'The Beauty Is . . .'
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CONVERSATION EVENTS Eastman Loves Lenny Mark Watters Walker 95, Adler 90 EASTMAN NOTESFALL 2018 ‘The Beauty Is . .’ Eastman Opera Theatre’s The Light in the Piazza ONE. MANY. MELIORA WEEKEND OCTOBER 4–7 • 2018 • ALL. You live ever better, every day, creating a ripple of positive change wherever MELIORA WEEKEND you go. This fall, bring it home for our 18th celebration with classmates and OCTOBER 4–7, 2018 the entire Rochester family. Get back to the very best of your University roots, across the River Campus and Medical Center, to the Eastman School of Music Don’t miss the festivities! and Memorial Art Gallery. Register today at rochester.edu/melioraweekend CELEBRATE, RECONNECT, AND RENEW YOUR SPIRIT OF MELIORA. Featuring Soledad O’Brien, Michael Steele, Ron Chernow, Nasim Pedrad, Pink Martini and more! { FALL 2018 } Marian McPartland supported (and frequently performed with) Eastman faculty members and students. Here she is shown with Jeremy Siskind ’08E in 2006. Jeremy has gone 2 on to a great career of his own. From the Dean 3 Brief Notes 6 “The Beauty Is . .” Eastman Opera Theatre lights up Kodak Hall. 4 Alumni on the Move 10 Facing Challenges and 26 Dreaming Dreams School News Thoughts on a musical life from our new faculty members. 32 Recordings All the Things 16 Walker 95, Adler 90 35 Tributes to two great Eastman, and American, Alumni Notes 12 composers. She Was 37 Dazzling pianist, total musician, 18 Eastman Loves Lenny Tributes caring mentor, and a woman with The American maestro had some early and 40 a very full vocabulary: Eastman unexpected ties to Eastman. In Memoriam salutes Marian McPartland 22 Composing a Community 41 (1918–2013), 100 years young. For almost a century, Eastman musicians have Faculty Notes given back to the Rochester community. 42 Student Notes ON THE COVER: “Oh, my Clara, love if you can and be loved!” The last moment of The Light In The Piazza, captured by Nic Minetor. KURT BROWNELL Fall 2018 | Eastman Notes 1 { FROM THE DEAN } Ever Better . NOTES Volume 36, Number 1 I often close my messages to you with the Latin word This list is so much more than a clever acrostic. It outlines Fall 2018 “Meliora.” This motto of the University of Rochester is a set of shared values by which we agree to interact as a EDITOR usually translated as “Ever better.” I like to think that community and hold ourselves accountable. While the David Raymond it is the ideal adage for musicians—constantly striving Eastman School of Music has exemplified these values CONTRIBUTING WRITERS to hone our art and craft as performers, composers, for almost a century, I assert that the strength of the Dan Gross David Higgs scholars, teachers, and leaders. But what Jessica Kaufman does Meliora mean when applied to our Blaire Koerner relationships with others within our com- David Raymond Andrea Schuler munity? Does it mean the same thing to CONTRIBUTING all of us? Does it include all of us? Does it PHOTOGRAPHERS help ensure that everyone feels safe, val- Kurt Brownell Adam Fenster ued, and welcomed? Michelle Martorell In March 2018, the University’s Vision Nic Minetor and Values Committee—comprised of John Schlia Grant Taylor students, faculty and staff, including our DESIGN own Professor Donna Brink Fox, senior Steve Boerner associate dean of academic and stu- Typography & Design, dent affairs—strived to develop a values Inc. statement that sought to answer these PRINTING Canfield & Tack, Inc. questions and communicate our shared commitment to mutual respect, equity, A set of Meliora wind chimes helped usher in Meliora@Eastman 2017. OFFICE OF diversity, and inclusion. After robust COMMUNICATIONS review by the entire University community, the follow- Eastman community emanates not singly from a mutual ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CONTENT AND PUBLIC ing statement was adopted by the Board of Trustees in love of music, but as importantly, from our deep and RELATIONS May 2018, further expanding the meaning of Meliora honest respect for every individual person. Our shared Jessica Kaufman across the University. sense of community is very much a part of the “Eastman EDITORIAL DIRECTOR David Raymond Our Values are summarized as follows: Experience.” CREATIVE ARTS DIRECTOR As the Eastman School of Music approaches our next Michelle Martorell Meliora: We strive to be ever better, for everyone. century, we will continue to ensure performance and SECRETARY academic excellence. As we strive to be “ever better” Equity: We commit to diversity, inclusion, and access. Olga Malavet we recognize that the spirit of Eastman community Leadership: We take initiative and share responsibility developed here on Gibbs Street will ultimately impact for exemplifying excellence. a far larger community through alumni and friends of the school. May we all carry our musical talent and our Integrity: We conduct ourselves with honesty, dedication, Meliora