Behind the Series
Below you'll find details about the 2011–12 season's orchestra concerts: guest artist bios and links, program tidbits, and special events related to each concert.
About the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and season sponsors
SunDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2011, 3:00 PM
Michael Stern, conductor ('86)
Jonathan Biss, piano ('01)
Vinay Parameswaran, conductor
LUDWIG Fanfare for Sam (Philadelphia premiere, Curtis commission)
BARBER Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Verizon Hall--Kimmel Center (seating chart)
Standard 3-concert subscriptions: $15, $30, $55, $82, $110
Friends of Curtis discounted 3-concert subscriptions: $15, $30, $50, $64, $86
Launching an orchestra season that celebrates Curtis composers and guest artists, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra presents a new fanfare commissioned from faculty member David Ludwig ('01); an American classic by Samuel Barber ('34); and an epic Beethoven concerto featuring new faculty member Jonathan Biss ('01), a "thrilling piano talent" (Philadelphia Inquirer). Tchaikovsky's urgent, impassioned Fourth Symphony concludes this memorable concert. Curtis Symphony Orchestra concerts this season highlight the school's acclaimed conducting program with a student conductor leading one work on each concert.
Michael Stern, conductor ('86)
Full bio | Instant Encore | Interview on NPR
Jonathan Biss, piano ('01)
Artist website | Instant Encore | Video on teaching | Review New York Times | Facebook
Online recordings of works on this program
:: Visit composer David Ludwig's website.
:: Hear Barber's Adagio for Strings performed by Leonard Slatkin and the BBC Orchestra.
:: Hear Lang Lang ('02) talk about Beethoven's Concerto No. 4 and then listen to segments of the first movement and the third movement with Eschenbach conducting Orchestre de Paris.
:: Learn more about Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 with Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Beyond the Score, part 1 and part 2.
Related Events
:: The celebration begins with a gala dinner at the Radisson Plaza–Warwick Hotel Philadelphia on Saturday evening, followed by the Sunday afternoon orchestra concert and reception in Lenfest Hall. Tickets and more information: Curtis Development Office, Lisa Shepperson, (215) 717-3185.
sunDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012, 8:00 PM
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor ('91)
Leon McCawley, piano ('95)
Vinay Parameswaran, conduc
DANIELPOUR Toward the Splendid City
BERNSTEIN The Age of Anxiety
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100
Verizon Hall--Kimmel Center (seating chart)
Standard 3-concert subscriptions: $15, $30, $55, $82, $110
Friends of Curtis discounted 3-concert subscriptions: $15, $30, $50, $64, $86
Prokofiev's mercurial, soaring wartime symphony meets the unique lyricism of Leonard Bernstein ('41). Faculty member and former Bernstein student Richard Danielpour provides the prelude, "full of gleaming, glass and steel accents" (Newsday). This tuneful program features Miguel Harth-Bedoya ('91) and Lean McCawley ('95). Curtis Symphony Orchestra concerts this season highlight the school's acclaimed conducting program with a student conductor leading one work on each concer
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor ('91)
Artist website | Instant Encore | Video rehearsing in Chile | Review New York Times
Leon McCawley, piano ('95)
Artist website | Instant Encore | Review The Guardian | YouTube video interview
Online recordings of works on this program
:: Learn more about and listen to Danielpour's work.
:: Watch Joyce Yang talk about Bernstein's Age of Anxiety.
:: Hear Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 by the Berliner Philharmoniker with Gustavo Dudamel.
monDAY, APRIL 23, 2012, 8:00 PM
Robert Spano, conductor ('85)
Juliette Kang, violin ('91)
Efe Baltacigil, cello ('02)
Kensho Watanabe, conductor
HIGDON blue cathedral
BRAHMS Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102
BARTOK Concerto for Orchestra
Verizon Hall--Kimmel Center (seating chart)
Standard 3-concert subscriptions: $15, $30, $55, $82, $110
Friends of Curtis discounted 3-concert subscriptions: $15, $30, $50, $64, $86
In 1999 Curtis commissioned faculty member Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral to celebrate the school's 75th anniversary. Championed by Robert Spano ('85), the work established Higdon ('88) as a favorite American composer. It's a fitting prelude to Bartok's groundbreaking work highlighting virtuosity in each section of the orchestra and Brahms's eloquent Double Concerto with eminent soloists from the Philadelphia Orchestra, violinist Juliette Kang ('91) and cellist Efe Baltacigil ('02). Curtis Symphony Orchestra concerts this season highlight the school's acclaimed conducting program with a student conductor leading one work on each concert.
Robert Spano, conductor ('85)
Artist website | Instant Encore | Video A Decade with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | Facebook
Juliette Kang, violin ('91)
Full bio | Instant Encore | Interview on Bach | Review Philadelphia Inquirer
Efe Baltacigil, cello ('02)
Artist website | Instant Encore | Video playing at Curtis | Review Philadelphia Inquirer
Online recordings of works on this program
:: Visit composer Jennifer Higdon's website.
:: Listen to Isaac Stern and Leonard Rose perform the Brahms Double Concerto with the New York Philharmonic in 1956.
:: Hear the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra play Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra
The Curtis Symphony Orchestra has been called “an orchestra that any city would be lucky to have as its professional ensemble” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Recent visiting conductors include Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert, Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Christoph Eschenbach. This real-world training has enabled Curtis alumni to assume prominent positions in major orchestras across the United States, Canada, and abroad. Sixteen percent of the principal chairs in America’s top twenty-five orchestras are held by Curtis-trained musicians.
2011–12 season sponsors include:
Orchestral concerts are supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund.
