Please consider downloading the latest version of Internet Explorer
to experience this site as intended.
Skip to content

In Review

Eastman Centennial
A Musical Milestone The Eastman School celebrates its centennial.Photograph courtesy of Sibley Music Library/Eastman School of Music
University of Rochester Eastman School opening day 1921HAMMERS & SONGS: On September 19, 1921, the Eastman School of Music opened for its first day of classes, a milestone that is being celebrated in 2021 and 2022 with a series of performances, concerts, and other activities to mark the school’s centennial.

Shown here in a photo taken September 22, 1921, the original building on Gibbs Street was not finished when classes started—only the third and fourth floors were ready for use, Eastman Theatre was still a work in progress (see the beams in the background), and construction sounds competed with the sounds of musical instruction.

Nevertheless, the school opened with an ambitious plan to incorporate the performance of music into a broader academic curriculum, one of many Eastman innovations that have found receptive audiences at other institutions.