Eastman School of Music’s 2013–14 season overview
The Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester looks forward to another full season in 2013–14. Highlights include the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI) Festival 2013 in the fall; participation in the Rochester Fringe Festival; and guest star performances from tenor Nicholas Phan, pianist Leon Fleisher, and more, in the Kilbourn Concert Series and Eastman–Ranlet Series. The school’s distinguished faculty is showcased in the Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series and—in the case of Kristian Bezuidenhout—at New York’s Carnegie Hall (Feb 27). Eastman Opera Theatre returns with productions of Handel, Poulenc, and Jerry Bock, and the school’s celebrated ensembles—the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, Eastman Philharmonia, Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman–Rochester Chorus—offer performances throughout the season.
From September 26 to 29, Eastman presents the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI)’s Festival 2013: “Spectrum of Sound: Aspects of Organ Music since 1940.” For the first time in EROI’s eleven-year history, the entire 2013 festival will be devoted to the organ music of the past century, with talks, workshops, master classes, and performances by world–renowned artists and scholars. To mark the 75th birthday of William Bolcom, whose honors include Musical America’s Composer of the Year, a Pulitzer, and multiple Grammy Awards, the venerable American composer’s music will be heard in recital, and he himself will offer master classes and a presentation on his organ music. The final round of the Westfield International Organ Competition will be held in Rochester on the penultimate day of the festival.
Eastman is also a leading participant in September’s First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival. With more than 120 productions in and around downtown Rochester, the city’s first Fringe Festival in 2012 attracted over 32,000 attendees and drew rave reviews. Now the Fringe returns with twelve shows at the Eastman School of Music, including performances by the Eastman Jazz Band; faculty members David Temperley, Tony Caramia, and Michael Burritt; and Eastman alumnus Peter Ferry. Also as part of the Fringe Festival, Eastman hosts Saakumu Dance Troupe, one of the foremost exponents of traditional and contemporary Ghanaian music and dance, on September 24 (also part of the Barbara B. Smith World Music Series).
Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall, famed for its world-class acoustics, is the venue for Tuesday chamber evenings in the Kilbourn Concert Series. Spearheading this year’s series is the Tetzlaff Quartet—renowned for its “resonant, golden sound and near-perfect intonation” (Arts Desk, UK)—in works by Haydn, Bartók, and Beethoven on October 22. Other series highlights include Britten’s Serenade featuring tenor Nicholas Phan, “a major new Britten interpreter” (New York Times), on March 18, and chamber performances from the Schumann Trio (March 4), Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings (Oct 15), and Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet (Feb 11).
String quartet recitals have been a feature of life at Eastman since the Kilbourn Quartet’s first performances in 1922. Held on Sunday afternoons, the Eastman–Ranlet Series keeps the tradition alive with upcoming performances from the St. Lawrence String Quartet (Oct 6), Pacifica Quartet (March 2), and the school’s resident Ying Quartet, which will join legendary pianist Leon Fleisher for a rendition of Brahms’s Piano Quintet on February 23. According to American Public Media, “Fleisher has redefined the meaning of perfection,” and, as the Chicago Tribune observes, “At 83, he’s still got the musical chops.” A 2007 Kennedy Center honoree, the pianist will also give a pair of public master classes.
Eastman’s faculty boasts Guggenheim Fellows and Grammy and ASCAP Award winners among its members, and the Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series, sponsored by Patricia Ward-Baker, offers regular opportunities to hear them in performance. September 4 brings a recital of vocal music from two Eastman composers—David Liptak, winner of the George Enescu International Composition Competition, and Mexican-born Pulitzer Prize finalist Ricardo Zohn–Muldoon—by soprano and Eastman alumna Jamie Jordan, a contemporary specialist praised for her “alluring clarity” (New York Times). Also of special note, tenor and Eastman Professor of Voice Robert Swensen, first prize–winner in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, presents music by composers of World War I on September 10. On October 13, Eastman will hold a memorial concert as a tribute to the late Distinguished Professor of Violin Zvi Zeitlin, internationally renowned for his interpretations of the works of contemporary composers.
