A well-known musicologist and pianist, Verne Thompson (1899-1964) was a student of Josef Lhévinne and Rudolph Reuter. He toured with and accompanied singers Marian Anderson, Lauritz Melchior, and Albert Spalding. During a 20-year residency in Hawaii, Dr. Thompson was a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and a performer with the Musical Arts Trio. He…
Millard Taylor (1913-1996) received his bachelor’s degree, Performer’s Certificate, and Artist’s Diploma in violin from Eastman. He went on to become concertmaster of the New York Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and was a frequent guest concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony. He returned to Rochester in 1944 to become…
A beloved teacher and noted recitalist, Catherine Tait (1953-1997) fostered the careers of many young violinists at Eastman while maintaining an active performance schedule of her own. As a musician, Tait was highly praised for her interpretive skill, which she applied to a wide range of repertoire, performing sonatas and showpieces from the classical, romantic,…
Yi-Kwei Sze (1915-1994), professor of voice at Eastman from 1971 to 1980, studied at the National Conservatory of Music in Shanghai. Mr. Sze taught in China for several years before coming to the United States in 1947 to make his debut at Town Hall in New York City. He gave recitals throughout the world, and…
In 1967, after his retirement from the Eastman School, percussionist William Street was cited as “a remarkable example of that generation of music educators who did not go to music schools; they made them instead.” William George Street was born in 1895 in Hamilton, Ontario, but lived in Rochester since infancy. He began his professional performing career…
Robert Sprenkle (1914-1988), principal oboist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for 48 years and professor emeritus of oboe at the Eastman School of Music, received his bachelor’s degree from Eastman in 1936. Professor of oboe for 45 years, Mr. Sprenkle was known internationally as a superb performer and teacher. In 1974 he was named “Musician…
Donald J. Shetler, professor emeritus of music education, is a former chair of Eastman’s music education department, where he directed the PhD and MA degree programs, and taught courses in research, curriculum design, and the psychology of musical behavior. He retired from full-time teaching in 1988 as senior faculty associate, and moved to South Carolina,…
Professor of Piano at Eastman from 1995 to 2008, Thomas Schumacher studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School, winning the highest honors at both schools. His teachers include Fisher Thompson, Robert Goldsand, Beveridge Webster, Adele Marcus, Bernard Greenhouse, Rachmael Weinstock, Raphael Hillyer, Raphael Bronstein, and Hans Letz. Thomas Schumacher was a…
Russell Saunders (1921-1992) was professor of organ at Eastman from 1967 until he passed away unexpectedly in 1992. Before coming to Eastman, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Drake University and served in the armed forces during World War II. During his quarter century at Eastman, Saunders established a reputation as an exceptional…
Bernard Rogers (1893-1968) was professor of composition and chair of the composition department at Eastman from 1930 to 1967. He was born in New York City, and studied architecture before turning to music. His early composition teachers were Hans van der Berg, Arthur Farwell, and Ernest Bloch. After the successful premiere of his symphonic elegy, To…