Here are some select recent clippings showing the variety of hits/mentions identifying musicians and scholars as Eastman School of Music alumni, faculty or students. (Note: Some links may have expired.)
Dett finds the roots of an American classical style
(Boston Globe 08/09/2014)
On Wednesday, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra resurrects R. Nathaniel Dett’s compact but ambitiously innovative 1919 oratorio “The Chariot Jubilee.” Born in Ontario in 1882, Dett accomplished much. He was Oberlin College’s first African-American music graduate. He led the music department at Virginia’s Hampton Institute for nearly 20 years. While on a Harvard sabbatical — during which “The Chariot Jubilee” was premiered, by the Boston Cecilia — his influential four-part essay on “Negro Music” won the university’s Bowdoin Prize. He was the model of a serious, early-20th-century African-American musician.
Dett never stopped striving. After leaving Hampton (his uncompromising standards having caused friction with college administration), he earned a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, thereafter teaching, composing, and leading various choirs.
Break of Reality merging classical with rock
(Pottstown Mercury © 08/21/2014)
Imagine four classically trained musicians with a passion for rock and roll combined with the creative courage of improvisational jazz, and you’ve defined the group “Break of Reality.” Featuring Patrick Laird (cello), Laura Metcalf (cello), Adrian Daurov (cello) and Ivan Trevino (drums and percussion), Break of Reality offers an eclectic array of captivating original and interpretive cover music.
It was at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York that Laird and Trevino merged their creative energy and gave birth to what evolved into “Break of Reality.” Initially comprised of four cellists, they performed in clubs and coffee shops in and around Rochester.
New Horizons Band will play at Renfrew
(Waynesboro Record Herald 08/12/2014)
The band is made up mostly of retirees who either played an instrument in school or learned later in life. The concept was stated in Rochester, New York, by Dr. Roy Ernst, professor emeritus at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.
Rusty Burge and Friends kick off ‘Live at the Uni’ series
(Cincinnati.com 08/19/2014)
The fifth season of Montgomery’s “Live at the Uni” performance series starts Monday, Sept. 29, with Montgomery resident Rusty Burge, who will perform jazz vibraphone with his band: Kim Pensyl on piano, Aaron Jacobs on bass and John Taylor on drums.
He received his undergraduate degree from the Eastman School of Music and his masters degree from CCM.
All that jazz in Rockport
(Gloucester Daily Times 08/18/2014)
A summer-long jazz program in Rockport came together last week when seven student musicians from Rockport’s elementary, middle and high schools teamed up to present a concert at the Old Firehouse Trust on Friday, and entertained Saturday morning at the Rockport Farmers Market. The program was coordinated by Alexa Tarentino, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music who not only worked with the students over the summer, but also played the keyboards during last week’s presentations.
Ned Corman’s ‘Now’s the Time’ describes road to, importance of music education
(Centre Daily Times 08/09/2014)
For Ned Corman, 76, the stories and scenes from his upbringing on a farm near Bellefonte helped to shape his path as a former musician and music educator and as a festival organizer and arts advocate.
In his newly released memoir, “Now’s the Time: A Story of Music, Education, and Advocacy,” Corman describes the arc of his story: from his birth in his family’s farmhouse and his first saxophone — a Conn alto from Pifer Music Center in Bellefonte — to his studies at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and his return to the area in the 1960s to become one of the first to earn a musicology graduate degree from Penn State. The book, available at nowsthetimebook.com, also details Corman’s achievements as a musician alongside music greats, such as Tyrone native Fred Waring, his work as a trailblazer at Penfield School District in New York, and his adventures in promoting jazz through festivals and organizations.
New NY ban on ivory sales impacts local business
(WHEC TV 08/13/2014)
Sullivan Violins provides instruments and bows to places like the Rochester Philharmonic and the Eastman School of Music, but this new rule could hurt business and its customers.
Any Given Child
(WHSV TV 08/12/2014)
Organizers with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts were thanked for their decision to partner with Harrisonburg. Organizers locally hope it will include more students and spread resources to schools with kids who may not have as many resources. “Spread maybe what you want your vision of the world to be, or maybe just like your emotions that you maybe couldn’t express through words,” said Abe Nouri, who graduated, from the Eastman School of Music.
Renée Fleming opening Buffalo orchestra season
(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle © 08/19/2014)
Renée Fleming — who grew up in Churchville and is an Eastman School of Music grad — will open the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra season with an 8 p.m. concert on Sept. 13 at Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo. The night includes a pre-concert dinner and post-concert reception as a fundraiser for the orchestra’s educational programs.
