Eastman Community Music School (ECMS)

12/06/2023

ECMS violin faculty Rebecca Boyd was awarded Rochester First's Golden Apple Award this week! Rebecca conducts the Orchestra at Francis Parker School #23 in the RCSD and teaches string instruments and was nominated by one of her 5th grade students!

Read more here: https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/golden-apple/congratulations-to-rebeca-boyd/

12/05/2023

Eastman@Washington Square Presents: Maple String Quartet

Come to hear Brahms String Quartet No. 2 performed by Eastman students Isabel Chen and Magali Pelletey, violins, John Crowley, viola, and Gabriel Hennebury, cello!

Eastman@Washington Square is a free weekly concert series featuring artists from the Eastman School of Music and ECMS, usually at UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. Performances are held most Thursdays from late October through May at 12:15pm!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The Maple Quartet, formed in 2022, is based out of Rochester, New York at the Eastman School of Music. With members Isabel Chen and Magali Pelletey, violins; John Crowley, viola; and Gabriel Hennebury, cello; the quartet is currently pursuing their Bachelor of Music degrees. The four strive to present striking and enjoyable performances of adventurous repertoire, from Mozart to Bartok and much more! Recently, they were awarded the inaugural Celentano String Quartet Award at Eastman, an award for an undergraduate quartet with outstanding ability. In recent semesters, they have auditioned for and performed in multiple departmental honors recitals with works by Beethoven and Bartok. The quartet is mentored by the Ying Quartet, and their primary coaches include professors Janet Ying, Robin Scott, and Mimi Hwang.

12/04/2023

Join Naomi Foley and The Eastman Young Children’s Chorus for a night of musical fun at Strong Museum this Friday, Dec 8th at 6:00pm!

12/04/2023

Come support one of our ECMS piano instructors in recital next Wednesday, December 6th at Kilbourn Hall, at 2:30pm! This recital is free and open to public and features music by Dimitri Shostakovich, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, and Cretic Variations by American composer James Matheson.

12/02/2023

Here's an excerpt from Darrin Nicholson's mesmerizing performance of "Le Secret" by Gabriel Fauré! Enjoy!

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/o1HENojUjVY

12/01/2023

Happy December! As we launch into the holiday season, catch the Rochester New Horizons Music Big Band at one of the above performance locations in the next couple of weeks!

11/30/2023

The annual Rochester New Horizons Music Symphonic Band Holiday Concert takes place at 4:00pm on December 9th at Brighton High School. Don't miss it!

11/28/2023

Eastman@Washington Square Presents: Piano Extravaganza II

Featuring works of Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, and more by students from the piano studios of Joseph Rackers.

Eastman@Washington Square is a free weekly concert series featuring artists from the Eastman School of Music and ECMS, usually at UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. Performances are held most Thursdays from late October through May at 12:15pm!

11/26/2023

Continuing with highlights from this summer! Here's vocalist Isabelle Kieft singing Lascia ch’io pianga from Rinaldo by G. F. Handel!

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/jswCeQUAbtM

11/26/2023

Congratulations to Friana Engineer, a violinist and student of Janet Milnes, and Tristan Zhang, an oboist and student of Emily Hart, for winning the 2023-2024 RPYO Concerto Competition! Look forward to the performances of their concerti with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in June!

11/18/2023

We're about to launch into a series highlighting students from our 2023 Summer Classical Studies concerts! First off is guitarist Jace Bloomberg, performing La Rose by Mauro Giuliani.

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/NR_mLf43B10

11/17/2023

ECMS jazz faculty member Mike Kaupa was the guest soloist with the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Navarra (CSMN) in Pamplona, Spain last February. Mike taught multiple master classes at CSMN and the Musikene School in San Sebastian, Spain, and recorded about an hour's worth of jazz standards which can be heard here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYFymtHMs1k

11/15/2023

We'd like to spotlight the work of one of our ECMS faculty members! Double bass instructor Gaelen McCormick book titled "Teaching Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass Historical and Modern Pedagogical Practices" is currently in pre-sale and will be released at the end of this month.

Teaching Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass summarizes three centuries of string pedagogy treatises to create a comprehensive resource on methods and approaches to teaching all four bowed string instruments. Co-written by three performance and pedagogy experts, each specializing in different stri...

11/14/2023

Eastman@Washington Square Presents: Piano Extravaganza I

This Thursday, come to First Universalist for selections from the vast piano repertoire including Chopin, Beethoven, Scarlatti, Schubert, and more!

Eastman@Washington Square is a free weekly concert series featuring artists from the Eastman School of Music and ECMS, usually at UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. Performances are held most Thursdays from late October through May at 12:15pm!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Xiaoliang Qian is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in piano performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music, under the instruction of Professor Marina Lomazov. Xiaoliang is an award recipient of many competitions including the Thousand Islands Piano Competition, the MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition, and the Swiss International Music Competition.