Values into the communities where we live and and fairness. work around the world. Published twice a Openness: We embrace freedom of ideas, inquiry, and year by the Office of expression. Meliora, Communications, Eastman School of Respect: We value our differences, our environment, and Music, 26 Gibbs Street, our individual and collective contributions. Rochester, NY 14604, (585) 274-1050. Accountability: We are each responsible for making our Eastman-Notes@ community ever better, through our actions, our words, esm.rochester.edu and our dealings with others. Jamal J. Rossi, Joan and Martin Messinger Dean Find us on Facebook and Twitter. As we strive to be “ever better” we recognize that the spirit of Eastman community developed here on Gibbs Street will ultimately impact a far larger community through alumni 10% Total Recovered Fiber 100% Post-Consumer Fiber and friends of the school. 2 Eastman Notes | Fall 2018 JOHN SCHLIA { BRIEF NOTES } XRIJF Grants a Scholarship Grant Le, a bassist from the Chicago area, is this year’s recipient of the Xerox Roch- ester International Jazz Festival/Eastman School of Music (XRIJF/ESM) Jazz Festival Scholarship. The summer before his senior year, Grant attended the Birch Creek Summer Music Camp, where he studied with Eastman JCM professor Jeff Campbell. “Earning this scholarship is such an honor,” says Grant. “I can’t wait to continue my jazz studies at Eastman this fall.” New York Rite of Spring Bassoonist Peter Kolkay ’00E (MM) made a cameo appearance of a sort in the April 16, 2018 New Yorker. Tom Gauld’s cover “Soundtrack to Spring” included a few notes from a couple of spring-inspired musical works, includ- ing the first measures of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. If you visit the New Yorker Lots of Lenya Love website and hover over the The Lotte Lenya Competition has now been held in Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall for twenty years, and among cover, you’ll hear Peter’s its finalists are usually Eastman students or alumni.Laura Sanders ’16E, ’18E (MM), shown on the left, confident playing. was one of the three winners of the 2018 competition. Reilly Nelson ’11E, right, received a runner-up prize, and Lyndon Meyer ’10E (MM), shown with Reilly, served with distinction as one of the two staff pianists. Superhero Symphonies Zap! Boom! Pow!, a comic The competition, founded by Eastman Professor Kim Kowalke, President and CEO of the Kurt Weill Foundation book about superhero for Music, has exceeded more than $1 million in prize money. composers by Lucy A. ’81E (MA) is in Warner “Music is Coming” its second printing, and Garret Reynolds ’18E the second book in the (MM) is not only the series, Zap! Bam! Now!, was first person to receive recently released by Spring Eastman’s Master’s Degree Promise Productions. The in Contemporary Media & series, illustrated by Patrick Film Composition, he’s also Ackerman, includes more the first to put it to work. than 15 composers. Garret was just hired as an assistant to Ramin Djawadi, composer of the Game of Thrones series. Garret joins Djawadi’s United States tour of “Game of Thrones” in Concert—titled Music Jeffrey Barker ’06E John Beck ’83 (MM) Erin Hannigan ’96E (MM) is Coming, in reference to the show’s tagline “Winter An Excellent Eastman recipients of the Ford by Ford. The winners’ is coming.” A world tour Alumni Trio Musician Awards for videos describing their of “Game of Thrones” in Jeffrey Barker ’06E, Excellence in Community work in community Concert began in May John Beck ’83E (MM), Service, a program of outreach and musical 2018 in Madrid and ends in and Erin Hannigan ’96E the League of American education can be found at Toronto in October. (MM) are among the Orchestras made possible americanorchestras.org/ MATT WITTMEYER (LOTTE LENYA COMPETITION); BRAD KEVELIN (BARKER); LAURIE BECK (BECK); TERESA BERG (HANNIGAN) Fall 2018 | Eastman Notes 3 { ALUMNI ON THE MOVE } Tonia Ko Leslie B. Dunner ’10E, composer, sound artist, visual artist ’78E, conductor and music educator ■■Tonia recently received ■■Leslie, who received his two significant honors: a 2018 Eastman degree in clarinet Guggenheim Fellowship, and an performance, is the new appointment as Postdoctoral conductor of the Interlochen Arts Researcher at Chicago’s Center for Academy Orchestra. Leslie has Contemporary Composition. They’re also been music director of the the latest in a string of awards South Shore Opera Company from the Fromm Music Foundation, since 2014, as well as music Chamber Music America, the director of the Joffrey Ballet and Academy of Arts and Letters, and assistant conductor of the Detroit Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). This Symphony Orchestra spring Tonia was a resident at the MacDowell Colony. 4 Eastman Notes | Fall 2018 MATT DINE (KO); 21C MEDIA (DUNNER) { ALUMNI ON THE MOVE } Nabaté Isles ’99E, jazz musician and sports broadcaster ■■Nabate’s two thriving careers reflect his two passions.