Features
100 YEARS AND COUNTING: The Eastman School of Music marks its centennial with a series of concerts, programs, and other celebrations during the 2021–22 school year. (Illustration: John Tomac for the University of Rochester)In kicking off the celebration of the Eastman School of Music’s centennial, Jamal Rossi ’87E (DMA), the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music, highlighted the hallmarks of an Eastman education: artistry, scholarship, leadership, innovation, and community engagement.
“We try to instill in our students the value that who you are as a person has everything to do with who you will be as a musician,” Rossi said. “We are engaged in preparing our students for life, not merely a career.”
While that ethos might seem unsurprising for an institution that has adopted Meliora as its motto, when the school first opened in 1921, it was a new way of thinking about musical education.
As University supporter George Eastman and then president Rush Rhees set out to establish the school, they were creating a new model, one that would resonate throughout the world of musical performance, scholarship, and engagement.
In the interest of celebrating the school’s remarkable 100-year history, we offer a selection of milestone moments, innovations, and singular facts that highlight the Eastman community’s influence on musical artistry, education, and service during the school’s first century.
By no means comprehensive, the list only sets the stage for a second century of excellence.
A American Music
KEY ROLE: Eastman has been key in bringing attention to generations of American composers. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)Under the leadership of longtime director Howard Hanson, Eastman helped lead the nation’s musical world in supporting the work of American composers. Starting with annual American Composers’ Concerts in 1925, Hanson added an annual Festival of American Music in 1931. Motivated by a desire to give young composers an opportunity to hear competent professional performances of their works, Hanson also brought attention to compositions by earlier generations of American composers. His efforts also included long-term projects with RCA Victor, Columbia, and Mercury to record the works for posterity.
FIRST CLASS: The first bachelor’s degrees were earned by two women—Roslyn Weisberg Cominsky and Marion Eccleston Sauer. (Photo: University Libraries / Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation)In contrast to the conservatory model that prevailed in most schools in the early 20th century, Eastman was an early advocate for placing the training of professional musicians within the context of an academic degree, the bachelor of music degree. The first Eastman degrees were earned by two women—Roslyn Weisberg Cominsky and Marion Eccleston Sauer—on June 19, 1922.
COMMUNITY OF MUSIC: For a century, the Eastman School and the Eastman Community Music School have made it a priority to engage the Rochester community in musical education. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)Growing out of an earlier Rochester-based music school, Eastman has maintained its close connections with the Greater Rochester community and has been a leader within the nation’s many musical communities. With the Eastman Community Music School, which is also celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2021–22 (see “Y”), Eastman has developed ROCmusic, a collaborative partnership to bring music to Rochester city school children (see “R”). More broadly, the country’s only festival organized to celebrate classical musicians of African descent, the Gateways Music Festival, has been based at Eastman since 1994. The school became a formal partner with Gateways in 2016.
D Doctor of Musical Arts
Eastman helped pioneer the doctor of musical arts (DMA), a terminal, doctoral-level degree with emphasis on professional studies in areas such as performance and teaching. Eastman awarded one of the country’s first DMAs to Will Gay Bottje in 1955. A composer on the faculty of Southern Illinois University, he also directed the electronic music studio there.
CONDUCTOR: Frederick Fennell ’37E, ’39E (MM) developed the concept of symphonic-oriented music performed with fewer players. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)For More History
For a more complete account of Eastman’s rich history, we recommend the work of Eastman School historian Vincent Lenti ’60E, ’62E (MA), author of For the Enrichment of Community Life: George Eastman and the Founding of the Eastman School of Music (2004); Serving a Great and Noble Art: Howard Hanson and the Eastman School of Music (2009); and Nurturing the Love of Music: Robert Freeman and the Eastman School of Music (2020), all from the Meliora Press of the University of Rochester Press.
Another resource is the Sibley Music Library. To mark the centennial, David Peter Coppen, head of special collections at Sibley, is compiling an online feature “This Week at Eastman: The View from the Archive.” Find the feature, along with more about the centennial, at esm.rochester.edu/100.
