Eastman Presents 19 – 20 Season
Preview our amazing performances coming up this season!
See our outstanding 3 for $99 offer here!
Kodak Hall Series
Jon Batiste: Saturday, October 5, 8:00 p.m.
Opening the 2019/20 Kodak Hall series – and celebrating Meliora weekend here at Eastman – is acclaimed singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and leader of the group Stay Human – since 2015 the house band of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On his latest album, Hollywood Africans, Batiste weaves an intimate and emotional tapestry out of original material and Americana standards that carries the listener from the early jazz of New Orleans to the present day.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: Wednesday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.
This unforgettable evening features the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, helmed by legendary Music Director Wynton Marsalis is one of the most remarkably versatile orchestras and is known for their vast repertoire ranging from original compositions, and Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works, to rare historic compositions and masterworks by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, and many others.
Leonard Slatkin Conducts Jeff Beal, with Hila Plitmann: Friday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.
Music and movie buffs alike will be mesmerized as five-time Emmy-winning composer of music for film, media, and concert halls (and Eastman alum), Jeff Beal teams up with internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin. Featured on the program are Beal’s most recent work, The Paper Lined Shack¸ a song-cycle with soprano, Hila Plitmann and a live music-to-screen performance of Battleground¸ based on stories of Stephen King and starring William Hurt.
Bobby McFerrin & Gimme5 – Circlesong: Wednesday, March 4, 7:30pm
Bobby McFerrin, alongside two trusted members of his groundbreaking a cappella group Voicestra: tenor/vocal percussionist David Worm and bass Joey Blake, will take you on a life-changing musical adventure. McFerrin’s exhilarating vocal vocabulary—call-and-response, global rhythms, soaring melodies, lush harmonies, funny noises, invented language, silence, prayers, and laughter—reminds us all of how much fun it is to be alive, to lift our voices and communicate with one another, to make a joyful noise.
Kilbourn Concert Series
Time for Three: Thursday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Time for Three — violinist Nicolas (Nick) Kendall, violinist Charles Yang, and double-bassist Ranaan Meyer — is a group that happily and infectiously defies any traditional genre classification. With an uncommon mix of virtuosity and showmanship, the American trio performs music from Bach to Brahms and beyond, giving world premieres by Pulitzer Prize-winners William Bolcom and Jennifer Higdon as well as their own arrangements of everything from bluegrass and folk to ingenious mash-ups of Top 40 hits.
Kat Edmonson: Wednesday, November 13, 7:30 p.m.
Critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter, actor and dancer, Kat Edmonson has played major stages across the United States, Europe, and Japan. She’s appeared in major motion pictures, performed on radio and television, and released four groundbreaking albums to date. Her newest album, Old Fashioned Gal, came out in 2018 from Spinnerette Records.
Voces8: Wednesday, February 12, 7:30 p.m.
The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertory in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors, and soloists.
Avi Avital and Bridget Kibbey: Thursday, February 20, 7:30 p.m.
The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Avi Avital has been compared to Andres Segovia for his incredible virtuosity. Called the “Yo-Yo Ma of the harp” by Vogue’s Senior Editor Corey Seymour, Bridget Kibbey is a winner of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, a Salon de Virtuosi SONY Recording Grant, and the Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France.
American Chamber Players: Thursday, April 2, 7:30 p.m.
The American Chamber Players were formed in 1985 by Miles Hoffman from a core group of artists of The Library of Congress Summer Chamber Festival. The ensemble performs repertoire ranging from familiar masterpieces to commissioned American works. Its fascinating and delightful programs, with varied instrumental combinations, have been as enthusiastically praised as its extraordinary, dynamic performances.
Eastman-Ranlet Series
The Ying Quartet: Sunday, November 17, 3:00 p.m.; Sunday, February 2, 3:00 p.m., Sunday, April 19, 3:00 p.m.
The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. As Quartet-in-Residence at the Eastman School of Music, the ensemble will perform three Eastman-Ranlet Series concerts during the season.
Schumann Quartet: Sunday, February 23, 3:00 p.m.
The Schumann Quartet was praised by the Süddeutsche Zeitung as playing “staggeringly well… with sparkling virtuosity and a willingness to astonish.” The quartet’s many awards include the premier prix at the 2013 Concours International de Quatuor à Cordes de Bordeaux, the music prize of the Jürgen Ponto Foundation in the chamber music category in 2014, and first prize in the 2012 Schubert and Modern Music competition in Graz, Austria.
Aizuri Quartet: Sunday, March 29, 3:00 p.m.
Through its engaging and thought-provoking programs, branded by The New York Times as “genuinely exciting” and “imaginative,” the The Aizuri Quartet has garnered critical acclaim for bringing “a technical bravado and emotional power” to bold new commissions, and for its “flawless” (San Diego Union-Tribune) performances of the great masterpieces of the past.
Eastman Piano Series
Daniil Trifonov and Sergei Babayan: Wednesday Oct 2, 7:30 p.m.
Grammy Award-winning Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov – 2019 Musical America Artist of the Year and winner of Gramophone’s 2016 Artist of the Year award – has made a spectacular ascent in the classical music world as a solo artist, champion of the concerto repertoire, chamber and vocal collaborator, and composer. Sergei Babayan is one of the leading pianists of our time. Hailed for his emotional intensity, bold energy and remarkable levels of color, Babayan brings a deep understanding and insight to an exceptionally diverse repertoire. Sponsored by and generously underwritten by The Fernando Laires Piano Fund.
Joyce Yang: Friday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.
Blessed with “poetic and sensitive pianism” (Washington Post), Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang captivates audiences with her virtuosity, lyricism, and interpretive sensitivity. In the last decade, Yang has showcased her colorful musical personality in solo recitals and collaborations with the world’s top orchestras and chamber musicians through more than a thousand debuts and re-engagements. Generously underwritten by Vincent and Christina Lenti.
Nelson Freire: Tuesday, April 7, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Nelson Freire is among the most admired pianists of his generation, having played with the leading orchestras and conductors in the most prestigious recital halls, and in collaboration with the finest violinists, cellists, and fellow pianists. He has also recorded extensively in a wide range of repertory for numerous major labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Philips, and Decca. Sponsored by and generously underwritten by The Fernando Laires Piano Fund.
