Berlioz, Ortiz, and Barber
A Celebration of Orchestral Splendor
Acclaimed conductor Michael Stern (‘86) leads the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in an afternoon of extraordinary emotional contrasts. The program opens with the Philadelphia premiere of Latin GRAMMY-nominated composer Gabriela Ortiz’s kaleidoscopic Kauyumari (“The Blue Deer”) under the baton of first-year student Benoit Gauthier, Curtis’s Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow. A rhythmic tour-de-force, this thrilling work follows the hoofed blue spiritual guide of the Huichol people of Mexico on a peyote-fueled journey through the invisible world as they communicate with their ancestors, heal the wounds of the soul, and serve as guardians of the planet.
The concert continues with legendary 20th-century composer and Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber’s (’34) soaring First Symphony (in One Movement)—a muscular, lyrical work that packs a powerful wallop within the span of twenty minutes, condensing the dramatic intensity, delicacy, and sweeping grandeur of a traditional four-movement symphony into one.
The afternoon concludes with one of the repertoire’s most popular and influential symphonies, Hector Berlioz’s astonishing Symphonie fantastique. Revolutionary at the time of its 1830 Paris premiere, not only for its innovative orchestration but for its groundbreaking programmatic nature—telling an entire story across five movements—this extraordinary psychological self-portrait conjures up a dark tale of unrequited love and opium-laced hallucinations. One artist’s self-destructive obsession with a woman leads him to a sumptuous 19th-century ball; a rustic countryside on a summer night, right before a thunderous storm; a harrowing march to the scaffold; and a diabolical witches’ sabbath full of ghosts, sorcerers, and terrifying monsters.
This performance will run approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes including a 20 minute intermission.
Program
| GABRIELA ORTIZ | Kauyumari |
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| BARBER | First Symphony (In One Movement), Op. 9 |
| BERLIOZ | Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 |
Artists
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Michael Stern Conductor
Michael Stern (Conducting ’86) is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying under the noted conductor and scholar Max Rudolf. Stern co-edited the third edition of Rudolf’s famous textbook, The Grammar of Conducting, and also edited a volume of Rudolf’s collected writings and correspondence. He is also a graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a degree in American history.
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Benoit Gauthier
Benoit Gauthier is a Canadian conductor acclaimed for the intensity and depth of his interpretations. In 2024, he received the prestigious Jean-Marie-Beaudet Prize in Conducting from the Canada Council for the Arts.
He recently made his New York debut at David Geffen Hall (Lincoln Center), where Phindie wrote: “Gauthier clearly had a sense of the weight of the material, and had the requisite authority to guide the Curtis orchestra into carrying that weight” (2024). He has also conducted the National Arts Centre Orchestra (2025), the Quebec Symphony Orchestra (2024), and the Laval Symphony Orchestra (2023 and 2025), and is scheduled to make upcoming debuts with the Windsor Symphony, the Thunder Bay Symphony, and Orchestre de l’Agora.
Gauthier received the 2023 Emerging Artist Award from Culture Côte-Nord and has been supported by grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the AIDA Fund, and the Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation, as a conductor, flutist, and composer. In 2025, he was also named among CBC’s “30 Classical Musicians Under 30 to Watch.”
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Curtis Symphony Orchestra
Acclaimed for its “otherworldly ensemble and professional level of sophistication” (New York Times), the Curtis Symphony Orchestra offers a dynamic showcase of tomorrow’s exceptional young talent. Each year the 100 extraordinary musicians of the orchestra work with internationally renowned conductors, including Osmo Vänskä, Vladimir Jurowski, Marin Alsop, Simon Rattle, Robert Spano, and Yannick Nézet Séguin, who also mentors the early-career conductors who hold Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellowships. This professional training has enabled Curtis alumni to assume prominent positions in America’s leading orchestras, as well as esteemed orchestral, opera, and chamber ensembles around the world.
Special Thanks
Orchestral concerts are supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund.
Guest conductor appearances for each Curtis Symphony Orchestra performance are made possible by the Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser Chair in Conducting Studies.
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- Date Jan 27, 2024
- Time 3:00 p.m.
- Location Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center
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