Class Notes
1961 Bob Ehle writes that his composition Rhapsody/Concerto, Op. 13, 鈥渁 jazzy concerto for piano and wind ensemble,鈥 was premiered and recorded in Taiwan by Doris Huang and the Tainan Symphony Orchestra. 鈥淒oris also toured the solo piano version of the work, playing it all over the world (Seattle, Greeley, Boulder, Bangkok, Tokyo, and many others). She also wrote her dissertation on the work, and played the wind ensemble version at the Taipei Jazz Festival. The recording may be heard on Audiomack and portions on YouTube by entering Rhapsody/Concerto/Ehle.鈥
1970 Geary Larrick (MM) was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who鈥檚 Who. A composer and percussionist, Geary spent his early career performing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. He taught at the University of Wisconsin鈥揝tevens Point for 16 years, retiring in 1985, after which he has continued to write and perform.
1972 David Owens writes that his three-movement chamber-vocal work, Within a Dream, was premiered last February in Boston. He adds, 鈥渢he song group, for voice and string quartet, was commissioned by coloratura soprano Sierra Marcy.鈥 . . . Pamela Poulin 鈥83E (PhD), a professor emerita at Johns Hopkins鈥檚 Peabody Conservatory, writes that she鈥檚 published In the Footsteps of Mozart鈥檚 Clarinetist: Anton Stadler (1753鈥1812) (Pendragon Press). The book includes 鈥渘ew information on Stadler鈥檚 five-year tour of Northern Europe that took him as far away as St. Petersburg, and about Stadler鈥檚 relationship with Mozart and Beethoven.鈥 Pamela鈥檚 research first revealed what Stadler鈥檚 clarinet looked like, and it is now possible to build reproductions.
1973 The Croatian Chamber Orchestra performs a work by composer Bruce Reiprich 鈥75 (MA) on its recording Beneath the Tide: A Collection of Concertos (Parma Recordings). Lullaby, which Bruce wrote to celebrate the birth of a friend鈥檚 child, features violin solo with orchestra.
1979 New York City鈥揵ased composer Paula Kimper writes that the Paula Kimper Ensemble is performing one melody per week from Kimper鈥檚 Melody Book for 鈥淪ong of Myself鈥 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of poet Walt Whitman. The first several performances are available at https://paulakimper.com/melody-book/.
1980 Chicago鈥揵ased magician and 鈥渕usical mentalist鈥 Sidney Friedman has published Mind over Blubber: How to Use Your Mind to Lose Your Behind (Sidney Friedman).
1983 Pamela Poulin (PhD) (see 鈥72).
1985 Lynda Cullen writes that after a 31-year career as a music educator in the Rochester and Buffalo areas, she retired and moved from Buffalo to the Washington, DC, area to be closer to family.
1988 Eileen Strempel has been named dean of UCLA鈥檚 Herb Alpert School of Music. She begins her new position in July.
1993 Kelly Hall-Tompkins has joined the violin faculty at the Manhattan School of Music. . . . Gary Versace (MM) (see 鈥18).
1995 Greg Yasinitsky (DMA) writes that his big-band composition 鈥淛EN-TEN鈥濃攚ritten in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Jazz Education Network鈥攚as premiered at the keynote session of the network鈥檚 2019 annual conference. It was performed by the JEN All-Star Big Band, with Greg conducting. Greg has also released a CD, YAZZ Band (YAZZ Recordings), which was showcased in Downbeat magazine. The CD has also been featured on the Public Radio International show Jazz After Hours. YAZZ Band was listed as one of the CDs of the Year鈥揃ig Bands by Bebop Spoken Here in the United Kingdom.
1998 Thomas Lausmann (MM) has been named director of music administration at the Metropolitan Opera.
2003 Dave Stringham 鈥11 (PhD) is coeditor of Musicianship: Improvising in Band and Orchestra (GIA Publications). He鈥檚 an associate professor of music and the director of the Center for Inclusive Music Engagement at James Madison University.
2008 Susan Hochmiller (DMA) has published So You Want to Sing Chamber Music: A Guide for Performers (Rowman & Littlefield). She鈥檚 an assistant professor of voice at Gettysburg College鈥檚 Sunderman Conservatory of Music.
2011 Michaela Eremiasova (PhD) and Jairo Duarte-Lopez 鈥16 (PhD) scored the music for the film Brown Paper Bag, which won Best Film and Best Director awards at the 2019 San Diego Black Film Festival. . . . Dave Stringham (PhD) (see 鈥03).
2012 Sasami Ashworth has released her debut album, Sasami (Domino Records).
2014 Patrick Towey writes that he has served as director of bands at Plattsburgh Senior High School in Plattsburgh, New York, since his graduation from Eastman. In addition, he was recently guest conductor for the 2019 Clinton County (New York) All-County Honor Concert Band and, last summer in Lewiston, New York, served as the music director for Artpark & Company鈥檚 first Public Works production of the Odyssey. A piano and brass adjudicator for solo evaluation festivals throughout New York State, he was also a quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award in 2016.
2016 Jairo Duarte-Lopez (PhD) (see 鈥11). . . . Andrew Links (see 鈥18).
2017 Greg Roberts (see 鈥18).
2018 The 10-piece Rochester鈥揵ased indie band the Saplings鈥攃onsisting entirely of Eastman alumni and students鈥攔eleased the LP Go Digital! (Master Hand Records) in February. The Saplings are Matt Bent 鈥18RC (drums/vocals), Abe Nouri (Rhodes/vocals), Ryder Eaton (bass/vocals), Greg Roberts 鈥17 (guitar/vocals), Ben Bird 鈥19 (trumpet), Andrew Links 鈥16 (synthesizers), Geraldo Marshall 鈥19 (percussion), Adrian Eldridge 鈥19, 鈥19RC, Jack Courtright 鈥19 (trombone), and Rowan Wolf 鈥19 (saxophone). Jose Escobar is the group鈥檚 general manager, and pianist Gary Versace 鈥93 (MM), a professor of jazz studies and contemporary media at Eastman, is featured on the recording.
2019 Ben Bird (see 鈥18). . . . Jack Courtright (see 鈥18). . . . Adrian Eldridge (see 鈥18). . . . Geraldo Marshall (see 鈥18). . . . Rowan Wolf (see 鈥18).