(Photo credit: Smiley Photography)

Rebecca Bryant Novak, a former doctoral conducting student at the Eastman School of Music who was silenced after reporting harassment by a faculty member is taking a stance by conducting a concert in support of free expression.

Earlier this year, Bryant Novak was expelled from the University of Rochester after filing a complained about behavior by a professor, who she said made sexist comments. After a yearlong investigation, a panel of faculty and administrators agreed that the professor had indeed violated Rochester’s harassment policy and that Eastman’s Title IX coordinator had mishandled her complaint. Despite all this, Eastman restricted her performance times and ultimately expelled Bryant Novak citing a failure to make academic progress. In doing so, the school ignored its written policy that calls for students to be given ample notice if they are in danger of falling short of academic standards.

Following this, Rochester opened a second investigation into Eastman’s mishandling of the situation in Dec. 2024. Bryant Novak publicly disclosed the university’s new investigation in a Substack article on Feb. 10. From this, she gained the support of members in the music community, as well as advocates such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Bryant Novak is keeping the Substack up to date.

On Nov. 20, Bryant Novak will conduct a volunteer orchestra at the Hochstein School of Music Performance Hall in Rochester. The concert titled, “Outspoken: Music for Free Speech,” will feature Beethoven’s “Fidelio” Overture and selections from Shostakovich’s “Symphony” No. 5, two works that faced censorial pressure in their own time and emphasize the timeless connection between civil liberties and artistic expression.

This concert is free and open to the public.