Alan Gilbert (Conducting ’92) Receives Curtis’ Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to Alan Gilbert (Conducting ’92), who was awarded Curtis’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the school’s 2026 graduation ceremony this Saturday. This award celebrates his:
- extraordinary achievements as a global leader in classical music;
- lasting impact on musicians as performers, creators, and artist-citizens;
- advocacy for works by contemporary composers; and
- dedication to the Curtis community
While I had hoped to be too young to be recognized, receiving this award from Curtis feels truly special, and I am deeply honored. Curtis has long stood for music-making at the highest level. Receiving this award from an institution that was so important in my musical journey feels therefore particularly meaningful.” —Alan Gilbert
Deborah M. Fretz, chair of the board of trustees, and Roberto Díaz (’84), president and chief executive officer, presented Gilbert with the honor.
About Alan Gilbert
One of America’s most celebrated and accomplished classical musicians, Alan Gilbert has been chief conductor of Hamburg’s NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (NDREO) since fall 2019. Since spring 2021, he has also been music director of the Royal Swedish Opera, where he was appointed as Royal Court Kapellmeister by the King of Sweden in 2022.
A passionate interpreter of opera, he has led productions at La Scala, the Met, Los Angeles Opera, Zurich Opera, and Santa Fe Opera, where he previously served as the first appointed Music Director. He is also an active chamber musician, who frequently collaborates with colleagues in the orchestras he conducts and with some of the world’s most renowned soloists.
Gilbert holds honorary doctorates from Curtis and Westminster Choir College, and was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He was also named an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government and received a Foreign Policy Association Medal for his cultural diplomacy.
