Curtis Symphony Orchestra Receives Rave Review from Bachtrack

“Nézet-Séguin called the Ninth “a grown-up work” in pre-performance remarks, and that’s how the Curtis forces treated the Adagio, shorn of the wild fire that came before it. Phrases and transitions were measured and thoughtful—a putting of things in order before the end. The fade-to-black [in the finale] was wrenching in its subtle inevitability. After holding the airless silence for several minutes, the audience erupted into the longest, loudest applause I’ve ever encountered at a student performance.”

Classical music critic Cameron Kelsall praises the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin in his review “The kids are alright: stunning, mature Mahler 9 from Curtis Symphony,” published by Bachtrack.

Kelsall takes readers through each movement of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, offering a detailed account of the orchestra’s interpretation. He also highlights Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow Yiran Zhao‘s leadership of Valerie Coleman‘s Umoja, which opened the program.

Curtis Symphony Orchestra performed Gustav Mahler‘s Symphony No. 9 and Valerie Coleman’s Umoja on November 8, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Read the full review on Bachtrack: “The kids are alright: stunning, mature Mahler 9 from Curtis Symphony.”