The Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman-Rochester Chorus Present Works by Mendelssohn and Elgar

The Eastman Philharmonia and the Eastman-Rochester Chorus present a performance of late 19th- and early 20th-century works on Friday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Led by Eastman-Rochester Chorus director Dr. William Weinert and doctoral conducting candidate Jonathan Mott, the ensembles will join to perform The Music Makers, Op. 69 by Edward Elgar and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 52 Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), both sung in English. “Elgar’s Music Makers and Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise each celebrate the idea of progress, through both art and technology,” says Weinert.

Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang is an ambitious symphony cantata comprising 11 movements. Despite this being one of Mendelssohn’s most popular works during his lifetime, the piece is rarely performed today. Using texts from the Book of Psalms, the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Book of Isaiah and Christian hymns, Mendelssohn’s composition visits movements of proclamation and fanfare, humble and sorrowful minor, and heavy articulation. Written for a festival celebrating the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s moveable type, the texts focus on Gutenberg’s role in “bringing the world from darkness into light.” Featured soloists include Karynna Moore-Sobel, soprano, Lora Bashmakian, soprano, and Caleb Meyerhoff, tenor.

Elgar’s Music Makers is an epic, brass-heavy full cantata for choir, mezzo-soprano and orchestra — his most notable choral work behind his three big oratorios. Contrasting Mendelssohn, The Music Makers utilizes secular texts by poet Arthur O’Shaughnessy from his acclaimed 1874 collection Music and Moonlight. The piece “glorifies the place of the artist in transforming society and moving the world ever-upward into a ‘glorious future,’” Weinert states, “the special role of the artist in ‘renewing our world’ is one that many artists continue to aspire to.” Elgar presents wonderful moments of chromaticism and tension, strong declaration, stunning pianissimo and lush forte textures. Mezzo-soprano Emily Skilling joins the Philharmonia and Eastman-Rochester Chorus to assume the role of soloist for this work. 

Looking ahead to Eastman’s spring semester, on May 2, 2025, Dr. William Weinert will lead these two ensembles through Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

All performances by the Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman-Rochester Chorus are free and open to the public. Visit our website to learn more about these concerts and other upcoming events at Eastman. 

 

Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content, 

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

 

###

 

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 comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy 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 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, 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.