The Eastman School’s new conductor

Rochester is a musical mecca. For a city its size, the opportunities to listen, to play or sing, and to learn are unparalleled. The number of employed musicians per capita is second only to Nashville. Rochester’s contribution to music’s “labor pool” is also second in the nation: Music degrees as a share of population sits just behind Boston, composite data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics and Census of Population show.

If Rochester is a mecca, then its “great mosque” is the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. The Rochester Philharmonic, Hochstein School of Music, the Rochester Jazz and Fringe festivals, performing arts programs at other colleges and universities, ROCmusic, the Hochstein School, the Rochester Oratorio Society, other community choruses and bands, church music offerings—are all enriched by the talent drawn to Rochester by Eastman.

Rochester’s cultural crown jewel is under the stewardship of a new dean, Kate Sheeran. The eighth dean in the school’s storied century-old history, she assumed the role in July. She succeeds Jamal Rossi, who remains with Eastman as professor of woodwinds and director of the Howard Hanson Institute for American Music.

A 2002 Eastman graduate, Sheeran previously held increasingly responsible administrative positions in her career including serving as provost and dean of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and, most recently, executive director of New York City’s Kaufman Music Center. She has also continued to play the French horn (called “the horn” in music circles) with various ensembles. (Eastman’s horn choir may have a new player in the back row this holiday season—Sheeran hopes to play along as 25 French horns celebrate the season in the resonant space of Lowry Hall.)

Managing the varied programs and initiatives at Kaufman was good preparation for her role at Eastman, Sheeran says.

“There is so much that is important to learn when stepping into this role,” she says. “I need to know about our finances. I need to know about our programming and our curriculum. I need to know where we need resources—it might be facilities, it might be related to our students’ curriculum, it might be people. Or it might be ideas. And the more ideas and wonderful things we have happening, the more we have to find the resources.”

Eastman sought to create a music city

George Eastman’s School of Music opened in 1921. An avid “consumer” of music, he observed that “a great deal of work is drudgery” and that “hours of work have accordingly been reduced,” opening opportunities for leisure. “I am interested in music personally, and I am led thereby to want to share my pleasure with others.”

He aimed at more than just creating a musical “ivory tower”; he wanted all of Rochester to be steeped in music.

“Without the presence of a large body of people who understand music and who get enjoyment out of it, any attempt to develop the resources of any city is doomed to failure. Because in Rochester we realize this, we have undertaken a scheme for building musical capacity on a large scale from childhood.”

In Eastman’s vision, the school was to support students at all levels, from “pupils of high and elementary schools who are taught by teachers employed by the Board of Education” to individuals seeking advanced training in “one or more branches of the musical arts.” Community engagement was central to his vision. Even in those early years, the Eastman School was acknowledged to be a community resource, providing teachers to the “Hochstein Music Settlement School”—then located on Joseph Avenue.

Today, Eastman enrolls 900 students—500 undergraduate and 400 graduate—and employs 95 faculty members. Tuition currently is $65,870, and total direct costs—including housing, food and other expenses—come to around $90,000. But, according to Eastman, no undergraduate student pays the full direct cost and nearly all receive some amount of merit scholarship.

Notable alumni include singers William Warfield, Renee Fleming, Anthony Dean Griffey and Katherine Lewek; jazz musicians Chuck Mangione, Maria Schneider, Ron Carter and Steve Gadd; conductors Frederick Fennell, Mitch Miller and Jeff Tyzik; and composers Samuel Adler, Dominic Argento, George Walker and Jeff Beal.

What sets the Eastman School apart?

As opposed to a standalone conservatory like the Julliard School or Curtis Institute of Music, being embedded in a major university makes possible a wide range of collaborations.

“We’re within a very large university with all kinds of great colleagues and all kinds of collaboration potential,” Sheeran says. “And that was one of the things that interested me in returning.”

She is a believer in the synergy that can come from bringing music and UR’s other disciplines together.

“There’s not enough research to prove some of the things we know anecdotally about how music improves lives,” Sheeran notes. “Here at UR, we have the opportunity to engage in research and collaboration around these topics that demonstrate the value of working together and help to move the field of music forward.”

The Eastman Performing Arts Medicine Center is one example. As its website notes, the “newly designated virtual center focuses on clinical services for artists, creative arts therapy for hospitalized patients, scientific research, and performances in clinical spaces.”

Neuroscientists report that music engages brain regions and circuits that influence sensory-motor processing, cognition, memory, and emotion. The center is intended to facilitate research into the role of music in treating traumatic brain injuries or in pain management.

Medical science can also heal the musician. The center explores specialized care for the occupational hazards of musical performance, such as repetitive motion injuries among pianists and string players or hearing difficulties.

