Month: October 2019

Meet the Faculty: Robert van Sice

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Meet Curtis faculty Robert van Sice in this fall’s edition of Overtones.

“I would love to hear what Debussy would’ve done in a solo marimba piece, but I’m in on the birth of my instrument,” says Mr. van Sice, describing how the world of percussion has grown exponentially in barely 100 years since Debussy’s time. A renowned master of the marimba, he has seen standards of performance reach new heights—and helped to raise them himself, premiering over 100 new works that span the full range of possibilities for percussion. Now, he guides students at Curtis along their own paths in an ever-evolving musical landscape.

Read the full article, or visit Curtis.edu/Overtones for more stories featuring Curtis’s notable students, faculty, and alumni.

Curtis Mourns the Death of Myron Bloom

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Curtis mourns the death of Myron Bloom, distinguished horn virtuoso and member of the Curtis faculty from 1982 to 1999. Mr. Bloom, the celebrated principal horn of the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell and of l’Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Barenboim, passed away on September 26 in Bloomington, Indiana.

Originally a cellist, Mr. Bloom learned the horn in order to play in a military band during World War II. He progressed quickly, and after the war he entered the Eastman School of Music as a horn major. After two years he won the principal horn position in the New Orleans Symphony, serving in that chair from 1949 to 1954. He then joined the Cleveland Orchestra and soon became its principal. His tenure in Cleveland coincided with the reign of the legendary George Szell, and Mr. Bloom played in the orchestra’s most celebrated recordings, including a solo turn in the Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1. He remained with the orchestra until 1977, after Maestro Szell’s retirement, when Daniel Barenboim invited him to become principal horn of l’Orchestre de Paris. He remained in Paris until 1985, and joined the Curtis faculty during this period.

Mr. Bloom was a member of the Marlboro Music Festival from its inception and played solo horn at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico for ten years. In addition to his teaching at Curtis. Mr. Bloom chaired the horn department of the Cleveland Institute of Music and served on the faculties of Indiana University, Carnegie Mellon University, Oberlin Conservatory, the Juilliard School, Boston University, and the Conservatoire National Superior de Musique de Paris.

The Curtis community extends heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, and students of Mr. Bloom.

 

 

 

Curtis Symphony Orchestra Performs Philadelphia Premiere of Theofanidis’s Drum Circles October 19–20

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PHILADELPHIA—October 10, 2019—The Curtis Symphony Orchestra presents two concert programs at Alumnae Hall at Immaculata University on Saturday, October 19 at 8 p.m. and at Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, October 20 at 2 p.m. Each concert features the Philadelphia premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s new percussion concerto performed with guest artists the Percussion Collective. The October 20 program also sees the return of conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who leads operatic selections by Mozart.

The October 19 program in Immaculata opens with one of four overtures Beethoven wrote for his only opera, Fidelio, led by conducting fellow Robert Kahn, followed by Mozart’s sublime “Gran Partita” for winds. In the second half of the concert, conducting fellow Yuwon Kim leads the Philadelphia premiere of Drum Circles by celebrated composer Christopher Theofanidis. The dynamic Percussion Collective shares the stage with the Curtis Percussion Group, comprising students from the Curtis percussion department, in this rousing showcase.

On October 20 Yannick Nézet-Séguin weaves an unforgettable experience at the opera, as members of the Curtis Opera Theatre join forces with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for selections from Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, two of Mozart’s best-loved operas. The program also features repeat performances of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 and Theofanidis’s Drum Circles, under Mr. Kahn and Ms. Kim, respectively. As mentor conductor on the Curtis faculty, Mr. Nézet-Séguin works regularly with the student conductors and instrumentalists, and last appeared with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Verizon Hall in April 2019.

Three-concert subscriptions for Philadelphia concerts starting at $60 and single tickets to the Immaculata concert for $20 are available from the Curtis Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Orchestra. Single tickets to Verizon Hall start at $25 and can be purchased through the Kimmel Center Box Office at (215) 893-1999 or KimmelCenter.org. This concert is supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund.

