Month: September 2019

Meet the Students: Sarah Fleiss

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Sarah Fleiss is a member of the 2019 incoming class. A mezzo-soprano, she studies in the voice program and has already performed many roles in opera and musical theatre. When not creating characters onstage, she enjoys being in the audience; yoga and outdoor pursuits are some of her favorite ways to spend her spare time.

What was your first musical memory?
My first musical memory is from when I was about three years old. My parents noticed that I was always singing at home, and could tell that I loved it, so when we went to visit my sick grandfather in a nursing home, they asked me to sing. Not knowing the full weight of the situation, I cheerily sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and went along with my life. Looking back now, I see how important that moment was. I never got to fully communicate with my grandfather, and sharing such an intimate part of myself with him—my voice—must have meant the world to him.

You’ve performed quite a bit in opera—and also in musical theater. How would you compare the two experiences?
I grew up surrounded by musical theater. I performed in a multitude of shows every summer at a performing arts camp, and did countless productions in school as well. In a sense, being on stage and inhabiting characters was all I knew, and I loved it with every fiber of my being! I felt most myself when I sang.

The main difference that I felt when I first performed in opera was that, although it reflects the most intimate and primal moments we as humans can experience, these are inherently heightened. I have never felt that opera and musical theater were that different at their core—but that each form simply tells stories and utilizes artists in differing ways. Like an actor does through dialogue, dance and music, the job of an opera singer is to tell a story with their voice.

How did you hear about Curtis?
Last summer, I did a voice program in beautiful Tuscany, Italy, and had the pleasure of meeting Danielle Orlando, now one of the new vocal program heads alongside Eric Owens. Danielle conveyed to me how wonderful a place Curtis is, and how it is almost a safe haven for young musicians. Curtis’s “learn by doing” approach seemed marvelous to me, as I have always learned the most by just going up and doing it.

What was the most interesting thing that happened to you in your first week here?
Some Curtis friends and I attended a jazz concert out in Fishtown. It was an amazing show: standards, experimental sessions, electronic music, and even some jazz violin. It’s fascinating how we can spend all day studying and thinking about classical music, but can go 15 minutes out of Center City and have a musical experience that is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

What are you looking forward to most about attending Curtis?
I am looking forward to the opportunity to simply explore different music, different ways of thinking about music, and the different ways in which I can use my voice. Not to mention the people that fill these halls! They are some of the smartest and most passionate I have ever seen, and are pursuing music out of pure love and joy. The world could really use more of that!

 

2019–20 Curtis on Tour Season Begins with Performances in Greece, Germany, and Spain September 18–29

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PHILADELPHIA—September 10, 2019—Curtis on Tour launches the 2019–20 season with performances by students, faculty, and alumni in Athens, Greece from September 18 to 21. A condensed ensemble continues touring activities at venues in Germany and Spain from September 23 to 29.

Now in its fifth year as the resident ensemble at the Nights of Classical Music at the Gennadius Library festival, Curtis on Tour’s four performances from September 18 to 21 are presented by the Schwarz Foundation in collaboration with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. These concerts feature solo works for piano by Classical and Romantic masters; opera and art song favorites for soprano and baritone; a piano trio by Mendelssohn; and a mixed program centered on Curtis alumnus Ned Rorem’s Aftermath for baritone, violin, cello, and piano. Touring musicians to Athens include alumni Elizabeth Reiter (Opera ’12), Dennis Chmelensky (Opera ’19), and Elissa Lee Koljonen (Violin ’94); current students Chase Park (Cello) and Janice Carissa (Piano); and pianist Mikael Eliasen, former artistic director of the Curtis Opera Theatre. The venue will live-stream the performances on September 18, 19, and 20, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Chmelensky, Eliasen, Koljonen, and Park continue the tour in Germany at Theater Kempten on September 23 and Konzerthaus Berlin on September 29, and in Spain at the Auditori Teulada Moraira on September 25.

Additional tours scheduled during the 2019–20 season feature an all-alumni ensemble traveling to Asia in November, with stops in Korea, Hong Kong, and (for the first time) Singapore; and a United States tour led by esteemed alumni Benjamin Schmid (Violin ’91) and Gabriel Kovach (Horn ’99). The latter tour includes woodwind and string students from Curtis performing works by Beethoven and Penderecki, and makes stops at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. on November 17—a frequent venue for Curtis on Tour—and Curtis’s own Field Concert Hall, where the ensemble performs as part of the Curtis Presents series on November 20.

Other appearances at the National Gallery of Art include a March 22 recital by Curtis string quartet in residence the Vera Quartet and piano faculty member Meng-Chieh Liu (Piano ’85). One of several legs of their United States tour, the ensemble begins in New York and Massachusetts in November, performs in Palm Beach, Fla. in January 2020, and visits venues in California, Michigan, Chicago, and D.C. throughout March 2020.

In January and February 2020, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra embarks on a domestic tour with soloist Jonathan Biss (Piano ’01) and conductor Osmo Vänskä, featuring Beethoven’s masterful “Emperor” Concerto. Two Philadelphia-area performances on January 30 and 31 are followed by stops in western Pennsylvania, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina, before the ultimate appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall on February 8.

To close the 2020 touring season, Curtis on Tour completes the second year of a two-year partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) through appearances at the Intimacy of Creativity festival from April 20 through May 3.

In addition to the national and international tours, Curtis students and alumni also perform with professional orchestras and on recital series under the auspices of Curtis on Tour. These professional engagements provide an additional opportunity for young musicians to appear with leading orchestras and concert presenters, while bringing Curtis’s unique artistry to audiences outside Philadelphia.

