Photograph of James VanDemark by Kurt Brownell, 2013 Eastman’s longtime professor of double bass, James VanDemark, will be the featured recitalist at ISB 2015 – this year’s convention of the International Society of Bassists, to be held at Colorado State University from June 1-6, 2015. His ISB Convention recital will be held Friday, June 5.…
Guest artists will bring music from India, Portugal, and South Asia to the Kilbourn Hall stage as part of the World Music Series for 2015-2016. The popular Eastman School of Music series will feature the violin duo of Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi on Wednesday, Sept. 23; Fado singer Ana Lains on Friday, Oct.…
Eastman RAs greeting the Class of 2017 in August 2013: Top row, left to right: Alexa Tarantino, Mary Baron, Micah Gharavi, Nick German, Alina Jeon, Calvin Chan. Bottom row: Eric Metzgar, Andrew Psarris, Rachel Beninghof, Melissa Zgouridi. One of the most interesting things I have done at Eastman was participating in Eastman Residential Life as…
A mentor to me is anyone who has your trust and who has advised you on something important to you. There are hundreds of mentors I have had in my time here at Eastman, from deans, to professors, to staff members, to community members, to fellow students. First is my teacher, Jim Thompson. I have…
Four Eastman School of Music students have been named recipients of 2015 DownBeat Student Music Awards. Garret Reynolds was recognized for Undergraduate College Outstanding Composition for his work “Our Time.” Brendan Lanighan was recognized for Undergraduate College Outstanding Arrangement for “Lament.” Gabe Condon and Julian Tanaka were named Graduate College Arrangement winners for “In a…
Richard Kessel, a media executive and marketing professional who has launched and developed numerous publications, digital media platforms, apps, and other e-marketing products for the music and education markets, has been named Executive Director of Communications for the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester. With more than 24 years of experience in…
There have been many incredible Eastman professors throughout the years. Only a few ever get to experience the wonder of their students reaching the top of their craft because of their instruction; fewer still are so revered that their names become synonymous with an institution or idea for all time. Professor Rayburn Wright was one…
Six Eastman School of Music voice students and six piano and accompanying students will compete in the school’s 34th annual Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 9, in Kilbourn Hall. This year’s adjudicator is acclaimed tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, who joins the school’s faculty in the fall as Professor of Voice. …
Apollinaire Habonimana recently opened a music school in his country of Burundi. At the invitation of Eastman student Matthew Langford, Apollinaire spent a few weeks in Rochester during the summer of 2014 in order to take classes and learn about teaching, planning courses, and administrating a music school. Summer@Eastman director Sylvie Beaudette gathered his thoughts…
Professor of Saxophone Chien-Kwan Lin During China’s Cultural Revolution, one of the world’s oldest civilizations tore itself apart, with an estimated 70 million deaths. One story from this terrible period comes from China’s remote Xiaoxiang region, where a widow avenged the death of her husband by tormenting his killer, a local Communist official. With no…