Bass-baritone Eric Owens (Director, Vocal Studies and the Curtis Opera Theatre) and soprano Angel Blue recently sat down with CBS This Morning to discuss bringing The Gershwins’s Porgy and Bess (“the first great American opera”) to the stage of The Metropolitan Opera for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Curtis students, alumni, and faculty, are making remarkable accomplishments in the music world and beyond. Learn more about Curtis in the News.
Curtis students, alumni, and faculty, are making remarkable accomplishments in the music world and beyond. Learn more about Curtis in the News.
On Wednesday, January 29, the Curtis vocal department presents a free recital of Russian songs, prepared by faculty vocal coach Ghenady Meirson, a Ukrainian native who has a broad and deep understanding of Russian vocal literature. In this brief interview, Mr. Meirson and Curtis student Dalia Medovnikov, a soprano, shared their excitement at presenting rarities by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich, and more.
Many of the works on this recital will be unfamiliar to most listeners. What was the overall process in choosing arias and ensembles for these particular singers?
GM: In working with young singers, my primary goal is to help them achieve top quality vocalism and artistry. There are many considerations in selecting the right repertoire to make a fresh and appealing program for our audience. We love Tchaikovsky, but he is notably missing in this concert. This time we are offering songs by Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Medtner, Rachmaninoff, Gliere, Sviridov and Shostakovich
Dalia, you’re a native Russian speaker, so this literature must carry a special resonance for you. What has it been like for you to share Russian songs with your fellow singers at Curtis?
DM: Russian repertoire and poetry are especially dear to me because of my upbringing. I’ve always found Russian works to carry a certain soul to them, often, I think, as a result of the country’s tumultuous history. Watching my peers learn to love the music has been wonderful. I feel that despite their not being Russian, they were able to tap into the feeling the repertoire requires. I have loved seeing them grow into their pieces, lift the notes from off the paper, and bring the Russian soul to life.
You’ll be performing in the Shostakovich Songs from Jewish Folk Poetry. What has especially intrigued you about these pieces?
DM: Being of Russian-Jewish heritage, singing this cycle is especially meaningful. as it connects me with the lives of my ancestors. Their pains and their joys are very well expressed through Shostakovich’s musical interpretation. I think the music is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever sung, as Shostakovich is able to encapsulate the weight of Jewish history in addition to reflecting the tone of each individual poem in a very timeless manner, despite not being Jewish himself.
Ghena, why is it important for young singers to study the very rich Russian repertoire?
GM: Our singers receive invaluable exposure to rich vocal repertoire and languages including Russian music. In recent years, three Curtis singers—Brandon Cedel, Kirsten MacKinnon, and Sean Michael Plumb—were winners of the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. During the Grand Finals the judges requested a Russian aria from their repertoire list. Brandon offered Aleko’s Cavatina from Rachmaninoff’s Aleko, and Kirsten and Sean sang arias from Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. While students at Curtis, Kirsten and Sean performed in the Curtis Opera Theatre’s production of Iolanta. As you can see, Russian music is an important part of a singer’s repertoire mix and has practical application!
MEDIA ADVISORY
Patricia K. Johnson, Curtis Institute of Music
Office: (215) 717-3190, Cell: (856) 419-7083, patricia.johnson@curtis.edu
WHEN: Monday, January 20, 2020
Activities at Carver Engineering and Science
| 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Service projects and rehearsals |
| 12 to 1 p.m. | Break for lunch |
| 1 to 2 p.m.
|
Performance by students from the Curtis Institute of Music Side-by-side performance with string students from Curtis and Carver Engineering and Science in the auditorium To include: |
Activities at Cayuga Elementary School
| 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Service projects and rehearsals |
| 12 to 1 p.m. | Break for lunch |
| 1 to 2 p.m.
|
Performance by students from the Curtis Institute of Music in the auditorium
To include: |
WHERE: Carver Engineering and Science
1600 W. Norris Street, Philadelphia, PA 19121
Cayuga Elementary School
4344 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140
WHAT: See the partnership between the Curtis Institute of Music and two School District of Philadelphia locations in action. Community Artist Fellows and students from Curtis celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service at Carver Engineering and Science and Cayuga Elementary School, part of an ongoing commitment to strengthening existing instrumental education programs in the district.
In the morning, Curtis students will participate in service projects at each location. Curtis string and vocal students will clean, beautify, and soundproof the auditorium at Carver. Woodwind, brass, and percussion students from Curtis will complete several tasks at Cayuga, including cleaning and painting the facilities.
In the afternoon, Curtis students will perform for SDP students and their families. At Carver, they will perform a work for string orchestra by Curtis alumnus Jonathan Bailey Holland and a vocal work, and will present a side-by-side performance with string students enrolled at Carver, who are receiving additional instruction and mentorship from Curtis Community Artist Fellow Abigail Fayette during the 2019–20 school year. At Cayuga, Curtis students will perform three works for percussion, woodwind, and brass ensembles, respectively. Community Artist Fellow Hanul Park has helped to build the woodwind and brass programs at Cayuga since Fall 2019.
The work at Carver and Cayuga by the Community Artist Fellows continues to build on the success of past fellows’ involvement at the William Cramp School (which has since reintroduced a string program to elementary-level students) and South Philadelphia High School (which has invested in a full-time music teacher and is now committed to using the arts to accomplish its goals). In 2019–20 the fellows are also working with students at William H. Hunter Elementary School.
In a related effort that is new in the 2019–20 school year, Curtis is collaborating with the School District of Philadelphia to provide additional mentorship and professional development and strengthen existing instrumental education programs. As part of this effort, Louis Russo (Carver), Jake Hernandez (Cayuga), and Aaron Stewart (Hunter) have received one-on-one mentoring from Mary Javian, chair of career studies at Curtis, and regular sessions in musical and entrepreneurial skills from other Curtis faculty.
See more online:
Former Community Artist Fellow Nozomi Imamura discusses rebuilding the band program at South Philadelphia High School in article from the Philadelphia Inquirer:
https://www.inquirer.com/life/south-philadelphia-high-school-music-band-curtis-institute-nozomi-imamura-20190428.html
Community Artist Fellow Abigail Fayette vlogs about teaching string students at Carver Engineering and Science:
https://youtu.be/lrsJ8dhBal8
The Community Artist Fellowship is generously supported by Wells Fargo.
About Curtis
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 learn to engage audiences and share their music with the world through community-based projects like the ones at Philadelphia-area schools. To learn more about Curtis’s work in the community, visit www.curtis.edu/Community.
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