Curtis Kicks Off Fall With Vibrant Performances—and a New Book Launch
Season and ticket information at curtis.edu/tickets
Fall programming also includes a special Curtis Presents concert featuring Schumann’s monumental Piano Quartet and the Kaleidoscope residency, a five-day chamber music residency by the U.K.-based Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective.
PHILADELPHIA, PA—September 10, 2026—This September, Curtis Institute of Music kicks off fall with several exciting performances—as well as the book launch of A Practical Philanthropist, the first-ever biography of the school’s founder, Mary Louise Curtis Bok.
Throughout the fall, Curtis students—some of the finest young musicians in the world—will move from studio to stage, sharing their passion for classical music through compelling performances alongside renowned guest artists, faculty, and alumni. This year, we are excited to nurture 165 gifted musicians—ages 7 to 28—as they hone their talent and artistic voices.
Hailed “the best of the best” (BBC Music Magazine) with a “list of alumni [that] reads like a musical hall of fame (New York Times), Curtis fosters students’ growth in a small, inclusive environment, supported by a tuition-free policy and inspired by the school’s experiential learn-by-doing approach.
On Sunday, October 11 at 3:00 p.m., Curtis launches its 2026–27 Curtis Symphony Orchestra series with “Teddy Leads Adams & Beethoven.” In this afternoon of symphonic storytelling, Grammy Award-winning conductor-composer Teddy Abrams (’08) leads Curtis Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, an orchestral masterpiece that showcases the composer’s playful, mischievous side.
The afternoon continues with Tania León’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Stride—a tribute to suffragist Susan B. Anthony—led by Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow Mariana Corichi Gómez. The program culminates with John Adam’s Harmonielehre, a work that melds minimalism with the expressiveness of romanticism, concluding the concert with pulsing rhythms and shimmering waves of color.
Several days later, on Tuesday, October 13, Curtis celebrates its Founder’s Day with the release of the first-ever biography of the school’s founder, Mary Louise Curtis Bok. Written by Curtis’ senior archivist, Barbara Benedett, A Practical Philanthropist reveals never-before-published details of this remarkable woman, taking readers on a fascinating journey through this important period in the histories of Philadelphia, Curtis, and classical music.
The event includes a light reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by an author’s talk and concert at 7:30 p.m. in Field Concert Hall. Admission is complimentary but requires advance registration.
This fall, Curtis will also launch Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Project CSO, a rehearsal broadcast series offering viewers a front-row seat to students’ learning process and development. In these livestream/broadcast events, students will perform a culminating, final reading following weeks of study, collaboration, and discovery. Performances provide insight into Curtis’ learn-by-doing philosophy, highlighting milestone moments in student’s artistic growth.
The first session will be Thursday, September 17 at 6:00 p.m., featuring Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture to Oberon, selections from Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, and George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture. Additional dates and repertoire will be announced later in the season. The livestream broadcasts will be accessible on Curtis’ YouTube channel, and on-demand recordings will be available up to 90 days after performance.
Through late November, Curtis presents many more compelling fall recitals, concerts, and productions, including:
- Bandwidth Residency recital: Curtis hosts this experimental recital on Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. Developed over one intensive week, this program features students’ original ideas, including new arrangements, compositions, and multimedia integrations. Guided by alumni Nate Farrington (Double Bass ’06), Gabriel Globus-Hoenich (Timpani and Percussion ’08), and Teddy Abrams (Conducting ’08), students work quickly from concept to performance, learning to trust their instincts and put perfectionism aside. Curtis Recital Series—named the region’s “Best Free Concerts” by Philadelphia Magazine—continues on October 9, and is offered most Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. thereafter. Over 100 free recitals are offered throughout the school year; performances are free but advance registration is required.
- Curtis Presents: The following evening on September 26 at 7:30 p.m., Curtis hosts a special Curtis Presents concert, which kicks off the start of Curtis on Tour’s fall European tour to Athens, Salzburg, and Berlin. Schumann’s monumental Piano Quartet headlines this rich program, which also features chamber music of Chopin, Ravel, and Debussy. Rising stars Audrey Goodner, violin, Elliot Sloss, cello, and Jessie Gong, piano, are joined by viola faculty member Ed Gazouleas (’84).
- Kaleidoscope Residency recital: On Thursday, October 29, Curtis students present the Kaleidoscope Residency recital, the culmination of a five-day chamber music residency by the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. This U.K.-based ensemble is dedicated to celebrating diversity of all forms—and a desire to unearth lesser-known gems of the repertoire. Led by internationally-renowned violinist Elena Urioste (’08), Melissa White (Violin ’07), and pianist-composer Tom Poster, the residency guides Curtis students in inclusive programming and arranging their own music, featuring a special chamber music masterclass and yoga workshop. The culminating recital is 7:30 p.m. in Gould Rehearsal Hall.
- Curtis New Music Ensemble’s Words Like Freedom: To Langston with Love: On Saturday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m., Curtis New Music Ensemble presents “Words Like Freedom: To Langston with Love,” a musical celebration of Langston Hughes’ legacy. Curated by Grammy Award winner Karen Slack (’02), creative advisor for vocal studies and opera, this concert brings the poetry of Langston Hughes to vivid life through music and staging. Curtis students will illuminate Hughes’ powerful words through vocal and instrumental color, exploring themes of identity, resilience, and hope.
- Yannick Leads Mahler 9: On November 8 at 5:00 p.m., be transformed with Curtis Symphony Orchestra by the heartbreaking serenity of Gustav Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. Led by Grammy Award-winning conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this transcendent farewell—hailed as “the greatest Mahler ever composed” by Viennese composer Alban Berg—showcases Mahler at the height of his skill, pushing symphonic form to its limits. Valerie Coleman’s Umoja—Swahili for unity—will open the evening. This stirring orchestral song harnesses the expressive power of the full ensemble to reflect our society’s challenges and tensions, ultimately “emerging into sunlit joy” (Philadelphia Inquirer).
- Susannah: Curtis Opera Theatre opens its 2026–27 series on November 19 and 21 with Susannah, Carlisle Floyd’s poignant tragedy that helped define American opera. Praised for its distinctly American voice, Floyd’s score blends folk-inspired melodies and Protestant hymnody with sweeping operatic lyricism, creating a sound world rooted in the American South. Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow Mariana Corichi Gómez leads a stellar cast of singers in a new production directed by multidisciplinary artist Mikhaela Mahony.
Curtis continues its 2026—27 season programming in the spring with the heroic comedy Orlando Paladino on February 18 and 20, followed by “Osmo Leads Shostakovich 4,” Curtis Symphony Orchestra’s second concert of its series, on March 14.
Curtis New Music Ensemble will present Portrait of Julia Wolfe, a celebration of the work of Curtis’ composer in residence, on Saturday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. The season will conclude with Curtis Opera Theatre’s production of Pelléas et Mélisande on April 30 and May 2. Learn more at curtis.edu.
Learn more about Curtis’ fall programing and full 2026—27 season, and purchase tickets, at curtis.edu/curtis-performances/2026-27-season/
