The Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester launched its Beal Institute of Film Composition and Contemporary Media in 2016 to offer students new opportunities to learn the technology and media skills that have increasingly become a part of many music careers. It was funded largely by a gift from vocalist and Eastman Trustee Joan Beal and Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff Beal, and now the couple, who met at Eastman, have now followed that up with another gift – the largest in the school’s history since its founding by George Eastman – that will expand the institute’s facilities, programs and ability to support students with scholarships.
A Tempo host Rachel Katz chats with the Beals and Kate Sheeran, the Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School, about the what the institute has been able to provide students and how this new gift will expand those opportunities.
