PHILADELPHIA, PA—October 21, 2022—The Curtis Symphony Orchestra and members of the Curtis Opera Theatre open the 2022–23 season on Sunday, November 6, at 7 p.m. in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Cultural Campus. The program features a glorious night of French music, under the batons of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, internationally renowned music director of New York’s Metropolitan Opera and The Philadelphia Orchestra, and mentor conductor at the Curtis Institute of Music, and Jacob Niemann, third year conducting fellow at the school. Romantic, mysterious, and awe-inspiring like the glow of Paris at night, this delightful program of mischievous magic, childhood fairytales, and operatic jewels celebrates the music of French composers Paul Dukas, Charles Gounod, Claude Debussy, Jules Massenet, and Maurice Ravel.
Paul Dukas’s wildly popular symphonic tone poem, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, opens the program on November 6, conducted by Mr. Niemann. This masterful work has become a massive hit with audiences across the globe since its premiere in 1897. Based on a ballad by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and immortalized through Walt Disney’s groundbreaking animated film Fantasia, Dukas’s wondrous piece captures the imagination as the spell of an inept magician’s apprentice goes chaotically awry, and a household chore gives rise to an army of enchanted brooms and a disastrous flood.
This spirited scherzo is followed by a series of opera excerpts featuring members of the Curtis Opera Theatre, as Mr. Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to lead Curtis’s extraordinary young orchestral musicians and members of the Curtis Opera Theatre in a love letter to 19th-century French composers. Audiences will revel in Stéphano’s taunting aria from Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, an excerpt from Claude Debussy’s intimate impressionist opera Pelléas et Mélisande, and Charlotte’s impassioned letter scene from Jules Massenet’s romantic tragedy Werther. The program continues with the prison scene and final trio from Gounod’s Faust, featuring a special guest appearance by internationally renowned bass-baritone Eric Owens, director of vocal studies and the Curtis Opera Theatre, as the sinister Méphistophélès.
The concert closes with two works by Maurice Ravel, conducted by Mr. Nézet-Séguin. Ravel’s playful Mother Goose Suite (Ma Mère L’Oye)—a collection of five charming storybook miniatures—and Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2—a ravishing, romantic “choreographic symphony” in three exhilarating parts for orchestra and chorus—bring the evening to a thrilling close.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin is music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain; and in September 2018, began his tenure as music director of the Metropolitan Opera. 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. His highly collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, boundless enthusiasm, and fresh approach to programming have been heralded by audiences and critics alike.
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 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.
Acclaimed for its “otherworldly ensemble and professional level of sophistication” (The 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.
The Curtis Symphony Orchestra returns to Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Cultural Campus on Sunday, January 29 at 2 p.m. for Perry, Scheherazade, and Sheng with conductor Miguel Harth Bedoya (’91) and renowned violist Roberto Díaz (’84), president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music. The season concludes on Saturday, April 15, at 3 p.m. with Perry, Schumann, and Mahler, featuring conductor Osmo Vänskä and acclaimed pianist Amy Yang (’06). To learn more about these performances, as well as the Curtis Opera Theatre, Ensemble 20/21 concerts, Curtis Recital Series, and more, visit Curtis.edu/Calendar.
Single tickets start at $19 and are available for purchase at Curtis.edu. Subscriptions are now on sale for Curtis’s 2022–23 season. The flexible Choose Your Own subscription option offers 25% off ticket prices when purchasing tickets to two or more performances. For the 2022–23 season, Curtis is also offering a new Season Pass, with access to all performances for $149 per person. To order a subscription, visit Curtis.edu/Subscribe, call (215) 893-7902, or email tickets@curtis.edu.
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. Learn more at Curtis.edu.
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