Both concerts are presented as part of Philadelphia Music Week, in collaboration with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and REC Philly. Philadelphia Music Week runs from October 15 to 21 and showcases the diverse musical offerings in Philadelphia and their impact on the community. Curtis hosts additional festival events on its campus throughout the week. For more information, visit PHLMusicWeek.com.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera; and artistic director of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. Widely recognized for his musicianship, dedication, and charisma, Mr. Nézet-Séguin has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most exciting talents of his generation.

Mr. Nézet-Séguin has appeared with most of the world’s leading orchestras. He enjoys close collaborations with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He is honorary conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic after serving as its music director from 2008 to 2018; and was principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic from 2008 to 2014. He has appeared repeatedly at the BBC Proms and many European and North American festivals, among them Edinburgh, Grafenegg, Lanaudière, Lucerne, Mostly Mozart, Salzburg, Saratoga, and Vail. He has conducted annually at the Metropolitan Opera since 2009, and has led productions at Teatro alla Scala in Milan; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London; Netherlands Opera; and the Vienna State Opera. He records for Deutsche Grammophon.

A native of Montreal, Mr. Nézet-Séguin studied piano, conducting, composition, and chamber music at the Conservatoire de music du Québec. He continued his studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini, and also studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. His honors include Musical America’s Artist of the Year (2016), the Royal Philharmonic Society Award, Canada’s National Arts Centre Award, and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres du Québec. He holds honorary doctorates from multiple institutions, including the University of Québec in Montreal, Westminster Choir College, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he has served on the faculty as mentor conductor since 2013.

The Percussion Collective transcends the medium of percussion through uncommon performance experiences that surprise and engage audiences at a profound emotional level. Under the artistic direction of Robert van Sice, percussion faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music and one of the world’s foremost performers of contemporary music for marimba, the Percussion Collective is flexible in size and draws from a rich bouquet of talent, offering exquisitely curated programs for an array of venues and settings. Featuring players from Europe, Asia, and the United States, the roster of the Percussion Collective represents the leading edge of innovation in concert conception and performance.

The ensemble’s inaugural tour of the United States in Spring 2018 featured the first performances of the newly commissioned Seaborne, an immersive multimedia work by Emmy Award-winning composer Garth Neustadter and videographer Kjell van Sice that celebrates the beauty of our world’s oceans. In 2018–19 the Percussion Collective toured Seaborne in China and made its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony and Carlos Kalmar in the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s Drum Circles, later performing the work at the Aspen Music Festival. This season the Percussion Collective will tour Europe, appearing at Vienna’s Musikverein, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Purcell Hall in London. The October 19 and 20 performances feature three members of the Percussion Collective: Ji Hye Jung, Svet Stoyanov, and Mari Yoshinaga (Timpani and Percussion ’12).

The Curtis Percussion Group comprises the percussion studio of the Curtis Institute of Music and is directed by Curtis percussion faculty Robert van Sice. Four of the Percussion Group’s members are featured in the performances of Drum Circles: Julien Bélanger, from Montreal; Sijia Huang, from Shenzhen, China; Yoonseo Kang, from Seoul; and Thomas Kolakowski, from Dover, Delaware. All are students of Mr. van Sice, Don Liuzzi, and Eric Millstein.

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.

 

 

CURTIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Jack Wolgin Orchestral Concerts

 

Curtis at Immaculata
Saturday, October 19 at 8 p.m.
Alumnae Hall, Immaculata University
1145 King Road, Immaculata, Pa.

Robert Kahn, conducting fellow
Yuwon Kim, conducting fellow
The Percussion Collective
Curtis Percussion Group

BEETHOVEN
MOZART
THEOFANIDIS		 Leonore Overture No. 3
Serenade in B-flat major (“Gran Partita”)
Drum Circles

Single tickets: $20, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office at Curtis.edu/Orchestra or (215) 893-7902.

