Senate Resolution No. 1958

BY: Senator COONEY

COMMENDING the Eastman School of Music of the
University of Rochester upon the occasion of
celebrating its 100th Anniversary

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and
celebrate those institutions that contribute to the education and
professional success of the citizens of this Great State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester upon
the occasion of celebrating its 100th Anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1921, the Eastman School of Music has hosted
countless esteemed performers, graduated many successful alums, and
initiated numerous community education and other programs that bring the
invaluable gift of music to the broader community; and

WHEREAS, The Eastman School of Music has hosted many great musical
artists, including composers Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, and John
Williams, classical luminaries Itzhak Perlman, Yoyo Ma, and Eastman
alumna Renee Fleming, jazz artists Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, and
Eastman alumnus Ron Carter, popular music artists George Gershwin, Jon
Batiste, and James Taylor, and dancers Martha Graham, Garth Fagan Dance
Company, and Rudolph Nureyev; and

WHEREAS, The School has also held many ensemble tours and special
performances; in 1962, the Eastman Philharmonia made a pioneering
cultural exchange tour of Europe and Soviet Russia, and also performed
at Germany's Heidelberg Castle Festival in the 1980s; and

WHEREAS, The Eastman Wind Ensemble also toured Japan, the Far East
and the United States six times between 1990 and 2000; the Eastman Jazz
Ensemble performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in the 1970s and again
at Lincoln Center in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Along with its world-class, innovative performances, the
Eastman School of Music has had an enduring positive impact on the
community, spearheading many public programs and offerings, including
the Sibley Music Library, which opened in 1904 and is now the largest
collegiate/academic research library in North America, with manuscript
and first-edition treasures of the likes of Debussy and Brahms; the
Eastman Community Music School, which offers music lessons, classes, and
workshops to community members; and Eastman Pathways and ROCMusic, which
provide tuition-free music instruction to local students; and

WHEREAS, The Eastman School of Music has also had significant
national and international impacts, including partnership agreements
with leading music schools in Europe, Finland, and East Asia; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, the School established multiple innovative
educational programs, including the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and
the Institute for Music Leadership, enabling academic advancement for

musicians with emphasis on artistry, scholarship, leadership and
community engagement; and

WHEREAS, This vital institution connects world-class performing arts
with medicine, with the recent addition of Eastman Performing Arts
Medicine, a pioneering partnership between Eastman and the University of
Rochester Medical Center; and

WHEREAS, The Eastman School of Music looks forward to contributing
to the enrichment of its community, and to providing high quality
education for its students in the years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester upon
the occasion of celebrating its 100th Anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Eastman School of Music of the University of
Rochester.