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Musicians of Rochester: Mitzie Collins

Mitzie Collins might be excused for resting on her laurels. She's not. For her contributions Rochester's musical life, she earned the 2007 Artist Award from the Arts and Cultural Council of Greater Rochester, and she was honored as 2014 Musician of the Year by the Rochester Alumnae of the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Fraternity. Hammered dulcimer expert. Shape-note singer. Organist. Recording artist. For decades Mitzie has performed, taught, and delighted audiences in a wide range of musical styles....

Backstage Pass with the Empire Film & Media Ensemble - 12/13 & 12/16

Maria by Callas at The Little

Recent blog posts

Putting the Jolly in Holiday Music

By Julia Figueras • 2 hours ago

Claire Caverly, the Production Manager for the Empire Film and Media Ensemble, offers up this guest blog post on what makes Holiday soundtracks so festive:

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and it seems that around every corner, we encounter the sounds of this yuletide season. Radio stations blast “All I Want for Christmas” and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.” Advertisements bombard us with their merry jingles. It seems like Love Actually might just be on a 24/7 television loop. After a few weeks of this, all I want for Christmas is for the madness to end.

The Video Shop

By Brenda Tremblay • Nov 27, 2018

Meet your local American orchestra on Youtube, getting creative and making us laugh. Here are a few promotional videos that caught our eye.

The San Diego Symphony promises that going the orchestra will turn you into a better you!

News from the world of Classical Music

San Francisco Symphony Names Esa-Pekka Salonen As Its Music Director

By Anastasia Tsioulcas • Dec 5, 2018

In a move that is astonishing much of the classical music world, the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) announced Wednesday that it has appointed Finnish composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen as its next music director, beginning in September 2020.

Honoring Frederick Douglass in word and song

By Megan Mack & Randy Gorbman & April Franklin & Evan Dawson • Dec 4, 2018

J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester Photo

A descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington says Rochester should be the permanent home of an organization dedicated to their legacies.

Kenneth Morris is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington. His non-profit organization, the Douglass Family Initiatives, provides educational programming about modern day slavery and the prevention of human trafficking.