 

Yannick at the Opera
Sunday, October 20 at 2 p.m.
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Broad and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
The Percussion Collective
Curtis Percussion Group
Members of the Curtis Opera Theatre
Robert Kahn, conducting fellow
Yuwon Kim, conducting fellow

THEOFANIDIS
BEETHOVEN
MOZART		 Drum Circles
Leonore Overture No. 3
Selections from Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro

3-concert subscription: $60–204, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office at Curtis.edu/Orchestra or (215) 893-7902.

Single tickets: $25–85, sold by the Kimmel Center Box Office at KimmelCenter.org or (215) 893-1999.

 

The guest conductor for this Curtis Symphony Orchestra performance is made possible by the Gustave and Rita Hauser Chair.

These events are presented as part of Philadelphia Music Week, in collaboration with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and REC Philly. For more information, visit PHLMusicWeek.com.

 

 

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First Annual Philadelphia Music Week Celebrates City’s Vibrant Music Community

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PHILADELPHIA—October 7, 2019—Philadelphia Music Week, a new festival showcasing the diverse musical offerings in Philadelphia and their impact on the community, launches the first in a series of annual celebrations on Tuesday, October 15, with activities running through Monday, October 21 at venues around the city. Spearheaded by the Curtis Institute of Music, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA), and REC Philly, the festival includes public performances, talks, and educational opportunities presented by Philadelphia-area musical organizations and groups across a range of genres.

The week-long festival officially begins with an event at Dilworth Plaza on Tuesday, October 15 from 1–4:30 p.m. Following the announcement of a city council resolution honoring the Curtis Institute of Music’s 95th anniversary, Curtis students and REC Philly musical acts Alexia and Tati, Joshua Mitchell, and Al Zamora perform a free outdoor concert on the plaza.

Curtis also hosts several free events during the week on its campus between 16th and 18th Streets on Locust Street, and presents the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in concert at Immaculata University on October 19 and at Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall on October 20. View the full schedule of Curtis events at Curtis.edu/PHLMusicWeek.

An interactive program on October 15 from 2–4 p.m. in Gould Rehearsal Hall (1616 Locust Street) showcases the expressive power of music composition for patients of the Penn Memory Center. All attendees will participate in group singing, drum circles, active listening, and the creation of new musical works; and enjoy musical performances by Curtis students.

David Serkin Ludwig, chair of composition studies at Curtis, hosts an event on October 16 at 8 p.m. in Field Concert Hall (1726 Locust Street) about the history of music and its relationship to technology. Curtis violin and piano student Ray Ushikubo will perform a piece on the revolutionary Steinway and Sons Spirio player piano, using its live performance capture feature to accompany himself on the violin.

These events are also part of Independence Blue Cross’s B. PHL Innovation Fest, for which the Curtis Institute of Music serves as an official location partner and content architect.

Additional Field Concert Hall events include the regularly scheduled Student Recital Series on October 18 and 21 and a narrated concert on October 19 featuring the new book The Nightingale’s Sonata by biographer Thomas Wolf and Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano. The October 18 recital will be streamed live at Curtis.edu/YouTube.

Curtis is only one of many organizations hosting events and social media conversations during Philadelphia Music Week. Visit Phillyfunguide.com for the most up-to-date listings of musical events around the city. Ticket policies are specific to each event.

Philadelphia Music Week celebrates our city’s vibrant music community and communicates about the importance of music. Musicians and organizations of all sizes are encouraged to submit their specially curated or existing events taking place between October 15 and 21 to Phillyfunguide where they will be tagged as #PHLMusicWeek events and promoted to GPCA’s 100,000+ subscribers. Audiences can view a master list of Philadelphia-area musical happenings and are encouraged to share their participation by following @phlmusicweek on Instagram and by tagging #PHLMusicWeek on social media. Visit PHLMusicWeek.com for more information.

In the 2019–20 school year, the Curtis Institute of Music celebrates 95 years of educating and training exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. With a small student body of about 175, Curtis provides each young musician with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by personalized attention from celebrated faculty and a “learn by doing” philosophy. To ensure that admissions are based solely on artistic promise, Curtis makes an investment in each admitted student so that no tuition is charged for their studies. Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year in Philadelphia and around the world.

