Allen McHose (1902-1986) was associate director of Eastman, chair of the theory department, and professor of theory. Mr. McHose spent 35 years as an organist and choirmaster of the Brick Presbyterian Church and also served as director of Eastman’s summer music program, launching the popular concert series Arranger’s Holiday. During his 38 years at the…
A beloved teacher and one of the nation’s premier oratorio soloists, Seth McCoy (1928-1997) joined the Eastman voice faculty in 1982, becoming one of the School’s most sought-after teachers. After studying at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, Mr. McCoy pursued vocal training with Pauline Thesmacher at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. While working…
Joseph Arthur Mariano was born in Pittsburgh on March 17, 1911. His father worked for the Pittsburgh Railroad, and was once given a flute as payment for a job; the instrument intrigued young Joseph, who began lessons at age 12 with Victor Saudek. Mariano went on to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he studied…
Eastman professor emeritus of voice John Maloy was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and spent his early years in Shenandoah, Iowa, where he began singing in high school. He studied with Anna Kaskas and Sergio Nazor at Indiana University, where his first operatic roles included Wagner’s Parsifal. After continuing studies in the opera department of…
Distinguished professor emerita of harp, Eileen Malone (1906-1999) was a legendary figure in the harp world and at Eastman. Born in nearby Victor, New York, Miss Malone earned a bachelor’s degree and Performer’s Certificate in music performance from Eastman and continued her studies with Marcel Tournier at the Paris Conservatoire and with Marcel Grandjany at…
Anna Kaskas Lokot (1909-1998), professor emerita, received a performer’s degree in voice with honors from the Hartford Conservatory of Music in 1931. Shortly after graduation, she received a two-year grant from the Lithuanian government to study and perform in Rome, Milan, Genoa, and Nice. Almost immediately upon her return to the United States in 1936,…
Abram Loft, distinguished professor emeritus of chamber music, served as chair of the string department and professor of chamber music at Eastman from 1979 until his retirement in 1986. A violinist and violist, he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Columbia University (Ph.D., musicology), where he taught music history from 1946 to 1954. He also…
Flora Burton Larson Eck (1907-1996) was dean of students at Eastman for 26 years. Appointed in 1946, she also was the supervisor for the women’s residences and taught psychology at the School. She was actively involved with the Association of American University Women, the Four Seasons Arts Council, and the Hendersonville (NC) Symphony Orchestra. “Flora…
Max Landow (1877-1960) was invited to join the piano faculty of the Eastman School in 1922 by George Eastman himself. He enjoyed an international reputation as a virtuosic recitalist and an impressive teacher. Mr. Landow was born and educated in Germany and taught at the Stern Conservatorium in Berlin before coming to the United States…
During her high school years in her native Rochester, Jessie Kneisel (1904–1992) “fell in love” with the poetry of German writer Joseph van Eichendorff and the musical settings Robert Schumann composed for it. That interest became the springboard for her lifelong vocation. Upon earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Rochester in German…