Originally published in the September 2023 issue of Notes, Eastman’s alumni magazine. When cellist and pianist Scott Lykins ’09E, ’11E (MM) completed his undergraduate degree at Eastman in 2009, he realized he needed to earn money over the summer instead of attending the usual summer music training festivals. He planned a return to his hometown…
Eastman School of Music, at the University of Rochester, announces the new Advanced Diploma in Concertmaster Studies, providing intensive and focused study with Juliana Athayde, Associate Professor of Violin and Concertmaster for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). The Advanced Diploma, open for current applications and to begin in Fall 2024, includes intensive study of solo…
Profile by Alexander Tada ’24E John Hasselback III, a current doctoral candidate in jazz trumpet performance at the Eastman School of Music, recalls being sick on a birthday in elementary school when his parents insisted on taking him to a concert. “I didn’t want to be at this thing,” he recalls. “Then I heard the…
We are excited to welcome a wide-ranging group of guest artists and lecturers to the Eastman campus this month! Keep reading for information about each event and visit esm.rochester.edu/events for further details. All events are free and open to the public. Jon Christopher Nelson, composer EMuSE Composition Symposium: Thursday, November 2 at 3:30 PM…
At an early October opera rehearsal in the Eastman School of Music’s black box theater, Rihanna’s “This is What You Came For” blasts over the speakers and a group of opera singers are clapping, snapping their fingers, strutting, and using jazz hands to the beat in a mini dance routine. It was a warm-up exercise…
In a recent studio lesson, Eastman School of Music’s new Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium Justin Benavidez coached a student on the Eric Ewazen Concerto for Tuba. “Can you make it ring on every note?” Benavidez asked his student. Benavidez proceeded to demonstrate the ascending line with tones that rang out like warm bells.…
Jazz for Justice is an evening of great jazz, fine food, and fun in collaboration with the Eastman School of Music to benefit the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar. This year’s event will take place on Friday, October 27 from 5:30-8:30 pm at The Commissary in Sibley Square, 250 E Main St, Rochester, NY…
Associate Dean Crystal Sellers Battle didn’t plan to be a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices for musical institutions. After a childhood of singing in choirs and church, she was told she had the singing talent to pursue a performance degree in college. But when she arrived at college, she was pressured to…
On November 2-5, 2023, Eastman Opera Theatre (EOT) launches its 2023-24 season with A Double Bill: Mythology Through a New Lens, featuring two 21st-century operas by notable living composers Jake Heggie and Nkeiru Okoye. Heggie’s To Hell and Back (2006) and Okoye’s We’ve Got Our Eye on You (2016) mutually confront stories of redemption, gender…