The Eastman Wind Ensemble transformed the performance of wind music after its 1953 debut. Established by Frederick Fennell ’37E, ’39E (MM), ’88 (Honorary), the ensemble was smaller than a traditional symphony band and was designed to eliminate unnecessary doublings of instruments. The result was fewer problems of intonation and greater clarity of sound. In addition to championing the existing repertoire of wind music, Fennell approached 400 composers with a request that they compose works for the new wind ensemble.
With Wynton Marsalis as guest soloist and under the ensemble’s third director Donald Hunsberger ’54E, ’59E (MM), ’63E (DMA), the group’s 1987 recording Carnaval! reached No. 1 on Billboard magazine’s classical chart. Today, under the direction of Mark Davis Scatterday ’89E (DMA), the ensemble continues to tour widely, while also premiering new works for wind ensemble from internationally prominent composers. An example of Eastman’s long tradition as home to some of the nation’s most renowned string quartets and chamber music ensembles, the wind ensemble is part of a firmly established artistic legacy for the school. From the first resident faculty string quartet, known as the Kilbourn Quartet, to today’s faculty resident ensemble, the Ying Quartet, Eastman-born ensembles have earned recognition for artistry, innovation, and influence. A short list includes Eastman’s own Musica Nova, as well as alumni-led JACK Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, the MIVOS Quartet, Ensemble Signal, American Wild Ensemble, Kneebody, and many others.
F Film Fame
At the time of Eastman’s founding, live music was integral to the new industry of film. While the practice of live musical accompaniment was replaced by the arrival of movies with sound, the school has continued its connection to the medium. The Beal Institute for Film and Contemporary Media, named for its benefactors, Emmy Award–winning television and film composer Jeff ’85E and vocalist Joan Beal ’84E, provides students with opportunities to write, produce, and perform music for film and contemporary media. The institute is directed by Emmy Award–winning composer Mark Watters.
GRAMMY GREAT: The first Eastman community member whose work was recognized with a Grammy Award was William Warfield ’42E, ’46E (MM). Since 1960, more than 60 Eastman faculty members and alumni have received Grammys. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)The first Eastman community member to be recognized by the organization that presents the Grammy Awards was William Warfield ’42E, ’46E (MM), ’88 (Honorary). At the 1964 ceremony, a recording of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess featuring Warfield, his wife, Leontyne Price, and others received a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance. Since the awards were first presented in 1960, more than 60 members of the Eastman School community—alumni and faculty—have received Grammys.
H Howard Hanson
40-YEAR TERM: Hanson established Eastman’s national presence. (Photo: University Libraries / Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation)One of the most influential figures in the history of the school, composer and Nebraska native Howard Hanson served as director for 40 years, from 1924 to 1964. Under his leadership, the school became widely known as an institution that welcomed the performer and the scholar, the composer and the educator. It was a school committed to the development of musical leadership, and above all an institution that was thoroughly American in its outlook.
I Institute for Music Leadership
The first center of its kind in the nation, the institute was founded in 2001 to implement innovative ideas and programs to ensure the relevance and impact of music in today’s world. Among its many programs, the institute is home to the Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research, an initiative designed to study alternative ensemble models.
JAZZ IDIOM: Jazz became a formal part of the curriculum in the 1970s, but students and faculty had organized ad hoc jazz groups since the 1940s. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)A 1946 concert of a program titled “Music in the Jazz Idiom,” under the direction of faculty member Jack End ’40E, marked the first public jazz performance at Eastman. In 1970, the school hired former Radio City Music Hall musical director Rayburn Wright ’43E to develop a formal program in jazz—what’s now known as the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Media.
K Kilbourn Hall
Named in recognition of George Eastman’s mother, Maria Kilbourn Eastman, the hall has been a key performance space for Eastman students, faculty, and guest artists since it opened in 1922. Considered one of the architectural jewels of the school, the hall has been the site of performances by legendary musicians of the 20th century.
