About
The inaugural Soundtrax Film Music Festival on Oct. 16-18, 2025 will entertain and engage audiences who love film and music and are intrigued by the magic of music in movies and media.
Through concerts, conversations, and special events, Soundtrax explores how the artistry, science, and technology of music and sound elevate storytelling, the audience journey, and our visual experiences.
As Soundtrax explores the intersection of music and technology, collaboratively organizing the concerts and conference events are faculty from Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester’s
Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
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The renowned Eastman School of Music continues to honor the cinematic legacy of its founder George Eastman, who also founded Eastman Kodak Company and is the father of motion picture film.
Eastman school is a Billboard Top Music Business School and Hollywood Reporter Top Music School for Film Composition. Among Eastman's distinguished alumni are composers for major productions, as well as
Star Trek, "PBS NewsHour," JAG, Becket, and The Miracle Worker.
The festival’s co-directors:
Mark Watters and Mark Bocko
Mark Watters, director of the Beal Institute at Eastman, is a six-time Emmy Award winner. He has served as music director for two Olympics and has composed music for motion pictures and television, including MGM, CBS, Hallmark, and Disney.
Mark Bocko, PhD., is a professor of electrical and computer engineering
and director of the University of Rochester's audio and music engineering program and the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences.
“This is an extraordinary way to share our incredible story as leaders in music and visual media. The festival brings together the University of Rochester’s signature strengths in music performance and production with our leadership in optics, acoustics, visual science, and engineering,”
— Sarah C. Mangelsdorf
President, University of Rochester