“There’s almost a degree of magical thinking that goes along with ‘Can I make a career in composition,’” says Han Lash ‘04E, the Eastman graduate, lauded composer, and current associate professor of composition at Indiana University who returns next week as this year’s Howard Hanson Visiting Professor for a week-long residency. Their works will be…
Nearly half a century ago, Eastman pioneered a summer program for jazz musicians. Generations of students from around the nation spent their summers on Gibbs Street making music, making friends, and learning from each other and from Eastman’s faculty. In this blog, we hear from three leaders who significantly contributed to this thriving program and…
By Terri Medina Music heals. Music evokes memories and feelings. Music allows us to remember a specific moment in time. A beat, a note, a sound. Simply strummed or hummed, arranged and performed, music resounds deeply inside us and opens up our hearts and minds. URMC has been using music as a therapeutic tool since…
Looking ahead to the Eastman School of Music’s remaining Eastman Presents concerts for spring 2023, we are pleased to showcase globally celebrated visiting artists, as well as our renowned faculty members. Concerts will be held throughout April in Eastman’s beautiful Kilbourn Hall. “Don’t miss your last chances to see great artists in the 22/23 Eastman…
As a former student of Eastman’s Alexander Technique instructor Katie Fittipaldi, Summer@Eastman’s Marketing Assistant and violist Joyce Tseng has had firsthand experience with how Alexander Technique (AT) improves ease and freedom of movement. Katie has guided Joyce to use conscious intention of awareness in her playing and has helped Joyce overcome performance anxiety through the…
The Eastman Summer Horn Institute (class of 2022 pictured above) is a great program for participants wanting to dedicate a full week to solidify the craft of horn playing under the instruction of world-class faculty: Peter Kurau, Professor of Horn, Eastman School of Music/Principal Horn, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; Nikolette LaBonte, Associate Principal/Assistant Principal/Utility Horn, Rochester…
Across the world, hordes of audience members are packing into unusual venues to hear classical music surrounded by the glow of candlelight. These concerts are the latest invention in the trend towards immersive artistic experiences, produced by the same commercial company responsible for the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit that came to Rochester last year. According…
Eastman School of Music’s slate of jazz concerts for Spring 2023 will feature multiple celebrated guest artists alongside incredible student talent, with Eastman’s world-class jazz faculty at the helm. Included in this semester’s roster of guests is Eastman alumni Larry Aberman ‘86E, drums, performing with the Eastman Jazz Lab Band on March 1 at 7:30…
Larry Aberman ‘86E is a Grammy Award-winning drummer who has played every kind of a gig a drummer can play. He’s played with the New York Philharmonic, the classic rock band Foreigner, recorded film scores of Jeff Beal, and even was the company drummer for the Cirque du Soleil production Zumanity. Following 16 years in…
Composer Andre Myers ‘96E was having a tough time at Eastman as an undergraduate, dealing with culture shock, writer’s block, and the type of existential questions about the future that many music majors face. When he showed up without music to his composition lesson with David Liptak ‘75E (MM) ‘76E (DMA)—Eastman’s longtime professor of composition…