Month: July 2021

Curtis Appoints Nick DiBerardino Director of Composition Studies and Ensemble 20/21

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PHILADELPHIA—July 27, 2021—The Curtis Institute of Music has appointed Nick DiBerardino as Director of Composition Studies and Ensemble 20/21. In this role Mr. DiBerardino will provide oversight for all composition activities and collaborations at the conservatory. He will work individually with and mentor Curtis’s composition students, lead composition seminars, design and implement curriculum, and assist in recruiting a diverse applicant pool and cultivating relationships beneficial to Curtis and its community. As the director of Ensemble 20/21, Curtis’s contemporary music ensemble, he will create a long-term vision for the group and oversee programming and production.

Mr. DiBerardino entered Curtis as a composition student in 2015. He graduated with post-baccalaureate diplomas in composition (2018) and the Community Artist Fellowship (2019) and has served as member of the music studies faculty since 2018. He has led musical studies and coordinated composition activities for Curtis’s summer programs, including the Sphinx Performance Academy. Mr. DiBerardino was previously a teaching fellow and assistant at Princeton University, Yale University, the Yale School of Music, and four of the colleges at the University of Oxford.

“We are thrilled to have Nick join us in this expanded role,” says Paul Bryan, dean of Curtis. “He has deep and multi-faceted ties to the Curtis community, a dynamic compositional career, and the administrative abilities to bring vision to fruition—all of which will greatly benefit our students and our school.”

Mr. DiBerardino is a Rhodes Scholar whose music has been commissioned by many artists and institutions, including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the New College Choir, arx duo, Sandbox Percussion, The Brass Project, Matthew Levy, Gretna Music, Vesper Concerts, the Rhodes Trust, soundSCAPE Festival, Bennington Chamber Music Conference, Ensemble Dance, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Music From Angel Fire. Residencies include those for the Intimacy of Creativity Festival at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, and Luzerne Music Center. Mr. DiBerardino has spoken as a guest composer at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School for the Arts, Florida State University, and SUNY Fredonia. He serves as president of the board of Long Island Chamber Music and The Brass Project.

Mr. DiBerardino’s works have been performed by the American Composers Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, Aizuri Quartet, Contemporaneous, So Percussion, and the Israeli Chamber Project; and artists Tony Arnold, Tara O’Connor, Danny Phillips, Steven Copes, Sonora Slocum, and Priscilla Lee, among many others. In addition to his diplomas from Curtis, he holds composition degrees from the University of Oxford, the Yale School of Music, and Princeton University, where he is a PhD candidate.

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Flexible in size and scope, Ensemble 20/21 performs a wide range of music from the 20th and 21st centuries, including works by Curtis students and alumni. The ensemble has appeared at major U.S. venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Miller Theatre, as well as international venues, including the Intimacy of Creativity festival in Hong Kong. The ensemble has presented concert portraits of iconic composers in residence Unsuk Chin, John Corigliano, George Crumb, Krzysztof Penderecki, Augusta Read Thomas, and Chen Yi, among many others. Of the ensemble’s Joan Tower portrait program, the New York Times wrote, “Ms. Tower could hardly have hoped for more passionate performances.”

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. For nearly a century Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. 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. In a typical year, Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings in Philadelphia and around the world.

 

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Michelle Cann and Karen Slack To Receive Sphinx Medal of Excellence

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Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies Michelle Cann (Piano ’13, ArtistYear ’15) and soprano Karen Slack (Opera ’02), alongside violinist Randall Goosby, have been awarded the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. The highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, the medal recognizes extraordinary classical musicians of color and comes with a $50,000 career grant. Recipients are artists who early in their career demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities. In a recent press release, Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa S. Dworkin lauded the two alumnae for “the artistry and visionary leadership of Karen Slack and her #KikiKonversations as she sheds light upon historically excluded artists,” and “Michelle Cann’s vision and ongoing excellence in uncovering and championing the voice of Florence Price, evolving the classical music canon for our sector.” Medal ceremonies will take place in Washington, D.C. in March 2022.

Curtis students, alumni, and faculty, are making remarkable accomplishments in the music world and beyond. Learn more about Curtis in the News.

Curtis Announces Andrew Lane as Vice President, Touring and Artist Management

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The Curtis Institute of Music is pleased to share the news that Andrew Lane has been promoted to Vice President, Touring and Artist Management, taking on an important leadership role as Curtis expands its global presence and launches a new artist management initiative. Since 2013 Mr. Lane has been an innovator and driving force for Curtis on Tour, the school’s Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative, extending its performance reach to over 110 cities in 23 countries and developing lasting partnerships with institutions around the globe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has overseen the success of virtual tours, ensuring that audiences in the U.S. and abroad continue to have access to high-quality performances and educational offerings. As vice president, he will further grow these offerings, integrating strategic priorities in touring and technology.

Notably, Mr. Lane oversaw the recent launch of Curtis’s artist management initiative, which currently represents the GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet and critically acclaimed pianist Michelle Cann. He will lead the development of this new aspect of the school in the coming years.

“We have absolutely loved working with Andrew and are excited to continue doing so with his well-deserved promotion,” said the members of the Dover Quartet. “To work with him is to be in great hands and in the best company!”

Mr. Lane has stewarded the significant expansion of Curtis on Tour since joining the staff in 2013, including booking and managing more than 300 performances around the world. Highlights include Curtis Symphony Orchestra tours to Europe (2017) and the U.S. East Coast (2020); annual tours in North and South America, Europe, and Asia; and professional performance engagements for Curtis students and alumni, including several debuts with major orchestras and concert presenters.

“We are so pleased to learn of Andrew’s promotion,” said Don Roth, Ph.D., executive director of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Davis. “Working with him is always a productive, constructive, and creative process—and we are so glad to see his work recognized as he moves into this important new role.” The Mondavi Center has been an annual presenter of Curtis on Tour performances since the program’s inception.

Prior to joining Curtis, Mr. Lane worked at Opus 3 Artists where he booked chamber music and orchestral engagements for many of the world’s most distinguished artists, from emerging talent to acclaimed artists such as Yefim Bronfman and Jonathan Biss. He held a previous administrative post at the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.

Originally from Newnan, Ga., Mr. Lane holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mercer University and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Texas Tech University.