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2001002 Eastman Notes 11/9/01 1:01 AM Page 1 F ALL 2001 2001002 Eastman Notes 11/9/01 1:01 AM Page 2 ELIZABETH TORGERSON-LAMARK Hoedown in Honeoye Falls Following move-in day, approximately 135 fresh- through the dean of students office and the men and resident advisers put on their dancin’ Eastman Orientation Committee included a shoes and traveled down to Honeoye Falls to banana split party, movie night, a dance, and an kick up their heels at the annual barn dance almost-formal dinner where student orientation that is a part of Eastman’s fall orientation pro- committee members in formal attire served gram. Other ice-breaking activities arranged freshmen at a candlelight dinner. ❧ 2001002 Eastman Notes 11/9/01 1:01 AM Page 1 INSIDE VOL. 20/NO. 24 FALL 2001 FEATURES REPORT ON GIVING Published twice a year by the Office of 2 When I was your age 21 Eastman Fund Communications, Eastman School of Music, Remain open to the richness of life’s 26 Gibbs Street, Rochester, NY 14604, 22 Matching gift companies possibilities, urges commencement 585-274-1040. speaker Ellen Koskoff 24 Eastman faculty and staff Email: [email protected] 4 Leading far beyond Gibbs Street 27 Restricted giving Eastman faculty members’ talents 28 Those recognized by your gifts and guidance reach national and Susan Robertson international forums Associate Director for Communications 6 The orchestra of the future DEPARTMENT NEWS Chicago Symphony president Allison Mayer shares his organization’s plan for 30 Composition Editor community engagement 31 Faculty engagements Lynn Williams 11 Variations on a theme by Horowitz 32 Theory Brianna Winters Eastman students reflect on ideas Christina Zikos by Shouse keynote speaker 33 Keyboard Contributing Writers 34 Music Education Kurt Brownell SCHOOL NEWS 35 A note from the School Historian Gelfand-Piper 36 Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media Amy Glossner 13 Oscar-winning composer and Gary Lee Heard U.S. senator visit Eastman Theatre 37 Humanities Louis Ouzer 14 Eastman to host conference for John Smillie EWE’s 50th Elizabeth Torgerson-Lamark IN TRIBUTE Contributing Photographers 15 Fennell inducted into Hall of Fame 38 Mitchell Stern Performances and master classes Steve Boerner round out John Adams’ Eastman visit In memoriam Graphic Design 16 Eastman hosts 4th annual Lotte Lenya competition – and provides a winner NOTES Students perform Miller Theatre finale 39 Alumni notes Welcome new faculty 41 Oboe students arrange for a 17 McPartland jazz concert features momentous “Memo” for Killmer Roberta Piket 42 Alumni join Fennell for mini-reunions ON THE COVER Rouse clarinet concerto is premiered 46 Faculty notes The Force on the podium 18 Eastman establishes Institute for Music Leadership Student notes John Williams, conductor and Oscar- winning composer for many of the most A healthy exchange, here and abroad 47 Bassoonists abound popular films in movie history, presented 19 Eddins guest conducts and receives Corrections an unforgettable sampling of his life’s work award at Eastman to a sold-out audience in Eastman Theatre in April. Story, page 13. Eastman Chamber Music Society debuts in New York City Saxophonist Lee Konitz visits our jazz department 20 Kneisel competition still strong Elizabeth Marvin named dean of academic affairs PHOTO BY GELFAND-PIPER Eastman marks Sept. 11 tragedy with reflection, volunteerism F ALL 2001 1 2001002 Eastman Notes 11/9/01 1:01 AM Page 2 FEATURES way baby grand in the center of the living room – so there would be no mistake as to its importance – I was expected to carry on the tradition. And, of course, I was also When I was expected to marry – hopefully a doctor like my father – and to have children. It was important, my father said, for a woman to have an education and career, because, later in life, he would hint, if your age something happened to my husband – like if he dropped dead or left me for another woman – I’d have something to fall back Remain open to the richness of life’s possibilities, on. I’d have to do it all. After all, my father, who had lived in the same house for 30 urges commencement speaker Ellen Koskoff years, still claimed not to know where the dishes were. Clearly, someone had taken care of him. My mother, a musician and playwright, who died when I was 10, and later my stepmother, who worked full-time BY ELLEN KOSKOFF as a nurse, had done it all, and so could I. So, with this plan in mind, I practiced hen Jim Undercofler called me earlier this before and after