All performances are part of Curtis on Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. An embodiment of the school’s “learn by doing” philosophy, it offers students real-world, professional touring experience alongside celebrated alumni and faculty. Since the program was established in 2008, students, faculty, and alumni have performed over 300 concerts in more than 90 cities in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Visit Curtis.edu/CurtisOnTour for more information.

 

 

CURTIS ON TOUR IN EUROPE

 

ATHENS

 

Wednesday, September 18 at 8:30 p.m.
American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Cotsen Hall

Janice Carissa, piano

MOZART Sonata No. 6 in D major, K. 284
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor (“Rákóczi March”)
MENDELSSOHN Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, Op. 35
BRAHMS Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 119

 

This performance will be live-streamed at ascsa.edu.gr/events/livestream starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 

Thursday, September 19 at 8:30 p.m.
American School of Classical Studies, Cotsen Hall

Elizabeth Reiter (’12), soprano
Dennis Chmelensky (’19), baritone
Mikael Eliasen, piano

MOZART “Là ci darem la mano,” from Don Giovanni
“Deh vieni alla finestra,” from Don Giovanni
“Ah! fuggi il traditor!,” from Don Giovanni
WEILL “My Ship,” from Lady in the Dark
“Youkali”: Tango habanera
 “I’m a Stranger Here Myself,” from One Touch of Venus
SCHUBERT “Willkommen und Abschied,” D. 767
“An Emma,” D. 113
“Auf der Bruck,” D. 853
LEHÁR “Lippen schweigen,” from Die lustige Witwe
PUCCINI “O mio babbino caro,” from Gianni Schicchi
KORNGOLD “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen,” from Die tote Stadt
DONIZETTI “Pronta io son” from Don Pasquale

 

This performance will be live-streamed at ascsa.edu.gr/events/livestream starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 

Friday, September 20 at 8:30 p.m.
American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Cotsen Hall

Elissa Lee Koljonen (’94), violin
Chase Park, cello
Janice Carissa, piano

Program subject to change

BEETHOVEN Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen”
from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, WoO 46
MENDELSSOHN Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66

 

This performance will be live-streamed at ascsa.edu.gr/events/livestream starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 

Saturday, September 21 at 8:30 p.m.
American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Cotsen Hall

Elizabeth Reiter (’12), soprano
Dennis Chmelensky (’19), baritone
Elissa Lee Koljonen (’94), violin
Chase Park, cello
Janice Carissa, piano
Mikael Eliasen, piano

BEETHOVEN “Wer solche Buema afipackt,”
from Songs of Various Nationalities, WoO 158a
“What Shall I do to shew how much I love her?,”
from Irish Songs, WoO152
“The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left,” from Irish Songs, WoO 153
“Farewell Thou Noisy Town,” from Welsh Songs, WoO 155
POULENC Sonata for Four-Hand Piano
BERNSTEIN (’41) “I Feel Pretty,” from West Side Story
GERSHWIN “By Strauss”
R. STRAUSS “Allerseelen,” Op. 10, No. 8
ARLEN “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” from The Wizard of Oz
ROREM (’44) Aftermath

 

Nights of Classical Music at the Gennadius Library is presented by the Schwarz Foundation in collaboration with the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. For more information, visit www.ascsa.edu.gr/events.

 

KEMPTEN, GERMANY

Monday, September 23 at 8 p.m.
Theater Kempten

Dennis Chmelensky (’19), baritone
Elissa Lee Koljonen (’94), violin
Chase Park, cello
Mikael Eliasen, piano

Program subject to change

BEETHOVEN “Wer solche Buema afipackt,”
from Songs of Various Nationalities, WoO 158a
“What Shall I do to shew how much I love her?,”
from Irish Songs, WoO152
“The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left,” from Irish Songs, WoO 153
“Farewell Thou Noisy Town,” from Welsh Songs, WoO 155
SCHUBERT “Willkommen und Abschied,” D. 767
“Der Wanderer,” D. 649
“An Emma,” D. 113
“Auf der Bruck,” D. 853
ROREM (’44) Aftermath

 

Presented by Classix Kempten. For tickets and more information, visit classix-kempten.de.

 

TEULADA, SPAIN

Wednesday, September 25 at 8 p.m.
Auditori Teulada Moraira

Dennis Chmelensky (’19), baritone
Elissa Lee Koljonen (’94), violin
Chase Park, cello
Mikael Eliasen, piano

Program subject to change

BEETHOVEN “Wer solche Buema afipackt,”
from Songs of Various Nationalities, WoO 158a
“What Shall I do to shew how much I love her?,”
from Irish Songs, WoO152
“The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left,” from Irish Songs, WoO 153
“Farewell Thou Noisy Town,” from Welsh Songs, WoO 155
SCHUBERT “Willkommen und Abschied,” D. 767
“Der Wanderer,” D. 649
“An Emma,” D. 113
“Auf der Bruck,” D. 853
ROREM (’44) Aftermath

 

Presented by Concerts Costa Blanca. For tickets and more information, visit instanticket.es.

 

BERLIN

Sunday, September 29 at 8 p.m.
Konzerthaus Berlin, Kleiner Saal

Dennis Chmelensky (’19), baritone
Elissa Lee Koljonen (’94), violin
Chase Park, cello
Mikael Eliasen, piano

Program subject to change

BEETHOVEN “Wer solche Buema afipackt,”
from Songs of Various Nationalities, WoO 158a
“What Shall I do to shew how much I love her?,”
from Irish Songs, WoO152
“The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left,” from Irish Songs, WoO 153
“Farewell Thou Noisy Town,” from Welsh Songs, WoO 155
SCHUBERT “Willkommen und Abschied,” D. 767
“Der Wanderer,” D. 649
“An Emma,” D. 113
“Auf der Bruck,” D. 853
ROREM (’44) Aftermath

 

Presented in collaboration with Young Euro Classic. For tickets and more information, visit konzerthaus.de.

 

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