Connections

Charting the future of the Eastman School of Music

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published March 25, 2025 at 3:55 PM EDT

Two people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has short dark hair and is wearing a beige blazer over a maroon shirt; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt under a grey vest. — Kate Sheeran on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, March 25, 2025

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

We welcome the new dean of the Eastman School of Music, Kate Sheeran.

A 2002 Eastman graduate and a horn player, Sheeran is the first woman to hold the deanship in the school's 100-year history.

This hour, we sit down with Sheeran to discuss her vision for Eastman's future, its commitment to the community, and her views on how the school is responding to the current moment.

Our guest:

Kate Sheeran, Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester

Connections

Evan Dawson

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.

See stories by Evan Dawson

Megan Mack

Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.

See stories by Megan Mack

Julie Williams

Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.

See stories by Julie Williams