Eastman School of Music

The Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester , usually referred to as the Eastman School of Music ( ESM for short ), is a college and music college at the University of Rochester in Rochester (New York) . It is considered one of the leading music academies in the world, and its graduates can be found in numerous professional ensembles. It was founded in 1921 by the Rochester-based music lover, philanthropist and founder of the Eastman Kodak company , George Eastman .

The first members of the faculty all came from Europe; B.

Pierre Augieras , French pianist who gave the first lesson;
Max Landow , pianist, born in Germany;
Adelin Fermin , born in Holland, taught singing;
Joseph Bonnet , organist from France;
Thomas H. Yorke Trotter of the Royal Academy in London;
Christian Sinding , composer from Norway (although George Eastman would have preferred Sibelius);
Rouben Mamoulian from Armenia for the operational business;
Frederic Lamond , pianist, from Scotland;
The violinists Vladimir Resnikoff and Samuel Belov , the cellist Joseph Press , and the tenor Vladimir Rosing came from Russia .

Alf Klingenberg , a Norwegian pianist of repute, was the first director of the Eastman School. In 1924 he was followed by the composer Howard Hanson . Hanson remained in that position for several decades, was instrumental in the development of the Eastman School and continued to be committed to it after his retirement.

The Eastman School comprises parts of five buildings in central Rochester. The main building houses the renovated Eastman Theater with 3,094 seats, Kilbourn Hall with 455 seats and faculty offices.

The associated Sibley Music Library, the largest academic music library in North America, is across the street from the main building. Hiram Watson Sibley , the first president of the Western Union , founded the library in 1904. It moved to its current location in 1989, and occupies about 4,000 square feet on floors 2, 3 and 4 of Miller Center (formerly Eastman Place). The Sibley Music Library is America's largest private music collection and currently houses nearly 750,000 items, from codices dating back to the 11th century to the latest compositions and recordings. The original designs of Debussy's La Mer are among the most important objects in the collection .

There are currently about 800 people studying at the Eastman School (500 undergraduates, 300 graduates). The faculty consists of around 150 members.

The Eastman School is home to several well-known ensembles, such as the Eastman Wind Ensemble , which was founded in 1952 by Eastman graduate Frederick Fennell .