Month: April 2022

Update on Upcoming Performances

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Curtis continues to follow COVID-19 safety measures which prioritize the health and well-being of our entire community. Due to close contact and regular testing protocols, the following performances are affected:

  • April 28: Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Immaculata University. This performance has been canceled and refunds will be issued automatically to all ticket holders.
  • April 29: Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Verizon Hall. Although the orchestra will not appear, Curtis will present a special concert in Verizon Hall in lieu of the planned program. Curtis alumni and faculty members pianist Yefim Bronfman, violist Roberto Díaz, and the Dover Quartet will perform the Brahms String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111 and the Brahms Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34. Ticketholders should use their current tickets for entry.
  • May 5 and 7: Curtis Opera Theatre, The Dangerous Liaisons. These performances have been canceled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders. Plans to reschedule this production for next season are in process and will be announced when available.

All other performances are unaffected and will proceed as planned.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by these changes and thank you for your understanding as we work to keep the entire community healthy and safe.

Ticket holders to any affected performance who have questions should contact the Curtis Patron Services Team at tickets@curtis.edu or by phone at (215) 717-3181.

Katherine Needleman and Philippe Tondre Appointed to Lead the Oboe Faculty

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PHILADELPHIA, PA—April 14, 2022—The Curtis Institute of Music has appointed two renowned oboists to lead the department beginning in fall 2022: Katherine Needleman (Oboe ’99) and Philippe Tondre. Ms. Needleman and Mr. Tondre currently serve as principal oboe at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra, respectively.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be joining the oboe faculty alongside my colleague Katherine Needleman at the Curtis Institute of Music,” said Mr. Tondre. “I am very excited, after fourteen years of experiencing musical aesthetics from around the globe, to share my adventures and participate in the history of the Philadelphia Sound and Curtis. I cannot wait to start in this new role, following in the footsteps of my compatriot Marcel Tabuteau and helping the next generation of musicians bring their voice, talent, and artistry to the entire world.”

Ms. Needleman and Mr. Tondre will work with Curtis students in individual lessons as well as chamber coachings. They join a distinguished roster of performers, pedagogues, and artist-citizens teaching at Curtis, including Michelle Cann, the Imani Winds, Daniel Matsukawa, Eric Owens, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, among many others.

“Since its doors first opened nearly 100 years ago, Curtis has had an important relationship with The Philadelphia Orchestra—a connection that has strengthened classical music artistry here in Philadelphia and around the world,” said Mr. Nézet-Séguin, who serves as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and mentor conductor at Curtis. “We are thrilled to continue to nurture this longstanding relationship, as we write the next chapters in our history together.”

Curtis’s oboe students will have the opportunity to study with both Ms. Needleman and Mr. Tondre, gaining valuable experience in a broad array of repertoire. Students will have access to a comprehensive education they can draw upon throughout their international careers.

“This opportunity to help guide the exceptionally talented Curtis oboe students is an immense privilege and honor,” says Ms. Needleman. “As a Curtis alumna, the long-held Philadelphia oboe tradition and history will always be a part of me. My distinguished colleague, Philippe Tondre, and I both realize there are numerous paths toward excellence with an oboe, and I’m excited for our work to help develop the musical and creative futures of our students.”

Katherine Needleman Katherine Needleman is a multi-faceted musician and native of Baltimore. She joined the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as principal oboist in 2003, the same year she won first prize at the International Double Reed Society’s Gillet-Fox Competition. In Baltimore, she also curates the “Coffee, Patisserie, and Classical Music” series, which explores the connection between composer and performer through historically marginalized music.

As soloist, she has appeared with the Saint Paul, Baltimore, and Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestras; the Albany, Richmond, and Haddonfield Symphonies; and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, in addition to her frequent appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. While a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, she appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra as a winner of their Albert M. Greenfield Competition. She has performed as guest principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New Zealand, and San Diego.

Ms. Needleman has premiered and commissioned numerous works. She gave the American premiere of Ruth Gipps’s Oboe Concerto, conducted and played the American premiere of Brenno Blauth’s Concertino, and gave the West Coast premiere of Christopher Rouse’s Oboe Concerto at the Cabrillo Festival. She gave the premiere of Kevin Puts’s oboe concerto, Moonlight, at the BSO’s New Music Festival with Marin Alsop and gives the West Coast premiere at the Cabrillo Festival in August 2022.

