Sounds of Swan Lake
This spring, join Philadelphia Ballet and the Curtis Institute of Music for a special presentation of the sounds and imagery of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Enjoy a musical performance from Curtis students, original illustrations from the ballet, plus an interactive narration of the fairytale. Images and sound come together to create an enchanting family-friendly retelling of this classic story.
Written originally for the children of his sister, Alexandra Davydova, Swan Lake was the first of what would become a lifetime’s worth of Tchaikovsky’s most immediately identifiable ballet scores. The story, built around Princess Odette—turned to a swan by the evil Baron Von Rothbart—and Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with Odette despite her affliction, was poorly received upon its premiere by the Bolshoi Ballet in March 1877. It has since become one of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved compositions.
Curtis’s performance of the piece features work from Kailey Whitman as published illustrator, Juan Tang Hon as live performance illustrator, and John B Hedges (Artist Diploma, ’02) as narrator. Madison Proctor, a local Philadelphia high school student, will join Hedges as co-narrator.
This event will take place on Sunday, May 22 at 3 p.m. at the Cherry Street Pier.
The Family Concert is a free event and is open to the public. Families with young children are encouraged to attend.
| Jacob Niemann, conductor | |
|---|---|
| Matthew Hakkarainen and Emma Carina Meinrenken, violins | |
| Chih-Ta Chen, viola | |
| Melanie Hsu, cello | |
| Jamison Hillian, oboe | |
| Tianqi Zhang, harp |
About the Performers
Chih-Ta Chen, from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is a student of Roberto Díaz and Ed Gazouleas, and entered Curtis in 2019.
Matthew Hakkarainen, from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is a student of Pamela Frank and entered Curtis in 2018.
Jamison Hillian, from Chesterfield, S.C., is a student of Katherine Needleman, Toyin Spellman-Diaz, Elizabeth Koch Tiscione, Philippe Tondre, and Robert Walters, and entered Curtis in 2018.
Melanie Hsu, guest artist
Emma Carina Meinrenken, from Toronto, is a student of Ida Kavafian and entered Curtis in 2017.
Jacob Niemann, from Plainsboro, N.J., is a student of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and entered Curtis in 2020.
Tianqi Zhang, guest artist
