Inside Man

Approximately 125 musicians — drawn from major orchestras, top conservatories and the nation’s freelance artist community — participate in each festival. In 2016, Gateways formalized its longstanding relationship with the Eastman School and the University of Rochester, gaining critical infrastructure and support while remaining an independent nonprofit. This deepened partnership enabled the festival to expand programming and build its first professional staff.

Today, Gateways presents a full-orchestra festival each year alongside a growing constellation of programs: an annual chamber music festival; the Gateways Brass Collective, the nation’s only all-Black professional brass quintet; the Gateways Chamber Players, an all-star touring ensemble; and ongoing residencies and special projects. In 2023, Gateways launched Gateways Radio, a one-hour syndicated radio program heard nationwide, featuring music and stories from Black classical artists. Through all its work, Gateways builds an abundant, joyful home for Black classical artistry — amplifying its legacy, celebrating its present and shaping its future.

More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 170 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.

About the University of Rochester:

The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.