Before the 2019-2020 season was truncated by COVID-19, Ms. Needleman presented two recitals throughout the U.S.: one for oboe alone, and one for oboe and piano consisting of music by women composers. In late March 2020, she began her Lockdown Oboe Solo Concerts—a series of 11 weekly performances that included numerous premieres, broadcast from her living room to an audience of 80,000. Her works for oboe, English horn, and piano are published by Presser.

Philippe TondrePrincipal oboe of The Philadelphia Orchestra, appointed by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Philippe Tondre is also a member of the Mito Chamber Orchestra and the Saito Kinen Orchestra with Seiji Ozawa. Born in Mulhouse, France, Mr. Tondre studied with Yves Cautrès before joining David Walter’s class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He finished his studies with Maurice Bourgue and followed the teaching of masters such as Heinz Holliger, Nathalie Stutzmann, Jacques Tys, Jean-Louis Capezzali, and Dominik Wollenweber. At the age of 18, he was appointed principal oboe of the SWR Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2021. He was solo oboe of the Budapest Festival Orchestra (2014–20) and Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig (2016–17) and was a guest oboist with leading orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Zurich Opera.

Mr. Tondre has appeared as a soloist with prestigious ensembles such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Geneva, l’Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Osaka Philharmonic, and the Moscow Soloists. He made his debut as a soloist in the Berlin Philharmonie in 2013, accompanied by the Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester.

Mr. Tondre is prizewinner of many major international competitions, including the 60th ARD Music Competition in Munich, the 65th Geneva International Music Competition, the 9th Sony Music Foundation’s International Oboe Competition Japan, the Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Oboe Competition USA, and the 63rd Prague Spring International Music Competition. In 2012 he received the Beethoven Ring, a musical honor given by the Beethoven Fest in Bonn, joining a prestigious list of previous recipients including Lisa Batiashvili and Gustavo Dudamel. He was also invited to appear in the ARTE television program Stars of Tomorrow hosted by Rolando Villazon.

In 2021 he joined the research and development team for Buffet Crampon Paris and has played an active part in the creation of the brand’s latest model “Légende.” In June 2022 he will make his debut as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Mr. Tondre also teaches at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Germany and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. He has recorded for BR Klassik, France Musique, SWR Classic, and Klarthe France.

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. Learn more at Curtis.edu.

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Press Contact:
Patricia K. Johnson
Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs
patricia.johnson@curtis.edu

Music Conservatories Across North America Present Virtual Concert to Benefit Ukraine

Date

Cleveland Institute of Music, Colburn School, Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, New World Symphony, Royal Conservatory of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music share performances by their gifted young artists

PHILADELPHIA, PA—April 12, 2022—A group of top independent music conservatories and professional training programs in the United States and Canada have come together to present a free virtual benefit concert to honor and support the people of Ukraine. Young artists from the eight organizations—Cleveland Institute of Music, Colburn School, Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, New World Symphony, The Royal Conservatory of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music—will perform in an online benefit concert, introduced by celebrated violinist, activist, and Curtis faculty member, Midori.

Hosted by The Violin Channel at theviolinchannel.com, the concert will be streamed on Saturday, April 16, 2022, at 12 p.m. PDT/3 p.m. EDT. During the concert, viewers will be able to make donations to support organizations providing humanitarian aid, supplies and transportation, and medical services to the people of Ukraine.

Filmed across North America in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Boston, the concert is dedicated to the people of Ukraine. The program includes performances by the New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation Klezmer Ensemble; the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Roots, Jazz and American Music (RJAM) program; and music from the Colburn School’s Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices, dedicated to reviving works by composers suppressed by the Nazi regime. The concert also features works by Schubert, Bartók, Paul Taffanel, Miroslav Skoryk, and David Popper by students of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, the New World Symphony, and The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School.

The concert to benefit Ukraine is the result of a longtime relationship among independent conservatories and training programs. These organizations dedicated to preparing young artists for professional careers have met annually for the past 10 years. This concert marks the first performance collaboration among the schools.