Celebrating Italy at Cultural Festival in Bradley Beach
(Asbury Park Coaster © 08/15/2014)
The Bradley Beach Arts Council will host an Italian Cultural Festival on Thurs., Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Banquet Hall Firehouse in Bradley Beach. The evening will feature a “commedia dell’arte” scene from the popular opera aria I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.
Council member and artistic director for the performance, Dr. Jacklyn Schneider is bringing together professional singers for the performance. Schneider has been rehearsing with New York City based singers and American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA) students Breighanna Minnema, Stephen Orr, and Joseph Giudici. Pt. Pleasant based singer Kelsey Robertson will also be performing. Robertson recently graduated with her Masters from Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester where she was awarded the 2012-2013 Concerto Competition for Mezzo-Soprano.
South Jackson presents a season of music
(The Tullahoma News 08/19/2014)
The annual Jazz on Jackson will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 and will feature Jamey Simmons.
Arranger, composer, trumpeter and educator Jamey Simmons grew up in Wisconsin and knew early on that music was his unique gift. He earned his Bachelor of Music at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and his Master of Music in jazz and contemporary media at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under jazz composer and arranger Fred Sturm. Simmons is currently Director of Jazz Studies at MTSU, where he teaches courses in jazz and directs Jazz Ensemble I.
County Historical Society Event To Feature Rochester Musician, Historian
(Jamestown Post Journal © 08/12/2014)
A well-known folk musician and recording artist from Rochester will be in Chautauqua County later this month to give a lecture and demonstration on a musical instrument that was popular throughout the country during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Historian and musician Mitzie Collins will give a presentation entitled “Historic Western New York State Hammered Dulcimers” on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. in the Stanley Hose Company fire hall in Sherman.
She began her musical career as a pianist and organist and received her Bachelor of Music degree and her Master of Arts in music education from the Eastman School of Music. In the 1960s, Collins became interested in folk music and began playing the hammered dulcimer in 1970.
Western New York’s soul of country music
(Buffalo.com © 08/12/2014)
And this year, the Erie County Fair is celebrating 50 years of Ramblin Lou and his Family Band.
Besides Joanie and Lou, the band boasts Lou Jr. on drums, Lori Ann on violin and Lynn Carol on keyboards. Daughter Linda Lou plays bass and is an Eastman School of Music grad. Her clear, sweet voice has won her top spots in local jingles, including Tops Never Stops. Lous teenage grandchildren, in addition, get one song per gig.
Cheap Eats: Stromboli’s moves, is more inviting
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 08/13/2014)
David Bantle stopped playing the trumpet years ago, but his East End stromboli and pizza parlor is as much about jazz as it is cheese, sauce and crust. Wearing a beloved worn and tattered Eastman School of Music T-shirt that is dusted with flour, he could be the school’s biggest booster.
“In all my years of being across from the Eastman, I’ve become friends with some amazing people,” says the small business owner who started with an East Rochester shop in 1994, opened several other stores, then eventually closed them all to focus on the downtown location. Those friends include local jazz greats Bill Tiberio, Chien-Kwan Lin, Mike Cottone and Bill Dobbins, not to mention the thousands of music students. He decorated the downtown Stromboli Express with their photographs, hung against wallpapers that had a vintage jazz and wine label theme, or a classical music score.
Library to host star-studded show
(Brighton Pittsford Post © 08/11/2014)
Back by popular demand, Wood Library’s Superstar Showcase and Entertainment Extravaganza will return to the Finger Lakes Community College Student Center Auditorium, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, on Saturday, Sept. 13, starting at 7 p.m. The star-studded variety show for adults is a fundraiser for Wood Library.Confirmed acts include the innovative Rochester City Ballet, the University of Rochester-based a cappella singing sensations The Yellow Jackets, classical pianist Ines Draskovic, and an array of exciting sideshow novelty acts by Cirqovation.
Classical pianist Ines Draskovic is assistant professor of music at FLCC. She was a member of the Ithaca College faculty and received a doctorate of musical arts in piano performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.
Tom Harrell leads all-star concert Saturday
(Rochester Democrat & Chronicle © 08/18/2014)
Publick Musick’s Bach to Bach concert celebrates the 300th anniversary of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s birth and the upcoming 330th year of his father, Johann Sebastian Bach. It will feature Eastman School of Music graduate Andrus Madsen on a fortepiano, a rare chance to hear this period instrument live locally.