Alumni Gazette

Orchestra Applauds Tyzik

You know you’re a Maestro with a capital M when:
a) You win a Grammy award?
b) You are routinely invited to conduct acclaimed symphonies?
c) Peers and critics lavish you with praise?
d) You have your own bobblehead doll?

For Jeff Tyzik ’73E, ’77E (Mas) the answer is “all of the above,” thanks to a 7-inch-tall version of Tyzik that the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned to mark the conductor’s 10th anniversary as principal pops conductor.

“This bobblehead is a fun way for us to recognize Jeff Tyzik’s anniversary with the RPO,” says Richard Nowlin, president and CEO of the orchestra. “He’s a great sport for letting us turn him into a bobblehead. But, seriously, since he was appointed to the post of principal pops conductor in 1994, he has steadily increased audiences and raised the profile of the RPO as one of the finest pops orchestras in the country.”

Many credit the Eastman alumnus with helping to transform the Rochester orchestra through innovative and diverse programming. Tyzik’s programs draw from such musical worlds as jazz, Broadway, gospel, rock, and big band and swing.

Tyzik’s approach has made him one of the most acclaimed and sought-after conductors in North America. His recent schedule has included appearances with symphonies in Detroit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Seattle, Houston, and Pittsburgh, as well as with the Boston Pops and the Cincinnati Pops. He also made his debut with the Toronto Symphony and has been named principal pops conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Tyzik will punctuate his 10th season in Rochester in May with a program featuring three of Broadway’s biggest names—Jan Horvath, Michael Maguire, and Doug LaBrecque—and songs from Chicago, Les Miserables, Evita, The Wizard of Oz, Hair, and other popular shows.