July 1, 2008
Eastman grad wins scholarship to study musicolgy at Cambridge
Eastman alumnus Eugene Feygelson ’07E will study the emerging field of music and human evolution at Cambridge thanks to a Jack Kent Cooke graduate scholarship. The national program is highly competitive—Feygelson is one of 35 Jack Kent Cooke graduate scholars named this year out of nearly 1,000 candidates.
Eugene Feygelson ’07E, who studied violin and musical arts at the Eastman School, has been selected to receive the highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship. Feygelson will begin work on a master of philosophy degree in musicology at the University of Cambridge, where he will focus on studies in the emerging interdisciplinary field of music and human evolution.
Feygelson is one of 35 Jack Kent Cooke graduate scholars named this year out of an applicant pool of nearly 1,000 candidates nominated by their undergraduate college or university. The scholarship will cover the full costs of Feygelson’s graduate program at Cambridge.
A first-generation American born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Russian immigrant parents, Feygelson came to the Eastman School in fall 2003 from Milford, Pa. He was awarded a four-year Howard Hanson Scholarship, followed by a number of other Eastman awards during his studies. In 2007, he earned a bachelor of music degree with distinction, completing dual majors in violin performance and the honors musical arts program, a self-directed pursuit to explore his interest in the connection between music and human evolution, music’s relation to language, and its function across cultures.
Elizabeth West Marvin, who holds dual appointments as professor of music theory at the Eastman School and professor of brain and cognitive sciences in the College, says she first met Feygelson in spring 2007 when he asked her to supervise a course of independent research in music and evolution. “I pointed him in the direction of essays by Cambridge Professor Ian Cross, among others, and suggested that Eugene undertake a course of independent readings over the summer. He surprised and impressed me with the initiative he took on this project during that summer. He traveled to a summer research conference in England, where he heard numerous papers that furthered his interest in evolution and music. There he met Professor Cross and spoke with him about his research and future plans. I am delighted that Eugene will now be studying with Professor Cross as a master’s student. Eugene is very deserving of this award.”
Earlier this year, Feygelson was a finalist for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship, one of the first two University applicants to advance in that graduate fellowship competition. He is the first Rochester student or alumnus to win the Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship since the supporting foundation made the program a national competition in 2003-04.
“Eugene astonishes with his intellectual breadth and scholarly initiative, as well as his maturity and interest in the larger world,” says Belinda Redden, director of fellowships and assistant director of the College Center for Academic Support.
“It is very gratifying to see a University candidate of Eugene’s talent, ambition, and character compete successfully for such a prestigious award. I am confident Eugene will represent our institution and country well.”
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