Many Eastman faculty artists also perform on tour. In New York City, concertgoers will have the opportunity to hear Instructor of Historical Keyboards and nominee for 2013 Gramophone Artist of the Year Kristian Bezuidenhout, an Eastman graduate and “one of the foremost, and arguably the most brilliant of today’s fortepiano players” (The Times, UK), who returns to Carnegie Hall for a recital featuring works by Mozart and CPE Bach (Feb 27). Eastman’s Brad Lubman will lead his Ensemble Signal on three different occasions at Columbia’s Miller Theatre as part of its Composer Portraits series, starting on October 10 with a performance of music by Georg Friedrich Haas.
As in previous seasons, Eastman Opera Theatre will present a trio of new productions, with casts drawn from the school’s Voice and Opera program. In addition to Handel’s Serse (Jan 23–26) and Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites (April 3-6), the coming season will see a staging of She Loves Me, a musical by three–time Tony Award–winner Jerry Bock (Nov 7–10).
Rounding out the lineup for 2013–14 are a host of performances by the school’s renowned resident ensembles. The Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Eastman Philharmonia launch the season with Janáček’s Sinfonietta (Sep 25); the Eastman Philharmonia undertakes Strauss’s Alpine Symphony (Nov 11); the Eastman-Rochester Chorus and Eastman School Symphony Orchestra join forces for Rouse’s Karolju (Dec 6); and the Eastman Wind Orchestra gives the world premiere performance on December 13 of a new work by Jennifer Bellor, who won a DownBeat Student Award just this past May. On September 21, Eastman begins a series of six concerts, three each semester, of Bach’s cantatas, performed by Eastman students with one musician to a part, as Bach performed them.
Full details of Eastman’s upcoming season are provided below, and more information is available at www.esm.rochester.edu.
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About the Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music ranks among the nation’s premier music schools, boasting Guggenheim Fellows and Grammy and ASCAP Award winners on its distinguished faculty. The school has been commended and recognized nationwide for giving its students an intensive professional education, entrepreneurial opportunities in their musical disciplines, and the experience of a broader liberal arts education within the University of Rochester. Eastman’s prominent alumni include opera singers Renée Fleming, Anthony Dean Griffey, Joyce Castle, and the late William Warfield; jazz musicians Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, and Chuck Mangione; composer-conductor Maria Schneider; and composers Dominick Argento, Charles Strouse, Michael Torke, and Jeff Beal. The School presents more than 700 public concerts a year and hosts a variety of prestigious festivals and events, including, most recently, the International Society of Bassists Convention and the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.
Eastman School of Music: 2013-14 events
Sep 24
Kilbourn Hall
World Music Series
Saakumu Dance Troupe (part of Fringe Festival)
Sep 25
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Eastman Philharmonia / Neil Varon
Janáček : Sinfonietta
Sep 26
Christ Church
Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative
Organ recital and multimedia presentation by Martin Herchenröder (part of Fringe Festival)
Works by Messiaen, Ligeti, Cage, Stockmeier, Herchenröder, and Pelzel
Sep 27
Asbury United Methodist Church
Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative
Recital by Edoardo Bellotti, David Higgs, Nathan Laube, Douglas Reed
Works by Bolcom and Albright
Sep 28
Third Presbyterian Church
Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative
Organ and chamber orchestra recital by Peter Planyavsky, Edoardo Bellotti, Hans-Ola Ericsson, and Nathan Laube
Heiller: Double Concerto for Organ, Harpsichord, and Chamber Orchestra
Bolcom: Humoresk
Oct 6
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman-Ranlet Series
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Works by Haydn, Golijov, and Dvořák
Oct 13
Kilbourn Hall
Zvi Zeitlin Memorial Concert
Oct 15
Kilbourn Hall
Kilbourn Concert Series
Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings
Works by Caplet, Ibert, Françaix, and Bozza
Oct 18
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman Rochester Chorus
Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Oct 22
Kilbourn Hall
Kilbourn Concert Series
Tetzlaff Quartet
Works by Haydn, Bartók, and Beethoven
Nov 7-10
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman Opera Theatre
Jerry Bock’s She Loves Me
Nov 11
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman Philharmonia
Strauss: Alpine Symphony
Nov 17
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman–Ranlet Series
Ying Quartet
Works by Auerbach and Brahms
Dec 6
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman-Rochester Chorus and Eastman School Symphony Orchestra
Rouse: Karolju/William Weinert and Lee Wright, conductors
Dec 13
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman Wind Orchestra
Debut of a new work by Jennifer Bellor
Jan 21
Kilbourn Hall
World Music Series
Pablo Ziegler Quartet
Jan 23-26
804 Annex Studio Theater
Eastman Opera Theatre
Handel: Serse (Xerxes)
Feb 11
Kilbourn Hall
Kilbourn Concert Series
Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet
Feb 23
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman-Ranlet Series
Ying Quartet with Leon Fleisher
Brahms: Piano Quintet
March 2
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman-Ranlet Series
Pacifica Quartet
Works by Haydn, Britten, and Brahms
March 4
Kilbourn Hall
Kilbourn Concert Series
Schumann Trio
Works by Schumann, Clarke, and Bruch
March 18
Kilbourn Hall
Kilbourn Concert Series
Nicholas Phan, tenor
April 3-6
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Eastman Opera Theatre
Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites
Complete list of 2013-14 Faculty Recitals:
Sep 3
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Kathleen Bride, harp. Duo harp recital with Courtney Hershey Bress, Principal Harp, Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Music of Debussy, Franck, Tournier, and Kaska.
