Curtis Presents Season Begins with Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin; Robert Levin, piano; and Peter Wiley (Cello ’74); on October 17 in Field Concert Hall

PHILADELPHIA—October 5, 2017—Musical luminaries join together for a program of Schubert’s epic piano trios on the first concert of the 2017–18 Curtis Presents season, Tuesday, October 17 at 8 p.m. in Field Concert Hall.

Berlin Philharmonic concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, eminent pianist and scholar Robert Levin, and Peter Wiley (Cello ’74), longtime member of both the Guarneri Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio; demonstrate their decades of experience, insight, and mastery in an unforgettable evening of music-making. The all-Schubert program features piano trios, No. 1 in B-flat major, D. 898 and No. 2 in E-flat major, D. 929, completed in the final year of the composer’s life.

Single tickets are $25 and subscriptions for the five-concert Curtis Presents season are $100, available from the Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Tickets.

The concert will also be streamed live at 8 p.m. EST.  View on YouTube or Facebook Live.

Past and future meet through the Curtis Presents series, which features a diverse collection of artists—alumni, faculty, students, and friends—whose musical foundations are rooted in the Curtis community. This series of intimate and innovative recitals offers a unique experience that transcends generations and genres, with exceptional artistry and one-of-a-kind programs.

Violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley was appointed first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic in 2014. A laureate of the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, he has also won first prize at the Vibrarte International and Andrea Postacchini competitions. He has appeared as a soloist with the Pittsburgh and North Carolina symphony orchestras; the Fresno, Erie, and French Radio philharmonics; and the Belgian National Orchestra, among others.

From 2011 until 2015, Mr. Bendix-Balgley was concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Among his solo appearances with the orchestra was the premiere of his own Klezmer Violin Concerto. Also an experienced chamber musician, he was formerly the first violinist of the Munich-based Athlos String Quartet. He has also collaborated with the Miro Quartet, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Gary Hoffman, Emanuel Ax, Lars Vogt, and percussionist Colin Currie; and appeared at the Verbier and Sarasota festivals, ChamberFest Cleveland, Nevada Chamber Music Festival, and Chamber Music Connects the World in Kronberg, Germany.

Cellist Peter Wiley has played at leading festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, for which he also tours and records. As a recitalist he has appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. A member of the Beaux Arts Trio from 1987 to 1998, Mr. Wiley also succeeded his teacher, David Soyer, as cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet from 2001 to 2009. He is a member of the piano quartet Opus One, with Curtis faculty members Ida Kavafian and Steven Tenenbom and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.

Mr. Wiley entered Curtis at age thirteen. At twenty he was named principal cello of the Cincinnati Symphony, after one year with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He made his concerto debut at Carnegie Hall in 1986 with the New York String Orchestra conducted by Alexander Schneider.

A past recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Wiley joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1996. He also teaches at the University of Maryland and Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Pianist Robert Levin has been heard in recital, as soloist, and in chamber concerts on four continents. He has performed with the orchestras of Berlin, Birmingham, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Vienna with such conductors as Bernard Haitink, Neville Marriner, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. On fortepiano he has appeared with the Academy of Ancient Music, London Classical Players, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, working with John Eliot Gardiner, Christopher Hogwood, Charles Mackerras, Nicholas McGegan, and Roger Norrington. He has performed at the Sarasota, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Bremen, Lockenhaus, and Verbier festivals.

Dr. Levin is renowned for restoring the Classical-period practice of improvised embellishments and cadenzas. His Mozart and Beethoven performances have been hailed for their active mastery of the Classical musical language. He has recorded for the Archiv, CRI, Oiseau-Lyre, Deutsche Grammophon, ECM, Nonesuch, Philips, and SONY Classical labels.

Dr. Levin worked with Nadia Boulanger in Fontainebleau and Paris while still in high school, before attending Harvard University. Upon graduation he headed the musical studies department of the Curtis Institute of Music for five years. He has also held teaching positions at Harvard University, SUNY—Purchase, the Conservatoire Américain in Fontainebleau, and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany.

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. One of the most selective schools in the United States, Curtis accepts four percent of applicants each year on average. A tuition-free policy ensures that talent and artistic promise are the only considerations for admission. With a small student body of about 175, Curtis ensures that each young musician receives an education of unparalleled quality, distinguished by personalized attention from a celebrated faculty and a “learn by doing” philosophy. Curtis students hone their craft through than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year in Philadelphia and around the world.

 

CURTIS PRESENTS: Noah Bendix-Balgley, Peter Wiley (Cello ’74), and Robert Levin

Tuesday, October 17 at 8 p.m.
Field Concert Hall, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

SCHUBERT      Trio in B-flat major, D. 898
SCHUBERT      Trio in E-flat major, D. 929

Single tickets: $25, subscriptions for the five-concert Curtis Presents season: $100. Available from the Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Tickets.

The concert will also be streamed live at 8 p.m. EST.  View on YouTube.com/CurtisInstitute or Facebook.com/CurtisInstitute.

# # #

Want More Curtis News?

Sign up today to receive Curtis Institute of Music's newsletter. We'll provide updates on performances, upcoming events, and so much more! Don't miss a moment of all that's happening at Curtis.

Curtis Institute of Music Announces 2024–25 Season: Great to Groundbreaking Celebrating the School’s Historic 100th Anniversary

Curtis’ centennial season features world-class conductors, newly commissioned works, and stunning classics by alumni, and more.

Curtis Opera Theatre: "Les Mamelles de Tirésias" and "The Seven Deadly Sins" (Photo Roundup)

View a selection of photos from Curtis Opera Theatre's double bill of "Les Mamelles de Tirésias" and "The Seven Deadly Sins."

Curtis Institute of Music Celebrates New Music Month with Concerts on March 30; April 2, 13, & 23

Curtis will collaborate with various local arts institutions and ensembles to elevate the presence of new classical music in Philadelphia.