L Eastman Student Living Center
Opened as a stand-alone residence hall in 1991, the Eastman Student Living Center was the culmination of more than 70 years of student housing at Eastman. The first residence halls, which opened in 1925, were for women. Men moved into their own residence hall 30 years later.
M Mercury Recordings
MERCURY RISING: The Eastman School’s series of recordings for the Mercury record label was well received by both music critics and the music-buying public. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)A series of Eastman recordings for the Mercury label established the school’s reputation for performance excellence in ways that found broad appreciation among the country’s music listeners. Beginning in the 1950s, Howard Hanson directed the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra on more than 40 LPs for Mercury, which at the time was known for its technological innovations in capturing high audio quality. Joining Hanson, Frederick Fennell directed the Eastman Wind Ensemble in a series of recordings that captured an eclectic mix of musical traditions and genres for a Mercury series that was equally, if not more, well received by listeners.
N New Horizons
Roy Ernst, a professor of music education emeritus, founded New Horizons, a program offering musical instruction and the opportunity to perform in ensembles to older adults, as part of the Eastman Community Music School. Since 1991, the program has grown to more than 200 chapters across the country and internationally. Last fall, Ernst was presented with an Eastman Centennial Award in recognition of his contributions to music.
PIPES ARE CALLING: Leading an initiative for the study and performance of historically accurate organs, an Eastman effort has restored and installed several organs in the Rochester area, including an Italian baroque instrument at the Memorial Art Gallery. (Photo: Andy Olenick / Memorial Art Galllery)The Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative has made Rochester a center for the study and performance of historically significant organs. Since 2002, the effort has restored five organs in churches and other locations in the Rochester area. One of the first was installed in the Memorial Art Gallery, where the instrument is the centerpiece of public concerts and serves as a practice instrument for Eastman students.
PULITZER: George Walker ’56E (DMA) was the first Black composer to receive a Pulitzer Prize in Music. (Photo: J. Adam Fenster)A total of nine Eastman alumni and faculty have received the Pulitzer Prize in Music, accounting for the majority of Rochester’s 13 Pulitzer honorees. Longtime school director Howard Hanson was the first, receiving the prize in 1944 for his Symphony No. 4. The most recent recipient was Kevin Puts ’94E, ’99E (DMA) in 2012 for his opera Silent Night. George Walker ’56E (DMA) was the first Black composer to receive a Pulitzer Prize in Music, when his Lilacs—a 16-minute work for voice and orchestra that draws its title and its text from a poem by Walt Whitman—received the 1996 Pulitzer Prize.
Q Landmark Quotation
One of the most visible representations of the Eastman School’s identity as an institution that values artistry, scholarship, leadership, innovation, and community engagement is carved into the façade of Eastman Theatre: “For the Enrichment of Community Life.” Visible from East Main and Gibbs Streets, the sentiment (attributed to then University president Rush Rhees) has been a physical and metaphorical touchstone for the Eastman community for more than a century.
MUSICAL PARTNERS: With the Gateways Music Festival (above) and other partners, ROCmusic provides tuition-free musical education to Rochester K–12 students. (Photo: J. Adam Fenster)Established in 2012, ROCmusic is a collaborative partnership involving the Eastman School of Music, Eastman Community Music School, the Hochstein School, the City of Rochester, the Rochester City School District, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Gateways Music Festival. Its goal is to provide exceptional music education and performance experiences for youth living in the City of Rochester through yearlong community-based programming and resident-informed activities within their own communities. Now housed in three city-owned community and recreation centers, ROCmusic provides more than 150 children, ages 6 to 18, with private instrument lessons and ensemble experiences.
S Sibley Music Library
REMARKABLE COLLECTION: Home to one of the world’s most extensive collections of musical resources, including rare and one-of-a-kind materials, the Sibley Music Library houses a history that spans from the Middle Ages to the present day. (Photo: Ansel Adams Collection / University Libraries / Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation)The Sibley Music Library, named after its original benefactor, Hiram Watson Sibley, is the largest collegiate music collection in the Western Hemisphere. The library’s origins as a music collection at the University can be traced to 1904. When Eastman opened in 1921, the collection was moved to the school’s main building. In 1937, the collection found a new home on Swan Street in a building that was the first in the country to be specifically constructed to house a music collection. In 1989, the library reopened in Eastman Place.