Yunling Zhang is a second-year DMA candidate in the studio of Prof. Marina Lomazov at the Eastman School of Music. A winner of international competitions, Yunling has appeared on stage in recitals and concertos in the United States, Poland, Italy, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

"With a tone and approach entrancing from the onset" (New York Concert Review, Inc.), Matthew Figel is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the Eastman School of Music under Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers. A fellow at the 2022 Gilmore Piano Festival, Matthew also performed at Carnegie Hall’s Perspectives series in a Mozart concerto workshop with Mitsuko Uchida.

11/13/2023

Nov 19 (Sun) | 7:30 PM | Hochstein Performance Hall

Join us for the RPYO 23-24 season opener on Nov 19th! Support our upcoming talents of the RPO and witness Jherrard Hardeman's debut as the Music Director of RPYO!

From Loco-Motion to October, the program reflects the beauty of change and transformation.

Secure your seats: rpo.org/event/rpyo/2023-11-19

📄 PROGRAM 📄
🏞️ STELLA SUNG Loco-Motion: takes you on a train ride through an ever-changing landscape
🍂 ERIC WHITACRE October: evokes the brilliance of summer turning to autumn
👪 WILLIAM GRANT STILL Symphony No. 2 “Song of a New Race”: reflects an increasingly diverse American culture and the celebrations and perils inherent in societal change
🥂 STRAUSS' Kaiser-Walzer: a triumphant toast to conclude the evening!

11/10/2023

Please join us this Sunday in MSH 1 at 4:30pm for a presentation on Chinese traditional flute music by current Eastman DMA candidate Zhilin Zhang! Bring your flutes!

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Zhilin Zhang is a music educator and flutist with a multicultural background. Originally from China, she played with the Henan Flute Ensemble for two years and served as a music teacher in Chinese public schools. Her journey then led her to the University of Michigan, where she completed her master's studies in Music Education. She gained diverse experiences in general music and ensembles in both China and the U.S. Currently in her first year as a Ph.D. student at Eastman, she is poised to delve deeper into her passion for fostering cross-cultural connections within music education and performance. She also aspires to consolidate and synthesize interdisciplinary knowledge to inspire more people through music teaching.

11/07/2023

Eastman@Washington Square Presents: Early Brass: Eastman Sackbut Quartet

As a part of the Rochester Early Music Festival, today we welcome students of Eastman Trombone Professors Larry Zalkind and Mark Kellogg. This group thoroughly enjoys exploring late Renaissance music for Sackbut: the Trombone’s ancestor. Featuring works by Daniel Speer (1636-1707) and Biagio Marini (1594-1663) among others.

Eastman@Washington Square is a free weekly concert series featuring artists from the Eastman School of Music and ECMS, usually at UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. Performances are held most Thursdays from late October through May at 12:15pm!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The Eastman Sackbut Quartet is made up of students from the studios of Eastman trombone professors Mark Kellog and Larry Zalkind. As a chamber ensemble, we thoroughly enjoy exploring music of the reniassance through the sackbut, the modern trombone's ancestor. Each member of the quartet is also a part of Eastman's Schola Cantorum early music ensemble as well as playing sackbut in various other chamber and solo settings.

11/03/2023

Congratulations to Katherine Kovacs for her delightful rendition of Molly Carew's "Everywhere I Look"! Katherine is a student of Andrea Folan.

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/-qSaJXCzGhY

11/01/2023

In collaboration with The Strong National Museum of Play, ECMS will be presenting a series of programs throughout the next few months to introduce a very specific kind of play- musical! Two specific programs will be offered: Evenings with Eastman, short concerts in the museum’s atrium featuring solo instrumentalists or ensembles, and Story Time Club, interactive events where ECMS Faculty provide instrumental accompaniment to narrators as they read children’s books aloud. Come visit us this month at the Strong Museum!

Hats+Heels Duo

10/31/2023

Spooktacular Halloween Fun! Check out these snapshots from our ECMS table at last Sunday's "Halloween at the Market". We had a blast admiring all the creative costumes and sharing in the Halloween spirit!

Eastman Pathways, Friends of the Public Market: Rochester, NY

10/30/2023

Come to OSL 101 this coming Saturday at 2:30pm for a masterclass led by double bassist Jeff Turner, currently a faculty member at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. This is not an event to be missed!

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jeffrey Turner enjoys a multi-faceted career as an educator, orchestral musician, chamber musician, soloist, and conductor. A dedicated teacher, Turner currently serves as Professor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He also holds the position of Distinguished Artist at the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, where he serves as conductor of the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra.