Press and media inquiries may be directed to Patricia K. Johnson, senior director of communications and marketing at the Curtis Institute of Music. Musicians and organizations may submit events for inclusion at Phillyfunguide.com/Submission.

 

 

PHILADELPHIA MUSIC WEEK:
CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC EVENTS
October 15–21, 2019

 

City Hall Resolution and Free Outdoor Concert
Tuesday, October 15 from 1–4:30 p.m.
Dilworth Plaza, 1 S. 15th Street, Philadelphia

1:50–2:20 p.m.
2:30–3 p.m.
3:10–3:40 p.m.
3:50–4:20 p.m.		 Performance by Curtis musicians
Performance by Alexia and Tati
Performance by Joshua Mitchell
Performance by Al Zamora

Free; no tickets required.

 

Creative Expression Through Music
Tuesday, October 15 at 2 p.m.
(official location partner of B. PHL Innovation Fest)
Gould Rehearsal Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1616 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Free; registration is required. Registration and more information at Curtis.edu/PHLMusicWeek.

 

Innovative Technology in Music
Wednesday, October 16 at 8 p.m.
(official location partner of B. PHL Innovation Fest)
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

David Serkin Ludwig, speaker
Ray Ushikubo, violin and piano

Free; registration is required. Registration and more information at Curtis.edu/PHLMusicWeek.

 

Free Student Recital Series
Friday, October 18 at 8 p.m.
Monday, October 21 at 6 p.m.
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Free; no tickets required. Learn more and view performers and repertoire at Curtis.edu/Recitals.

 

The Nightingale’s Sonata: A Narrated Concert
Saturday, October 19 at 8 p.m.
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Thomas Wolf, author
Ray Ushikubo, violin
Wei Luo, piano

Free; registration is required. Registration and more information at Curtis.edu/PHLMusicWeek.

 

Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Immaculata
Saturday, October 19 at 8 p.m.
Alumnae Hall, Immaculata University, 1145 King Road, Immaculata, Pa.

Robert Kahn, conducting fellow
Yuwon Kim, conducting fellow
The Percussion Collective
Curtis Percussion Group

BEETHOVEN
MOZART
THEOFANIDIS		 Leonore Overture No. 3
Serenade in B-flat major (“Gran Partita”)
Drum Circles

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra offers an unforgettable blend of old and new masterworks. The program opens with one of four overtures Beethoven wrote for his only opera, Fidelio, and continues with Mozart’s sublime Gran Partita for winds. Then the dynamic Percussion Collective joins in the Philadelphia premiere of Drum Circles by celebrated composer Christopher Theofanidis.

Single tickets: $20, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office at Curtis.edu/Orchestra or (215) 893-7902.

Orchestral concerts are supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund.

 

Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Yannick at the Opera
Sunday, October 20 at 2 p.m.
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
The Percussion Collective
Curtis Percussion Group
Members of the Curtis Opera Theatre
Robert Kahn, conducting fellow
Yuwon Kim, conducting fellow

THEOFANIDIS
BEETHOVEN
MOZART		 Drum Circles
Leonore Overture No. 3
Selections from Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro

Yannick Nézet-Ségun weaves an unforgettable experience at the opera, as the Curtis Opera Theatre joins forces with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for selections from Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte, two of Mozart’s best-loved operas. The program includes one of four overtures Beethoven wrote for his only opera, Fidelio. To open the concert, the dynamic Percussion Collective also shares the stage for the Philadelphia premiere of Drum Circles, by celebrated composer Christopher Theofanidis.

3-concert subscription: $60–204, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office at Curtis.edu/Orchestra or (215) 893-7902.

Single tickets: $25–85, sold by the Kimmel Center Box Office at KimmelCenter.org or (215) 893-1999.

Orchestral concerts are supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund. The guest conductor for this Curtis Symphony Orchestra performance is made possible by the Gustave and Rita Hauser Chair.

These events are presented as part of Philadelphia Music Week, in collaboration with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and REC Philly. For additional events and more information, visit PHLMusicWeek.com.

 

 

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