The publication is reproduced in full below:
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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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 215
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