[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 215 (Tuesday, December 14, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1370-E1371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER'S EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC ON 
                         ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOSEPH D. MORELLE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 14, 2021

  Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the University of 
Rochester's Eastman School of Music on the occasion of its centennial 
celebration.
  In September 1921, the Eastman School of Music opened its doors with 
an inaugural class of 104 students. Through the efforts of its founder, 
George Eastman of Eastman Kodak Company, longtime director Howard 
Hanson, and University of Rochester President Rush Rhees, the school 
became a leader in American music education dedicated to the highest 
levels of artistry and scholarship.
  The following year, the school's largest performance venue, the 
iconic Eastman Theatre, was opened. Inscribed on its facade is Mr. 
Eastman's vision, ``For the enrichment of community life.'' In the 
years since, the theatre has hosted some of the world's greatest 
musicians, including composers Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky and John 
Williams; jazz musicians Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, and Eastman 
alumnus Ron Carter; and classical luminaries Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, 
and Eastman alumna, Renee Fleming. It is the main performing venue of 
the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and hosts many community concerts, 
lectures, and events. It is also the venue and location of choice for 
many national and international festivals including The CGI Rochester 
International Jazz Festival, KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, and 
more.
  The Eastman Community Music School, also founded in 1921, is 
continuing to honor Mr. Eastman's dream, offering music lessons, 
ensembles, classes, and workshops to students of all ages and financial 
means each year. Eastman also provides tuition-free lessons and music 
instruction to Rochester City School District students, many of whom go 
on to study at Eastman as well as at other top music schools.
  Eastman has distinguished itself as an innovator in music and 
culture, developing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the 1950s and 
becoming the first music school to formally offer courses in 
entrepreneurial thinking and leadership studies through its Institute 
for Music Leadership. Eastman's Sibley Music Library is the largest 
collegiate music library in North America with nearly 750,000 items, 
including many manuscripts, first-editions, and vast resources for 
performance and research. Eastman Performing Arts Medicine is a recent 
pioneering partnership between Eastman and the University of Rochester 
Medical Center to connect world-class performing arts with medicine.
  Today, the Eastman School of Music enrolls nearly 900 undergraduate 
and graduate students from almost every state and many countries around 
the world, led by 95 faculty members. Its alumni include many Pulitzer, 
Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winners.
  Over the last one hundred years, the Eastman School of Music's 
premier programs and magnificent facilities have become a powerful 
cultural force not only in Rochester, New York, but across the United 
States and around the world. It is an honor to represent this fine 
institution and to support efforts over the years to strengthen this 
extraordinary school for many generations to come.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 
University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music on its centennial. 
Its service and contributions to Rochester, New York State, and arts 
and culture around the world will always be celebrated.

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