Getting it Rite the First Time

As an occasional feature of the Eastman Blog, I’ll ask various Eastman musicians or other guests about their first encounter with a particular piece or genre of music. (Yes, this is blatant theft of the New York Times’ “First Crush” feature.) In slightly late observance of the centenary of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, I asked…

There Will Never Be Another You

The death of the remarkable Marian McPartland on August 20 deprived the jazz world of one of its great musicians, and also deprived Eastman of a dear friend. She performed here many times, encouraged outstanding talent among jazz piano students, and rewarded it with the Marian McPartland jazz scholarship. (My one encounter with her was…

Eastman School of Music Faculty Artists Featured in Recitals throughout the Year

Eastman School of Music’s annual Faculty Artist Series, supported by Patricia Ward-Baker, takes off in September with a variety of performances, ranging from tuba to voice and piano.  The programs give local music lovers the opportunity to experience recitals by the faculty artists, whose busy schedules include frequent appearances elsewhere in the world. The performances…

Introduction

This is a first for Eastman and a first for me – a blog about Eastman events, people, concerns, ideas, and perhaps other music-related items that catch my fancy. In my years writing for newspaper and magazines I have seen and heard events at Eastman many times, heard student performers who went on to become…

Pianos Give Peace a Chance

Conductor Leonard Bernstein, reacting to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, said in 1963, “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” Fifty years later, within the city of Rochester, N.Y., a project is using music as a tool to move toward a…

Eastman School of Music’s 2013–14 Season Highlights Include EROI and Fringe Festivals, Guest Star Performances, Operas, and More

The Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester looks forward to another full season in 2013–14. Highlights include the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI) Festival 2013 in the fall; participation in the Rochester Fringe Festival; and guest star performances from tenor Nicholas Phan, pianist Leon Fleisher, and more, in the Kilbourn Concert Series…