VIEW FROM 1922: Eastman Theatre was regularly memorialized in souvenir postcards. (Photo: University Libraries / Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation)When Eastman Theatre opened on September 4, 1922, an estimated 10,000 people filled the venue over the course of three programs. Designed to be a multipurpose space, the theater was both a state-of-the-art movie house and a venue where the Rochester community could attend opera performances, concerts, and musical programs by both local artists and visiting luminaries. The appearance of performers of international stature such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jascha Heifetz, Arthur Rubenstein, Marian Anderson, Emil Gilels, Vladimir Horowitz, and Leonard Bernstein cemented the theater’s reputation as an important concert venue. The theater was renovated for its 50th anniversary in 1972. In 2009, the main performance space was renamed Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, part of a renovation that included the addition of Eastman East Wing, home to Hatch Recital Hall and other facilities.
U University
With the addition of the Eastman School in 1921, Rochester began its evolution as an institution encompassing more than one academic unit. Before Eastman became an official part of the University, the programs from 1850 until 1921 included only those in a single college of arts and sciences rather than those of an institution comprising many schools or colleges. The School of Medicine and Dentistry would follow in 1925.
STAGE PRESENCE: One of many Eastman artists who have earned acclaim for their artistry, soprano Erin Morley ’02E starred in the lead role of Eurydice in this winter’s production at the Metropolitan Opera. (Photo: Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera)Eastman musicians have won wide acclaim for their artistry, innovation, and leadership. To name a few in a long list: Boston Symphony flutist Doriot Anthony Dwyer ’43E, one of the first women to hold a principal chair anywhere in the country; TV impresario Mitch Miller ’32E; Annie composer Charles Strouse ’47E; renowned soprano Renee Fleming ’83E (MM); composer Maria Schneider ’85E (MM), whose 2004 recording was the first to win a Grammy with internet-only sales; and soprano Julia Bullock ’09E, who has worked to bring classical music’s overlooked voices to center stage, are among the many Eastman community members who have shaped the nation’s musical and cultural landscape.
W WHAM Radio
From radio station WHAM—once housed on the top floor of the school—Eastman was one of the first to broadcast live musical performances to radio listeners. By the 1930s, Eastman broadcasts reached an estimated one million Americans. The station still exists but is no longer affiliated with the University.
ROCHESTER RARITY: One of the oldest volumes on music available in the United States, the “Rochester Codex” is housed at the Sibley Music Library. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)During a 25-year tenure at the Sibley Music Library, Barbara Duncan—with Hiram Sibley’s support—acquired many of the library’s most important pieces, including the library’s oldest work, an 11th-century volume known as the “Rochester Codex.” The volume is thought to be one of the oldest manuscripts about music available in the United States.
Y Young & Old
The centennial is a double celebration: both the Eastman Community Music School and the Eastman School of Music are marking 100-year anniversaries. Since their founding, both have maintained strong ties with the Rochester community, particularly with young people and area schools. And both have provided far-reaching opportunities for musical education—the Eastman School at the collegiate and postbaccalaureate levels, and the community school for people at all stages of life.
PREMIERE: The program for opening day at Eastman Theatre included the showing of a film along with musical and dance performances. (Photo: Sibley Music Library / Eastman School of Music)The first Eastman Theatre program featured the film The Prisoner of Zenda, accompanied by the Eastman Theatre Orchestra. Also on the bill were the orchestra’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, a dance accompanied by the music of Rachmaninoff and Dvořák, an organ recital, and other performances. The multifaceted program was part of George Eastman’s vision to enrich the lives of community members through the experience of music.
Rochester Review
Winter 2022
Vol. 84, No. 2
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