Turner currently holds the Principal Bass position with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. As principal bassist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Turner served thirty-one seasons under music directors Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, and Manfred Honeck. He was the principal bassist of the New American Chamber Orchestra from 1984–1986 and played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for the 1986–87 season. He has performed with many distinguished American orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Turner has performed as a chamber musician at many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, the Korsholm Festival (Finland), and the St. Bartholemy Music Festival (FWI).

10/27/2023

Today we're spotlighting vocalist Steve Demaria, from the studio of Hannah Harrow! Steve performed Evermore by Alan Menken & Words Fail by Pasek & Paul in our final 2022-2023 Showcase recital last May.

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/Pk2adffbziQ?si=0K9c6Y4i8spQXtyS

10/26/2023

The ECMS Klezmer Ensemble celebrates the rich musical traditions of Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe and promotes the joy and comradery of performing Klezmer music together with others. You can come hear them perform outside Betty's Café next Saturday as Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's featured Pre-Concert Performers before the "30 YEARS OF JEFF TYZIK!" concert, celebrating RPO Principal Pops conductor Jeff Tyzik!

10/25/2023

This Saturday at 5:30pm in MSH 1, join us for a masterclass with seasoned performer, classical guitarist Boyd - classical guitarist! You can also catch Rupert in concert on Sunday, October 29th at 3pm at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word performing in his duo "Boyd Meets Girl" alongside his wife. This concert is hosted by Classical Guitar.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
At the age of 22, Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd left Australia for the first time, bound for New York City with just a suitcase and a guitar, and not knowing a single person in North America. He has subsequently become regarded as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, having been described by Gramophone as “a very fine musician” and by The Washington Post as “truly evocative”, and has performed across four continents, from New York’s Carnegie Hall, to festivals in Europe, China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, New Zealand and Australia. Recent concert highlights include performances for the Moab Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Caramoor, Strathmore, Festival Napa Valley, the Austin and Cleveland Classical Guitar Societies, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was also recently named New Artist of the Month in Musical America for his work as a performer and curator. Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Rupert Boyd regularly performs throughout the world in Boyd Meets Girl, with cellist Laura Metcalf, and the Australian Guitar Duo with guitarist Jacob Cordover. Boyd Meets Girl’s debut album reached #3 on the Billboard charts, has to date received over 3 million streams on Spotify, and received the following review in Gramophone Magazine: “they play like one, with a harmony of purpose as sure as their intonation.”

10/24/2023

Eastman@Washington Square Presents: A Double Bill - Mythology Through a New Lens!

Join us at First Universalist on Thursday for a first-look preview of Opera Theatre's upcoming production! The full opera shows from November 2-5 in Kilbourn Hall.

Eastman@Washington Square is a free weekly concert series featuring artists from the Eastman School of Music and ECMS, usually at UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. Performances are held most Thursdays from late October through May at 12:15pm!

10/22/2023

Bravo to Benjamin Watson, a french horn student who performed the Andante from Richard Strauss's first Horn Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 11 back in May! Benjamin is a student of Maura McCune Corvington.

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/gtwF7GIlPG8?si=mz3FM-ZVJP26W4zm

10/21/2023

We are passing on a message from the Rochester Oratorio Society! The Rochester Oratorio Society will be presenting a concert on October 27th at Hochstein Performance Hall. All are invited to come and listen!

10/20/2023

Join us this Saturday for a workshop geared towards anybody with a curiosity for music combining live performers with electronic sounds. You will be introduced to basic concepts and technology, followed by an interactive demonstration where participants can experience the alteration of sound through the use of electronics. Then, we will focus on examples from the violin literature discussing the relationship between electronic sounds and a performer in Davidovsky's Synchronisms No. 9 and Chakraborty's Chance Melodies. A performance will round out the presentation, leaving room for an activity of choice. Participants are encouraged to bring an instrument if they can.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ukrainian born Colorado native, Artur Korotin relishes challenging the status quo through performances of contemporary music on violin. As a concert organizer, Artur engages Denver audiences with thematic concerts including Music of LGBTQ Voices, featuring pieces composed and performed by members of the community. Being co-director of recruitment for OSSIA in 2022-2023, a student-run contemporary music group at Eastman, Artur continues to perform with them today. Most recently, Artur collaborated with OSSIA's president and Eastman PhD, Logan Barrett, in composing a 2 hour long installation for Eastman Performing Arts and Medicine called Music for Hospitals. The performance involves an ensemble of improvising musicians and live electronics to create a soothing sound bath for the students and workers of Strong Hospital to promote wellness and provide relief from the everyday. Artur earned their BM at the University of Denver under Linda Wang and Yumi Hwang-Williams and MM at Eastman under Oleh Krysa. They teach as faculty at ROCmusic.

