Eastman School of Music

For the Michigan native graduating with dual degrees from the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Eastman School of Music, Ivan Suminski found himself in an enviable dilemma.

Two recent Rochester graduates are among 92 students chosen worldwide to be Gates Cambridge Scholars—the most prestigious international postgraduate scholarship offered by the University of Cambridge.

The Early Worlds Initiative—an interdisciplinary research project at the University of Rochester—connects faculty researching social and cultural developments worldwide from medieval times to the early modern period.

From the post-Reformation trauma of Shakespeare's history plays, to the poignant scrapbooks created by the families of British soldiers killed in World War I, the fellowships sponsored by the Humanities Center this year focus on the interdisciplinary study of memory and forgetting.

Using recital halls as their “labs,” and recording some of the best music students in the world, University researchers are creating virtual reality videos of concerts that literally immerse viewers “within” the performance onstage.

A multidisciplinary team of University doctors, engineers, and musicians is working together to create an immersive, customized experience that brings cognitive-behavioral therapy to a patient's smartphone.

Thanks to the Dual Degree Program with the University's Eastman School of Music, Ivan Suminski ’18, ’18E finds himself in an enviable dilemma. Should he apply to graduate school to continue his violin studies? Or to research the biophysics of the inner ear?

Astra Zhang '18, a double major in electrical and computer engineering and in studio arts, and Ivan Suminski '18, a mechanical engineering major who is earning a dual degree in violin performance will share this year's Wells Award.

A student string quartet performs in Lowry Hall at the Eastman School of Music's traditional Holiday Sings event. The performance takes place on the last day of classes every year. (University photo / Michelle Martorell)

Naoki Toyomura ’17, ’18E (T5) and Seiji Yamashita ’20, ’20E, both dual-degree students at the Eastman School and on River Campus, will serve as president and vice president of the Eastman Students’ Association through 2018.