PHILADELPHIA—December 1, 2021—The Curtis Institute of Music and 92Y announce today a first-of-its kind collaboration, entitled Curtis at 92Y. This new relationship will give Curtis its first-ever “home” in New York City and give the 92Y community an opportunity to learn from Curtis faculty and alumni and enjoy the work of one of the most important conservatories in the world. Both institutions hope to build on this first phase with greater and deeper engagement, beginning with programming designed to educate, engage, and delight audiences and students of all ages, through performances, classes for schoolchildren, adult education, mentorship, and more.
“We’re tremendously excited to launch Curtis at 92Y,” says Yana Stotland, Director of 92Y’s School of Music. “Our combined 250 years of experience in music education at the highest level creates the foundation for extraordinary new opportunities for artistic growth in students of all ages.”
“We are pleased to join 92Y in this endeavor and are thrilled by its tremendous potential,” says Andrew Lane, Vice President of Touring and Artist Management at Curtis. “Together we will amplify the performance and educational offerings of both of our institutions, reach new audiences, and deepen our relationships with the communities we serve.”
In this new collaboration, Curtis will work with 92Y to develop thought-provoking adult education classes taught by Curtis faculty and alumni, which will be featured prominently on 92Y’s well-known, global adult education and culture platforms. This component of Curtis at 92Y launches Wednesday, January 19, 2022 with a multi-session, online adult education course taught by Jonathan Coopersmith, Chair of Musical Studies at Curtis. The course is centered on Franz Schubert’s Quintet in C Major, one of the great masterworks of chamber music, written in the final weeks of Schubert’s tragically short life, and which Curtis on Tour will perform at 92Y in February. Coopersmith will look at the genius of the Quintet, what made Schubert a musical groundbreaker, and his unique place in bridging the Classical and Romantic eras. Register here.
On Friday, February 18, the first of two annual Curtis on Tour concerts premieres with a Curtis ensemble including faculty members violinist Ida Kavafian and cellist Peter Wiley, emerging artists violinist Lun Li, violist Cara Pogossian, and cellist Francis Carr performing Schubert’s Quintet in C Major on the stage of 92Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City. The program will also include the New York premiere of Curtis composition faculty member Richard Danielpour’s String Quintet (“A Shattered Vessel”). Tickets available here. A second Curtis on Tour offering at 92Y will be announced later for Fall 2022.
Curtis and 92Y will work together to develop engaging educational activities around Curtis on Tour appearances on 92Y’s concert series for students enrolled in 92Y’s School of Music, and in the larger New York City community, with a particular focus on the segment of the community served by 92Y’s Center for Arts Learning & Leadership, a renowned music education program developed and run by 92Y that, pre-pandemic served over 15,000 primarily under-resourced New York City public school students in-person, and now has expanded nationally online.
In summer 2022, selected students from 92Y’s highly-regarded Recanati-Kaplan Program for Excellence in the Arts will study with Curtis alumni teaching artists in an online intensive instructional and mentorship program. 92Y’s Recanati-Kaplan program offers full merit-based scholarships for gifted and talented students to foster their creative potential through a broad range of individualized instruction, advanced classes, and mentoring to accelerate learning and support technical accomplishment. This intensive online program with Curtis will supplement the development of overall musicianship and preparedness for our most dedicated scholars.
About 92Y
The 92nd Street Y (92Y) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92Y offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92Y’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit 92Y.org.
About the Curtis Institute of Music
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. With admissions based solely on artistic promise, no student is turned away due to financial need. Curtis invests in each admitted student, ensuring no tuition is charged for their studies and they enter the profession free from educational debt. 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. For more information, visit Curtis.edu.
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Press Contact
Patricia K. Johnson
Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs
(215) 717-3190
For 92Y:
Patrick Preblick
Director of Publicity
(212) 415-5537