Highlighted Eastman Concerts & Events: November/December 2025

Lauren Sageer| Associate Director of PR and Digital Content

October 15, 2025

The Eastman School of Music is proud to share our remaining Eastman Presents concerts for 2025. From eclectic new operas to French masterworks and jolly banjo to “A Soul Symphony,” we are sure to offer something that will excite you.

Tickets for the complete 2025-2026 Eastman Presents season are available at EastmanTheatre.org or by calling 585-274-3000. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets as soon as possible to ensure the best seating and savings available.

Eastman Opera Theatre: “CLICK!” (world premiere)
Thursday, October 30 and Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Eastman alum Steve Bramson ’83E (MM), an Emmy Award-winning composer of hundreds of primetime television episodes and numerous feature films, has teamed up with librettist Gayle Hudson to tell the story of Hungarian photographer André Kertész in CLICK!. Set across the cities they called home—Budapest, Paris, and New York—this story explores emigration, artistic identity, and love’s enduring force through the shifting political and socioeconomic tides of the twentieth century.

Eastman Opera Theatre: “In A Grove”
Friday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 2 at 2:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Inspired by Japanese author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s short story and Akira Kurosawa’s acclaimed film Rashōmon, In A Grove unfolds as a haunting, nonlinear investigation into the disappearance of a young woman and the murder of her husband. Set in the 1890s, the story is told by a string of unreliable narrators—witnesses offering conflicting accounts of what happened to the girl.

“A Soul Symphony”: Where Gospel Meets Orchestra
Saturday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

This inspiring concert—a collaboration between the Eastman School of Music, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and a dynamic community gospel choir—celebrates the richness of African American musical traditions through the works of legendary and contemporary composers. From William Grant Still’s majestic Sunday Symphony to the soul-stirring gospel of Richard Smallwood and Kirk Franklin, and the moving spirituals of Omar Thomas and John Carter, each piece honors a legacy of resilience, faith, and artistry. Tickets are $5; all proceeds go to ROCmusic.

Eastman Ranlet Series: Zemlinsky Quartet
Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the Zemlinsky Quartet has become a much lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition. The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010 and has been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, Prague Spring International Music Competition, and London International String Quartet Competition where it also received the Audience Prize.

Fernando Laires Piano Series: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall

The dynamic French virtuoso Jean-Efflam Bavouzet makes his Eastman Piano Series debut with selections from Maurice Ravel’s complete works for solo piano. An unrivaled artistic feat, this program includes the composer’s most famous works, including delightful miniatures beloved by both pianists and listeners.

Kodak Hall Series: Bela Fleck and the Jingletones feat. Jeff Coffin and Alash present “Jingle All the Way”
Thursday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

Looking for something a little different this holiday season? Join us for Jingle All the Way, an extremely hip holiday show based on the GRAMMY-winning CD from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and featuring Jeff Coffin & Alash. “Jingle All the Way does what all great Christmas records ought to: keep the essence of the underlying songs while bringing out something new and unexpected to make them fresh and worth another listen.” (Associated Press)

In addition to these ticketed events, there are a number of FREE performances in November and December by our talented Eastman students. Learn about some of our upcoming highlights below:

Friday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman Philharmonia – Works by Samuel Barber and Richard Strauss

Wednesday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman Wind Orchestra and The Eastman Wind Ensemble – with guest conductor Rodney Dorsey

Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall
Musica Nova – with soprano and guest composer Lisa Bielawa

Friday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. | Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Eastman-Rochester Chorus – Anton Bruckner’s Mass No. 3 in F minor

Monday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m. | Kilbourn Hall
Vocal Jazz – under the direction of Sara Gazarek

For full event listings, visit Eastman’s online calendar.

Media only: Lauren Sageer, Associate Director of Public Relations & Digital Content,

(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu

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About Eastman School of Music:

The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.

More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprising more than 170 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy and EMMY Award winners, Guggenheim Fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 1,000 concerts to the Rochester community and beyond. Additionally, over 1,700 community members, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.

About the University of Rochester:

The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.

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