Choice Concerts
Since 1964 the alumni chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon has awarded a Musician of the Year award to a deserving Eastman faculty member. Past honorees have included Howard Hanson, Christopher Seaman, Jeff Tyzik, and the Ying Quartet. This year's honoree, Kenneth Grant, is associate professor of clarinet at Eastman, as
Choice Concerts
For those of us with even an ounce of Irish heritage, March will always be associated with the ubiquitous St. Patrick's Day festivities - namely drinking entirely too much. In appreciation of the fact that Irish culture does, indeed, include more than just drinking, let me offer an alternative -
Choice Concerts
This concert has me psyched. As a classically trained musician who has spent the majority of her life playing the works of dead white guys, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about female composers. This concert will feature works by 19th century women composers Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara
Choice Concerts
Lately TV has been deluged by reality singing competitions. One of the more popular ones this past year was "The Sing-Off," which featured a cappella groups from across the country competing for a $100,000 cash prize and a recording contract. While this week's International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Competition
Choice Concerts
Most of us can probably remember singing in school choir when we were kids. While our experiences in these choirs might have been mixed, one cannot deny that we learned some life lessons - even if it was only that lip-synching is a valuable skill set to have. Unlike my
Choice Concerts
I am constantly impressed by the abilities of young musicians in Rochester. Sometimes, I suppose, we take their achievement for granted, not realizing that Rochester is really very fortunate to have this kind of talent at the grade school level. This weekend some of Rochester's finest young musicians will be
Choice Concerts
Let me preface this by saying that saxophone quartets have never been one of my favorite ensemble - that is, until I started to research the Erie Saxophone Quartet. The Erie Saxophone Quartet is dedicated to promoting the saxophone as a classical chamber instrument. The group, which was formed at
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Opera is considered by some to be the ultimate art form. Perhaps it is the combination of art, music, theater, and dance, which can produce an intoxicating sensory overload. Maybe the magic is in the plots, which range from the magnificent to the mundane, and play with the gamut of
Choice Concerts
The Gregory Kunde Chorale will present its Absolutely Amadeus concert this weekend. Subtitled "All Mozart, all the time" the program includes works for chorus and orchestra, and features his popular Coronation Mass in C. The chorale is comprised of adult singers under the direction of its namesake, Gregory Kunde. While
Choice Concerts
Maybe it's just my Catholic upbringing, but I love some good organ music, and this month's installment in the Eastman at St. Michael's series is sure to deliver. The series, which is a collaboration between St. Michael's and the Eastman School of Music, showcases different performance majors from Eastman and
Choice Concerts
Principal pops conductor Jeff Tyzik will lead the RPO and featured tenor Doug LaBrecque in one of the most popular holiday concerts of the season. LaBreqcue should be familiar to the Rochester audience, having performed with Tyzik in the RPO's 4th of July Pops concert this past summer. Also featured
Choice Concerts
Given the abundance of Christmas concerts this time of year, it can be difficult to find a holiday event that is unique. One option this year is The Christmas Ceilidh Band, a local group made up of some of the finest Celtic musicians in our area. The group formed in
Choice Concerts
"Messiah" is Handel's most famous work, composed in 1741 and premiered in 1742. The oratorio is basically a Cliff's Notes of well-known scripture, and because of that has been extremely popular since its premiere, particularly around Christmas and Easter. Led by music director David Fetler, the RCO's production opens the
Choice Concerts
The Rochester area is lucky to have an abundance of stellar amateur music organizations, one of which is the Brighton Symphony Orchestra. The BSO is comprised of musicians who have day jobs outside of the field. A glance at the orchestra bios reveals an attorney, a teacher, and even a
Choice Concerts
This weekend, pianist Gary Palmer will present the 20th anniversary of his Night of Encores concert to benefit the Lupus Foundation. Palmer started Night of Encores in 1989 after one of his young piano students died from complications related to the disease. Since then the concert has been performed annually
Choice Concerts
This week the RPO will play host to an up-and-coming classical music superstar. Haochen Zhang, joint gold medalist of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will join the orchestra for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Not only was Zhang the 2009 competition's youngest participant, winning the
