As you may know, the Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, has created the Eastman Connects virtual concert series to bring our community together during this challenging time. The world might be on pause, but with EastmanConnects–the music continues. Two of our larger multi-media projects include an Eastman Ensemble performance, as well as a large undertaking from our Eastman Opera Theatre:
Make Your Garden Grow: Eastman Opera Theatre
This new massive addition to Eastman Connects (posted today) features a total of 47 students and 10 faculty/staff from Eastman Opera Theatre,coming together virtually from their individual homes to bring you a magical performance of the ending number from Candide- “Make Your Garden Grow”.
Eastman Opera Theatre chose the story of Candide as it is incredibly relevant during these trying times. By the end of the story, Candide realizes he has it in himself to predict his own destiny, it’s not about a preordained fate. This empowering, uplifting message, combined with the vast number of people who came together to perform it, makes for a powerful video.
Eastman Harmonie, composed of 8 Eastman students, recently came together to bring a virtual rendition of Beethoven’s popular “Ode To Joy”, a favorite and recognizable tune for any musician or music appreciator. Eastman Harmonie is a wind octet which includes 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, and 2 horns.
We hope you’ll cover Eastman Connects, and these two fantastic videos- designed to connect us all and bring music into our homes, with your audiences. We do have the ensemble directors and engineers available to discuss the process and the importance of these projects for students finishing out their academic year.
We’d love if you could share on social media as well! We post Eastman Connects on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
