Performance Activities

In keeping with its mission "to train exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level," The Curtis Institute of Music requires numerous and varied performances of its students both at the school and in external venues.

Almost every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night during the school year, students perform solo and chamber works on Curtis’s Student Recital Series in Field Concert Hall. Additional concerts are scheduled as needed. Student recitals are open to the public free of charge and are recorded by Curtis. Highlights from the student
recitals are featured on public radio stations WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, WITF-FM in Harrisburg, and occasionally on WQXR-FM in New York. Select recitals are broadcast on Y Arts, a digital
cable television channel produced by WHYY-TV.

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra gives at least three performances each year under the direction of eminent conductors in nearby Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, home of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, and elsewhere. The symphony orchestra has performed in Carnegie Hall numerous times and at the Kennedy Center. It was orchestra-in-residence at the Rencontres Musicales d’Evian
in France and the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. Rehearsals are sometimes led by Philadelphia Orchestra guest conductors. Orchestra concerts are supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis
Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund.

Repertoire for smaller ensembles is explored by the Curtis Chamber Orchestra, which in 2007–08 will perform both in Philadelphia and in New York City. In 2004 the Curtis Chamber Orchestra toured in Japan.

Each season the Curtis Opera Theatre presents fully staged performances in nearby venues and, often, a workshop production in the Curtis Opera Studio. Singers also appear on the Curtis Student Recital Series and in concert performances with the symphony orchestra.

20/21: The Curtis Contemporary Music Ensemble studies, rehearses, and performs music ranging from important twentieth-century works to contemporary composers’ music not yet borne into the repertoire. Open to all students, the ensemble is flexible in size and scope to include works for solo performers, chamber groups, and larger forces with conductor. Faculty and alumni perform with 20/21 as guest artists.

The Curtis Chamber Chorus is an ensemble founded to provide instrumental students an opportunity to learn the basics of vocal production, ensemble singing, blend, and tuning. The chorus
meets once a week for one-and-a-half hours, and participation is required for one year of all pianists, organists, harpsichordists,
composers, and conductors, although all students are welcome to
participate. The chamber chorus typically performs once per semester in Field Concert Hall. Its repertoire ranges from Bach cantatas to the music of the Renaissance to contemporary works.

A new performance initiative, Curtis On Tour, offers students the opportunity to rehearse and perform chamber music alongside Curtis faculty and alumni. One or two tours are scheduled annually.
Curtis offers students in several departments opportunities for professional performance experience to augment their curriculum up to a maximum of twenty hours per week during the academic year. Students can join the Curtis Lab Orchestra and rehearse weekly under the direction of Curtis conducting majors. Additional opportunities are available with many area organizations, including the Haddonfield Symphony Student Intern Program and music
programs at schools, churches, and synagogues.

Students in good standing who have the permission of the Institute may perform in local ensembles outside of Curtis. All international students must obtain authorization from the dean and the director of student services before participating in outside performances
or internships. Some substitute with the Philadelphia Orchestra, while others play with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, and various regional orchestras.
Students are also invited to perform regularly on series at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Kimmel Center, and other institutions. Singers often perform as soloists for churches and
other organizations. Curtis also has an ongoing relationship with the Opera Company of Philadelphia.

The Curtis Community Engagement Program was created with a twofold mission: to take classical music to young people and others in our diverse community who may not otherwise have access to it, and to provide training and practical experience to Curtis students
in presenting interactive educational programs to children and members of the public who have little or no experience with classical music.

Founded on the belief that musicians must take an active role in advocacy for their art, the program prepares Curtis students for this aspect of their future professional lives.

Curtis offers opportunities for its students to perform in the community through the Albert M. Greenfield Concerts, which provide interactive educational presentations for students in area schools, hospitals, senior centers, and community venues. In addition there is the opportunity to participate in family concerts in Field Concert Hall and to coach young musicians in master classes and small-group settings. Curtis students who participate in the outreach program receive special training prior to their presentations and are compensated for their performances.