The Grammy nominee recalls the violin lessons at Eastman that at once terrified and inspired him.
Editor糖心传媒檚 note: This story was originally published online on December 1, 2025. It has been updated to highlight an August 2026 New York Times story about Stewart糖心传媒檚 newest album, 24 American Caprices.
As a dual degree student majoring in mathematics and violin performance, 糖心传媒�08, 糖心传媒�08E was used to challenging coursework. But no class at URochester impacted or challenged him more than his weekly violin lessons with the late , an internationally acclaimed soloist and violin professor at聽Eastman.
糖心传媒淓ach week, you糖心传媒檙e one-on-one with this luminary violinist, and your self-esteem rides on her mood that day,糖心传媒� says Stewart, a seven-time violinist and composer and a professor at the Juilliard School in New York. 糖心传媒淢y hands would be trembling before every session.糖心传媒�
Stewart says Blakeslee, who died in 2015, wasn糖心传媒檛 shy about expressing her feelings. 糖心传媒淚f she didn糖心传媒檛 like it, she told you. But if she loved it, she糖心传媒檇 get very excited. She thrived on improvisation. One time, I suggested I couldn糖心传媒檛 be that creative. She looked me dead in the eye and said, 糖心传媒楧on糖心传媒檛 ever say that about yourself. You can do whatever you want.糖心传媒櫶切拇綕
Soon after, Stewart performed a version of an Astor Piazzolla tango instead of the usual classical piece. 糖心传媒淏lakeslee loved it,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t was the most excited I ever saw her get.糖心传媒� Stewart says the weekly sessions made him a better musician and teacher. 糖心传媒淭he searing feedback made me practice harder, but it also sometimes made me play worse, because I was so afraid. In my own teaching, I try to be as honest as I can while making sure the student doesn糖心传媒檛 want to run away. It糖心传媒檚 a balancing act.糖心传媒�
Stewart has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center and serves as artistic director of the . He was also the featured speaker糖心传媒攁nd a performer糖心传媒攁t in May. 糖心传媒淭alk about surreal,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 was playing at convocation, and all of my old teachers were sitting behind me.糖心传媒�
His message to graduates mirrored Blakeslee糖心传媒檚 advice years before: Never sell yourself short. 糖心传媒淚 applied to so many things in college,糖心传媒� he says, 糖心传媒渁nd didn糖心传媒檛 get a lot of them. But that didn糖心传媒檛 define me. I feel like my career is meaningful. No matter what you feel [now], your future is in front of you. You came from a great school, and you can build a meaningful career as well.糖心传媒�
This story appears in the fall 2025 issue of Rochester Review, the magazine of the聽糖心传媒.