Sep 4
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
David Liptak and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, composers (featuring Jamie Jordan, soprano)
Zohn-Muldoon: Flores del Viento
Zohn-Muldoon: YoNo/TuSi/YoTu/SiNo
Liptak: The Eye that Directs a Needle
Liptak: Preludes
Sep 5
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Don Harry, tuba. With Jack Robinson, bass; Joseph Werner, piano.
Music of Barbara York, James Grant, Wolfgang Plagge, and Beethoven
Sep 6
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Jazz Faculty Chamber Recital. Harold Danko, Bill Dobbins, piano; Clay Jenkins, trumpet; Mark Kellogg, trombone; Charles Pillow, saxophone; Bob Sneider, guitar; Jeff Campbell, bass; Rich Thompson, drums.
Sep 7
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Eastman Virtuosi. Dvořák’s Serenade and other works
Sep 8
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Tony Caramia, piano. “Dancing Keys,” music inspired by dance, by Ginastera, Milhaud, Florence Price, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Bill Evans, Fred Hersch, and Tony Caramia.
Sep 9
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
George Taylor, viola. Music of Brahms and Bach.
Sep 10
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Robert Swensen, tenor
Selections by Charles Ives, George Butterworth, Ivor Gurney, and Erich Korngold
Oct 2
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Russell Miller, piano. With Julia Broxholm, soprano.
Music of Bach-Siloti, Schumann, and Lori Laitman’s The Soul Fox (NY premiere).
Nov 5
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Clay Jenkins, jazz trumpet
Nov 18
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Mark Kellogg, trombone and euphonium. With Joseph Werner, Christopher Azzara, piano; Daniel Ziemann, bass; Michael Burritt, drums. Some of My Best Friends are Trombone Players: music of Bolter, Premru, Scarbrough, Davis, and Mendel.
Nov 24
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Rebecca Penneys, piano. With Eunmi Ko, Omri Shimron, and Johnandrew Slominski.
What Pianos & Pianists Do for Fun: two-piano, eight-hand extravaganza.
Dec 3
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Robert Morris, composer. With Solungga Fang-Tzu Liu, piano.
Piano, Winds, River: Music of Robert Morris
Dec 8
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Alan Harris, cello. With Barry Snyder, piano; Mikhail Kopelman, violin; Bonita Boyd, flute. Music of Martinů, Mendelssohn, and Fauré.
Jan 22
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Bob Sneider, jazz guitar
Jan 26
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Enrico Elisi, piano
Jan 28
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Mikhail Kopelman, violin
Feb 2
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Charles Castleman, violin
Feb 4
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Oleh Krysa, violin
Feb 9
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Federico Agostini, violin
Feb 16
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Juliana Athayde, violin
Feb 18
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
John Marcellus, trombone
Feb 25
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Phillip Ying, viola
March 3
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Steven Doane, cello, and Barry Snyder, piano
March 30
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Barry Snyder, piano
April 1
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, composer
April 8
Hatch Recital Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Bill Dobbins, piano
April 13
Kilbourn Hall
Eastman School of Music Faculty Artist Series
Jan Opalach, bass-baritone
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