school, gave recitals, and week and told me about William Warfield’s sur- went to music camps in the summer. I was a pretty good kid then. I tried to listen to gery, he asked me if I would speak in his place my parents. What they wanted for me was today, and I must admit that my first thought also what I wanted. Anyway, doing music made me special; it separated me some- was, “Wow! What an honor, to be the first back- what from my fellow classmates in grade up call to William Warfield!” My second thought was, “Uh-oh!! Do I school and later in high school. I was dif- W ferent, a little outside the crowd, and I have to sing!?” came to like that. So, I began to think: What will I say? Well, if I had been listening By the time I entered college I knew that music, that is, Western classical at my own graduation what would I have wanted to hear? music, had a high value in my family. My father would smile proudly at the dinner table when I would proclaim, “There is no COMMENCEMENT 2001 music after Bach,” or “Ach! Rock music – it’s all just I, IV, V, I anyway!” One branch What was I like at your age? What were of our family, the Newmans, had even my expectations about life? Assuming I made it big in Hollywood, writing music would have listened, what would I have for the movies. Although I would often wanted to hear someone say when I was brag about being related to Hollywood your age? Well, probably the last thing I types, I really thought, “What’s the matter would have wanted to hear was someone with them? Why did they sell out? Could- beginning a sentence with, “When I was n’t they make it doing real music?” your age,” because I knew a lecture would On the one hand I was pretty proud of be coming. But here goes anyway … my abilities and my noble pursuit of clas- When I was your age I thought that I sical music. I worked hard, practiced long would be a performer and teacher; a hours, and did my theory homework. But, pianist, perhaps, with a studio in my on the other hand, there was this issue of house; that I would soon marry, have chil- having perfect pitch. It was a big deal to dren, and – I must admit the details were me then. I began to take chances: I would fuzzy here – live happily ever after. Some- show up to ear training class having not how it would all work out because from even opened the book of exercises; after the age of 3 when my parents discovered I all, I could sight-read this stuff. I began to had perfect pitch, I knew I wanted to let my friends sit next to me when we had become a musician. As the granddaughter dictation so they could copy from my and niece of composers, and the daughter GARY LEE HEARD paper. I began to memorize the key rela- of musical parents who placed the Stein- Ellen Koskoff tionships of all of the listenings assigned 2 EASTMAN NOTES 2001002 Eastman Notes 11/9/01 1:01 AM Page 3 FEATURES for my survey classes, rather than listen- Friedan. During this time, I began to see a about ethnomusicology, and discovered ing to whole movements. After all, with “bigger picture.” I became politicized. I much to my delight that I could spend my perfect pitch, it was a piece of cake. I moved to New York and began working on life playing with ideas, talking with peo- began to get cocky. a master’s degree at Columbia University. ple, writing, being political, performing I was even kicked out of a theory class I was still practicing and giving concerts, through teaching, and still love the music because of my “attitude.” We had to learn but by now, I had switched to the harpsi- of Bach, even if I didn’t love everything something called “associated repertoire” chord, giving even more credence to the about his social context. Wow! I didn’t in ear training. When we practiced notion that there really was no music have to give up anything! I just had to singing intervals we were supposed to after Bach. rearrange my plan a bit. associate them to familiar songs, so in Somehow, one day, even that phrase Now, don’t think that all of this “finding class, when the professor played an began to ring hollow: At times while prac- myself” was always so easy. There were a octave, we were supposed to sing it, iden- ticing, I would start to catch myself think- lot of setbacks, moments of struggle, and tify the interval, and then say, “Some- ing that even though he did write great real depression. There were many times where Over the Rainbow.” A major sev- music, Bach was, after all, a dead white when I threatened to leave it all and open enth was “Bali Ha’i,” and a major sixth male European composer.