DONATIONS DIRECTED TO

Humanitarian Aid:
Humanity & Inclusion: https://www.hi-us.org/support-ukraine
Global Communities: https://globalcommunities.org/blog/global-communities-response-to-ukraine-crisis/

Supplies & Transportation:
MedShare: https://impact.medshare.org/campaign/medshare-responds-crisis-in-ukraine/c394354
International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/topic/ukraine-crisis

Medical Services:
World Vision International: https://donate.worldvision.org/give/ukraine-crisis-fund
UNICEF https://www.unicefusa.org/
International Medical Corps: https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/

REPERTOIRE

Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, OH)
Franz SCHUBERT, Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op.42/D.845: Moderato (1st movement)
Performed by Nikolay Pushkarev

The Colburn School (Los Angeles, CA)
Mieczysław WEINBERG, Concertino for Violin and String Orchestra (2nd and 3rd movements)
Performed by Anais Feller and Academy Virtuosi; Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices

Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA)
Béla BARTÓK, String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102, I. Allegro
Performed by the Viano String Quartet

Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY)
Paul TAFFANEL, Wind Quintet in G minor (1st movement: Allegro con moto)
Performed by The Uptown Winds: Megan Torti, flute; Josh Owens, oboe; Spencer Reese, clarinet; Hunter Lorelli, bassoon; Andrew Angelos, horn

New World Symphony (Miami Beach, FL)
Miroslav SKORYK, Melody for String Orchestra
Roderick Cox, conductor
Performed by the New World Symphony

New England Conservatory (Boston, MA)
Dave TARRAS, Nicolaev Bulgar
Jacob HOFFMAN, Xylophone Doyne
TRADITIONAL, Dem Trisker Rebn’s Khusidl
Performed by Contemporary Improvisation Department Jewish Music Ensemble: Hankus Netsky, director, piano; Nikita Manin, clarinet; Noah Kelly, Catherine Byrne, violins; Kimberly Sabio, trumpet; G Korth Rockwell, banjo; Emily Mitchell, guitar; Anwei Wang, guzheng, Henry Wilson, xylophone; Hannah Dunton, bass; and Maude Bastien-Desilets, drums
The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory (Toronto, Canada)
David POPPER, Requiem for 3 Cellos and Piano, Op. 66
Performed by Peter Eom, Kuan-Yu Huang, Kanon Shibata, cellos, and Jeanie Chung, piano

San Francisco Conservatory of Music (San Francisco, CA)
Eddie HARRIS, Freedom Jazz Dance
Performed by students from the Roots, Jazz and American Music (RJAM) program: Nate Gilbreath, trombone; Michael Potter, piano; Mateyko Jazwinski, bass; Jayla Hernandez, drums

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC
The Cleveland Institute of Music empowers the world’s most talented classical music students to fulfill their dreams and potential. Its graduates command the most celebrated and revered stages in the world as soloists, chamber musicians and ensemble members; compose meaningful, award-winning new repertoire; and are highly sought-after teaching artists, administrators and thought leaders. A testament to the excellence of a CIM education, more than half of the members of The Cleveland Orchestra are connected to CIM as members of the faculty, alumni or both. The school’s increasingly diverse student body benefits from access to world-renowned visiting artists and conductors, intensive study with CIM’s stellar faculty and the rich curriculum offered by CIM’s partner Case Western Reserve University. A leader among its peers, CIM presents nearly 350 free performances and master classes on campus each year, and hundreds more at locations throughout the region, including Severance Music Center. Explore cim.edu to learn more.

THE COLBURN SCHOOL
An internationally renowned performing arts institution located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the Colburn School trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The School comprises four academic units joined by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music and dance should have access to top-level instruction. The units of the School are the diploma- and degree-granting Conservatory of Music, a preeminent training ground for professional musicians; the Music Academy, a pre-college program that prepares musicians to study at top conservatories; the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, a comprehensive dance program that includes the pre-professional Dance Academy; and the Community School of Performing Arts, which offers private lessons and group instruction in music performance, drama, and theory for students of all ability levels and ages. Serving students from all units of the School, the Center for Innovation and Community Impact helps prepare young artists for sustainable careers and nurtures their passion and ability to serve the community.
Together, these units provide performing arts instruction to more than 2,000 students from around the world, who benefit from a world-class faculty and exceptional facilities. Learn more at colburnschool.edu

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 makes an investment in the artistic potential of its students, providing them with full-tuition scholarships and need-based grants for living expenses to ensure that each student can enter the profession without educational debt. In a typical year, Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings and programs that bring arts access and education to the community. This real-world training allows these extraordinary young musicians to join the front rank of performers, composers, conductors, and musical leaders, making a profound impact on music onstage and in their communities. To learn more, visit Curtis.edu.

MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Founded as a community music school by Janet Daniels Schenck in 1918, today MSM is recognized for its more than 975 superbly talented undergraduate and graduate students who come from more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states; its innovative curricula and world-renowned artist-teacher faculty that includes musicians from the New York Philharmonic, the Met Orchestra, and the top ranks of the jazz and Broadway communities; and a distinguished community of accomplished, award-winning alumni working at the highest levels of the musical, educational, cultural, and professional worlds.
The School is dedicated to the personal, artistic, and intellectual development of aspiring musicians, from its Precollege students through those pursuing doctoral studies. Offering classical, jazz, and musical theatre training, MSM grants a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees. True to MSM’s origins as a music school for children, the Precollege program continues to offer superior music instruction to 475 young musicians between the ages of 5 and 18. The School also serves some 2,000 New York City schoolchildren through its Arts-in-Education Program, and another 2,000 students through its critically acclaimed Distance Learning Program.

NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY (NEC)
Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. This independent conservatory stands at the center of Boston’s rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall on Huntington Avenue, recognized as Boston’s Avenue of the Arts. As a not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages, NEC cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians’ impact on advancing our shared humanity, and empowers students to meet today’s changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance. NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz, and contemporary improvisation. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, NEC empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC’s mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education deliver training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.

NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
The New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, prepares graduates of music programs for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles. In the 34 years since its co-founding by Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and Lin and Ted Arison, NWS has helped launch the careers of more than 1,150 alumni worldwide. A laboratory for the way music is taught, presented, and experienced, the New World Symphony consists of 87 young musicians who are granted fellowships lasting up to three years. The fellowship program offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire, professional development training and personalized experiences working with leading guest conductors, soloists and visiting faculty. Relationships with these artists are extended through NWS’s extensive distance learning via the internet. NWS Fellows take advantage of the innovative performance facilities and state-of-the art practice and ensemble rooms of the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, the campus of the New World Symphony.

THE GLENN GOULD SCHOOL AT THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC (TORONTO)
The mission of The Royal Conservatory of Music, which founded The Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada, is to develop human potential. Advancing the transformative effect that music and the arts have on society lies at the heart of everything The Royal Conservatory does. The Glenn Gould School builds on the Conservatory’s 130-year history of excellence and offers gifted young artists the optimum conditions in which to develop their talents and to find their individual voices. It is dedicated exclusively to performance training and students have as many performance opportunities as they can prepare for, and virtually unlimited access to practice studios while our faculty members, all highly regarded performers in their own right, are gifted, nurturing, and committed teachers. The school is also integrated with a major performing arts centre, the acoustically superb Koerner Hall, which gives students an edge when it comes to preparing for a professional career. Graduates are not only acclaimed musicians who perform on the world’s stages, but many have successfully assumed leadership positions within cultural organizations in Canada and around the world. To learn more, visit rcmusic.com/ggs.

THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
SFCM draws on the bold creativity of San Francisco to offer unparalleled training for the 21st century musician. We support students in developing the skills and vision to chart successful careers and advance the human experience through music.
We believe a musical education must extend far beyond technical and performance skills. Our commitment to music of enduring quality and importance is the foundation of our innovative curriculum, cultivating critical thinking and business acumen alongside artistic practice, and creating a transformative environment of inquiry, collaboration, and entrepreneurship.
Our DNA combines a global perspective with the unstoppable energy and imagination of our hometown. Our pioneering programs and partnerships with leading institutions and businesses prepare students to seize opportunities in music and a wide array of the fastest developing sectors today. SFCM is a magnet for exceptional faculty whose ongoing professional experience benefits our students. As the only conservatory partnered with a leading artist management company, we are able to provide our students unique insight and access to the music industry. To learn more, visit www.sfcm.edu or @sfconservmusic.

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