Eastman musicians also support UR Medicine’s clinical mission by providing musical performances for patients in the Wilmot Cancer Institute and Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals.

Sheeran is excited by connections with the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Science. Eastman’s Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media benefits from the resources, insights and research of Hajim’s Audio and Music Engineering and Audio Arts and Technology programs.

Michael Burritt, professor of percussion and chair of the Winds, Brass, and Percussion department (and an Eastman alumnus), served on the search committee for the new dean. “We were looking for someone who understood Eastman, its standing in the community of conservatories and music schools and the importance of Eastman as an artistic entity,” he says.

“I don’t think there are many schools that are in the same league as Eastman in terms of its performance excellence, its entrepreneurial spirit and the kind of leadership it has provided to music education for many, many years,” he adds. “At one time, Eastman was one of the few schools that offered what we do at the highest levels and now other schools have begun to catch up. Part of that is our own doing, because we put a lot of great people out there that have helped other schools raise the bar.”

Burritt believes Sheeran can provide the kind of leadership needed now to maintain and enhance Eastman’s standing. “It starts with having great faculty, because the faculty are the ones that become the destination points for the students,” he says. “Then you have to be able to recruit good students. But it has become more competitive.”

It’s all about the students

Sheeran’s “student-centric” perspective was a major factor in her selection, says Burritt.

“Kate is an educator at heart, an educator with a very high artistic threshold,” he notes. “She’s someone who has experienced transformation in teaching and understands the profound impact that it has on you, being a part of that journey with those students.”

Asked about facility needs, Sheeran singles out student spaces.

“I’m grateful that my predecessor oversaw the renovation of all of our halls,” Sheeran says. “The next phase could be about additional spaces for programs that grow over time. Our student-centric spaces could use some upgrades. Our dorm was new when I lived in it as one of the first residents. But student life changes, and the needs change. The annex where our students spend lots of time practicing also has to be modernized over time.”

Sheeran’s time as an Eastman student influences her thoughts of the future. She was a student during the establishment of Ossia New Music, a student-led group founded to explore and perform new music, an initiative that continues today. And she played her horn with Alarm Will Sound, an ensemble that grew out of Ossia. Maintaining the connection after graduation, she later served on its board.

Another ensemble born out of Ossia, the JACK Quartet, recently participated in a residency at Eastman. Sheeran currently serves on the quartet’s board.

The James E. Clark Chamber Music Residency is very much in line with Sheeran’s vision for the role of visiting artists.

“What are our values for the institution and how are they represented in everything we do? If we’re bringing in outside artists, in addition to our excellent faculty, it’s because they’re demonstrating something we want our students to see,” she explains. “I want to make all the possible connections when artists are here. Everything needs to be tied into the educational mission. It’s great to present artists in concerts for our school and for audiences in Rochester, and deepening their work here will provide an even richer experience for our community.”

Sheeran is channeling Eastman’s long history. A 1921 news story describing the school noted that “the Eastman School is already planning an extensive program of concert giving and by this means will not only enlarge the opportunity of musical enjoyment to the public, but will also serve the interests of its students by giving them exceptional opportunities to hear the best music at a minimum cost.” Today, Eastman hosts more than 900 performances each year.

Preparing students for life

Eastman grads will follow diverse paths after graduation. Says Burritt: “We want to graduate students who are pushing the envelope in terms of our artistic thresholds. But we must also give our students a well-rounded education, both in music academics, but also overall academics. Some grads will play in orchestras or establish great chamber groups or become college teachers. Others may change their interests and find different professional paths. We need to offer an education that supports all of this.”

Sheeran agrees. “People use artistic education all kinds of ways,” she says. “In addition to those who have careers as performers, I have friends who went here for school and have really interesting careers but who are not primarily performers. They also feel their music education at Eastman has served them very well.”

Few professional musicians have what most would consider a “conventional” work life. Most juggle multiple commitments, work variable schedules, combine different sources of income, and deploy a wide range of artistic and entrepreneurial skills and abilities. Sheeran notes that the Institute for Music Leadership, unusual among music schools, helps Eastman grads get started in their professional lives. IML provides leadership and career development opportunities for students both during their studies and as they begin their highly varied and individual career paths.

Embracing Rochester’s exceptionalism

New York City and San Francisco have been home to Sheeran since graduation, each with renowned institutions devoted to music and the performing arts. Yet for a city this size, Rochester stands out.

When Sheeran speaks of Eastman’s importance to the community, her words echo those of the school’s founder.

“A music school this large in this size city is really impactful,” she says. “We have a lot of responsibility for what we’re shaping here, the music we’re presenting, and the role we play in music education throughout the community.” 

Kent Gardner is Rochester Beacon opinion editor. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing  [email protected]. 

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