Eastman at 100: A Centennial Celebration

Enjoy a look back at the story of George Eastman and how his vision for a school dedicated to scholarship, musicianship, and an inclusive community campus came to be. 

Produced by WXXI in partnership with the Eastman School of Music, Eastman at 100: A Centennial Celebration encores Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Filmed over the course of three years, Eastman at 100 follows individual students throughout their academic year, offering a firsthand look at their transformational experiences. Eastman’s story is told through intimate interviews with professors, administrators, staff, community partners, and high-profile alumni, including:

• World-renowned, Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming ’83 (MM), ’11 (Honorary)
• Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts ’94, ’99E (DMA)
• Grammy-winning drummer Steve Gadd ’68, ’17 (Honorary)
• Grammy-nominated jazz composer and conductor Maria Schneider ’85 (MM)
• Retired “Voice of the Met” and former WXXI Classical host Mary Jo Heath ’88 (Ph.D.)

Emmy award-winning composer and conductor Mark Watters, who is Director of the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media, wrote and composed the score for the documentary. Support for this documentary was provided by Dawn F. Lipson.

After the re-air, WXXI presents an encore presentation of Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of the Eastman Theatre, which showcases the 2009 renovation of a building that is itself a work of art. At the same time, it tells the story of the intertwined histories of the Eastman School of Music and the RPO, and demonstrates how a building can have a new life in the restoration of an historic downtown.