10/18/2023

Bravo to young pianist Isabel Zhang, who performed Variations on a Russian Folk Song by Dmitry Kabalevsky at our very first Showcase Recital of the year! Isabel is a student of Alla Kuznetsov.

You can view the full performance on our YouTube at this link!: https://youtu.be/vE0JvqVvcHI?si=zIIgaefgCeV1kt1e

10/17/2023

Calling all current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (and parents)! ECMS and Eastman School of Music are co-presenting a FREE workshop on majoring and minoring in college music programs on Saturday, October 21st at 3:30pm in Howard Hanson Hall. Learn from Eastman’s professional Admissions and Career Advising staff what music schools look for in an application, how best to prepare for an audition, what one can do with a music degree, and what the difference is between majoring and minoring in music.

Space is limited! Please register online here: https://apply.esm.rochester.edu/register/ECMSpresentation2023

10/17/2023

Eastman@Washington Square Presents: "Bells N' Roses"

We kick off our ESM@Washington Square series this week with the Bells N' Roses, a french horn quartet of Eastman students! Come to First Universalist this Thursday at 12:15pm for a program of repertoire by Franz Strauss, Lowell Shaw, and Johann Strauss!

Eastman@Washington Square is a free weekly concert series featuring artists from the Eastman School of Music and ECMS, usually at UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY. Performances are held most Thursdays from late October through May at 12:15pm!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The Bells N’ Roses is comprised of Aliceyn Covington, Morgan Chalmers, Lea Helsel, and Alina Liebschner. The quartet makes up the french horn class of 2025 at the Eastman School of Music. Each from a different state, coming from New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Georgia. This is their third year as a quartet and have the privilege to work with Maura Corvington as their group coach and Peter Kurau as their primary instructor. They are all majoring in French Horn Performance at the Eastman School and Aliceyn and Alina are pursing double degrees in Instrumental Music Education and German respectively. The quartet has been featured on numerous Eastman Horn Choir concerts, Brass Chamber Music showcases, audition day masterclasses, and masterclasses with guest faculty including Bill VerMeulen and Frøydis Werke. You can view another performance of the Bells N’ Roses on January 28th at the George Eastman House.

10/15/2023

Bravo and sending the warmest congrats to ECMS cello alumni Catalina Woolridge, who won the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's 2023 Young Artist Audition back in March and as a result, performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra earlier this month! See more here:
https://13wham.com/features/bright-spot/bright-spot-young-prodigy-performs-with-rochester-philharmonic-orchestra

10/11/2023

The Eastman School of Music, in collaboration with The Juilliard School and Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre & Dance, is presenting the 16th Annual Upstate New York Music College Fair on Monday, October 16th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Cominsky Promenade, on the second floor of the Eastman Sch...

10/10/2023

We're so excited to announce our fall 2023 schedule for Eastman@Washington Square noontime concerts, beginning on October 19th! These performances offer an excellent opportunity to hear some of the best musicians that Rochester has to offer at absolutely no cost to you, and are held downtown at the First Universalist Church, on Thursdays @ 12:15pm.

Noontime Concerts are presented by Eastman Community Music School (ECMS) in cooperation with the First Universalist Church. For more information about concerts or music classes and lessons call ECMS at 274-1400 or visit esm.rochester.edu/community.

10/04/2023

Catch our very own ECMS Woodwind Quintet this weekend at E-YAH-PAY-HAH: A Native American Concert of Music and Dance which will be performed on Sunday, Oct 8th, 3:00-4:30pm at the Ganondagan Historical Site Auditorium, Victor, NY! The concert is free with donations gratefully accepted.

E-Yah-Pah-Hah, a Quapaw word meaning “town crier” will feature the ECMS Woodwind Quintet led by Kae Wilbert (Cherokee) along with original choreography by Daystar/Rosalie Jones (Pembina Chippewa-Cree) and a company of four dancers. Highlighted will be the music of contemporary Native American composers Dr. Louis W. Ballard (Cherokee/Quapaw), Ms. Dawn Avery (Mohawk, Turtle Clan) and Dr. Charles Shadle (Choctaw). Daystar Dance Company will round out the program with costumed theatrical dances inspired by the cultural storytelling of the Northwest Coast and of the Great Lakes Region, the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee.

10/03/2023

Don't forget to catch the Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra (EYJO) performing tomorrow evening at 7pm at ARTISANworks in Rochester, as part of the Concert to End Hate, led by Herb Smith. The concert is a product of the Levine Center to End Hate at the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester and features music by Smith, Strings for Success, a free instrumental strings program for students at School 19 through the Center for Youth, and the Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Read more here!: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2023/10/02/concert-to-end-hate-in-rochester-ny-herb-smith-to-perform-date-time-tickets-levine-center/70970771007/