative new program, “From Ordinary Things,” offers art song, American songbook, and modern works from composers including George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel, André Previn, Nina Simone, and George Walker. This performance was rescheduled from February 2026.

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America and features Eastman alumni.
*This event is part of the Kilbourn Series.

“Music’s deepest power lies in the simple, unforced exchange between performers and listeners—an exchange this trio sustained with grace and warmth.” — San Francisco Classical Voice

 

Trio Afiori | Brilliant Artistry
February 25, 2027 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

New York Philharmonic principal clarinet Anthony McGill, “knockout” mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron (The Times), and Steinway Artist Gloria Chien combine in Trio Afiori, a chamber group critically acclaimed for its genre-defying work and intense creativity. In their first appearance at Eastman, they present a commission from composer Gabriel Kahane—a work that explores the “identities and personalities of the three performers”—among other works.

*This program is part of Eastman Explores America.
*This event is part of the Ranlet Series.

“Trio Afiori will present one of their most unique programs yet, as these three illuminating musical minds join forces with repertoire specially arranged for the triple-threat of mezzo-soprano, clarinet, and piano.” — BroadwayWorld

 

Emanuel Ax | A Legend Returns
March 17, 2027 | 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

The doyen of classical piano brings spring to Rochester with a program of Romantics. Emanuel Ax, beloved for his warmth, elegant yet unassuming playing, and “self-effacing mastery” (The Guardian) performs Schumann’s Papillons, Schubert’s Four Impromptus, and a curated selection of Chopin’s works.

*This event is part of the Fernando Laires Piano Series.

“Mr. Ax…played with youthful brio, incisive rhythm, bountiful imagination, delicacy when called for, and thundering power when the piano fought back.” — The New York Times

 

Sona Jobarteh | Kora Trailblazer
March 21, 2027 | 3:00 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Internationally renowned kora player Sona Jobarteh grew up steeped in West African musical tradition. Born into one of Gambia’s foremost griot families, she broke the mold by becoming the first female kora player ever to perform professionally. Known for “blending traditional music, blues, and Afropop to impressive effect,” and for her “virtuoso musicianship, charming stories, and intriguing ideas” (The Guardian), Sona Jobarteh brings her singular sensibilities to Eastman in what promises to be an enthralling debut.  

*This event is part of the Barbara B. Smith World Music Series.

“After demonstrating her elegant and intricate kora work, she proves that she is also a fine singer, with a cool, laid-back style.” — Global Arts Live

 

Membership: Save Up to 25%

Patrons interested in attending multiple performances are invited to take advantage of our membership packages. By purchasing tickets to multiple concerts at once, members receive substantial savings along with complimentary tickets to Eastman’s renowned Faculty Artist Series (FAS).

• Platinum Membership: Purchase tickets to the full season in a single transaction and receive 25% off the total purchase, along with eight complimentary FAS tickets.
• Gold Membership: Purchase tickets to 12-15 performances in a single transaction and receive 20% off the total purchase, along with six complimentary FAS tickets.
• Silver Membership: Purchase tickets to 8-11 performances in a single transaction and receive 15% off the total purchase, along with four complimentary FAS tickets.
• Bronze Membership: Purchase tickets to 4-7 performances in a single transaction and receive 10% off the total purchase, along with two complimentary FAS tickets.

 

To learn more about these performances and other upcoming Eastman events, and to purchase tickets, visit our website. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (located at 433 East Main Street; hours: Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) or by calling 585-274-3000.

 

Media only: Lauren Sageer, Associate Director of Public Relations & Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu

 

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