The Eastman School of Music and the Beal Institute of Film Music and Contemporary Media will celebrate the career and composition of esteemed Eastman alumnus Laurence Rosenthal on Friday, January 24, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall.
The concert, titled “Visual Music 7.0,” includes the world premiere performance of Vienna,” a 30-minute work for string and harp written by Rosenthal. Laurence Rosenthal, who turned 98 in November, will be in attendance while the Empire Film and Media Ensemble performs “Vienna” under the baton of Brett Miller.
While on campus, Rosenthal will hold small gatherings with Eastman students and faculty, and on Thursday, January 23, the public is invited to attend a lecture/Q&A in Kilbourn Hall at 4:00 p.m. In this forum, he will discuss everything from his early life and education to the start and rise of his career – with emphasis on some of his most celebrated film scores – concluding with time for questions from the audience.
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1926, Rosenthal came to Rochester at age 17 to study piano and composition at Eastman, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree during his time there, before moving to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, who the New York Times has deemed “music’s greatest teacher.” At the onset of the Korean War, he was enlisted to serve in the United States Air Force and appointed as Staff Composer and leader of the Air Force Symphony Orchestra for four years.
Upon his return to civilian life, Rosenthal lived in New York and made frequent visits to Los Angeles, cultivating a vibrant career that led to two Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, as well as seven Emmy Award wins, with an additional six Emmy nominations. Among his best-known film scores are Becket, Man of La Mancha, A Rasin in the Sun, The Miracle Worker, and Clash of the Titans. He also composed ballet music for several Broadway musicals, including The Music Man.
Rosenthal will be presented with the Eastman Artists Award following the performance of his piece. This award is bestowed upon individuals who have achieved great success in their chosen field and have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Eastman School of Music – Rosenthal is only the third to receive it.
“We are honored to have Mr. Rosenthal as our guest for the week. A two-time Oscar-nominated composer, he is truly a legend; the fact that he is an Eastman alum makes it even more exceptional.”
Mark Watters, Director of the Beal Institute
More recently, Rosenthal has received Lifetime Achievement awards from The Ghent Film Festival’s World Soundtrack in Belgium and from the Society of Composers and Lyricists in Los Angeles, as well as the ASCAP Life in Music Award and the Film Music Society of Los Angeles. Rosenthal has three children and now lives in Switzerland.
The event is free and open to the public. You may also click here to watch via livestream, starting approximately 15 minutes before the event. Visit Eastman’s News Room to learn more about the full concert.
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