Month: October 2023

Himari Yoshimura Makes U.S. Concert Debut with Ida Kavafian and the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

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Curtis congratulates 12-year-old violin student Himari Yoshimura, who made her U.S. concert debut alongside her renowned Curtis teacher, Ida Kavafian, performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor with the acclaimed Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Ms. Yoshimura had played one movement of the concerto’s three movements in concert with her mother, but this was the first time she had played the entire work. Following the Bach, she performed Henryk Wieniawski’s virtuosic Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor.

“It’s one of the hardest things I play, noted Ms. Yoshimura in the Santa Fe New Mexican. “It’s a real tour de force for the violin,” she says, “as challenging as any of those by Paganini.”

Grand Prize winner of the 15th International Competition for Young Violinists, Ms. Yoshimura became the youngest champion in the event’s history. She has won first prizes in all forty-two local and international competitions, including the 2019 Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition, the 2019 Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition, the 20th International Television Contest for Young Musicians in 2019, and the 2018 Leonid Kogan International Violin Competition.

Read the article in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Himari Yoshimura, from Tokyo, Japan, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2022. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Yoshimura is a Curtis Institute of Music Fellow.

Photos of Ms. Yoshimura and Ms. Kavafian courtesy of Nichole MCH Photography. Candid photos of Ida Kavafian, Himari Yoshimura, and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra music director Guillermo Figueroa courtesy of Kyoko Yoshida.

Anthony McGill (Clarinet ’00) Named Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year

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Anthony McGill (Clarinet ’00), Curtis’s William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and artistic director of Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, has been named Musical America‘s Instrumentalist of the Year. Praised for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times) and his “exquisite combination of technical refinement and expressive radiance” (Baltimore Sun), Mr. McGill won the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards given in recognition of soloists who represent the highest level of musical excellence.

Mr. McGill is honored alongside Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen, composer Kevin Puts, conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, and award-winning Philadelphia-based ensemble The Crossing as recipients of the 63rd Annual Musical America Awards.

In a phone interview, Mr. McGill, who previously served as the principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera and associate principal clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, talked to Musical America about access to the arts and the enjoyment he receives from working with young musicians.

“A lot of these diversity initiatives will only have an effect when people understand why we should care about them in the first place,” he said. “It’s not about numbers. It’s about humanity and empathy and connection.”

Read the article and interview with Mr. McGill HERE and learn more about all the 2024 award winners HERE.

Visit Anthony McGill’s official website HERE.

Photos of Mr. McGill by © Todd Rosenberg Photography.

Archive Spotlight: Curtis Dining

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Read the article HERE.

Mealtime has traveled a long way since 1927, when Curtis opened its first cafeteria on the fourth floor of 1720 Locust Street, now home to the Rock Resource Center. Natalie Armentrout, Director of Dining for Bon Appétit Management Company, talks about the focus on student wellness at Curtis, and the farm-to fork approach, which aims to purchase 20 percent of its food from small, owner-operated farms within 100 miles of the school.

From the Fall 2023 Issue

Q&A: Anthony McGill (Clarinet ’00)

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Read the Q&A HERE.
By Brian Wise

Anthony McGill (Clarinet ’00), Curtis’s William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair and principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, is motivated by an abiding belief in music’s broader societal resonance. Winner of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize and Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year, Mr. McGill spoke with Overtones about touring with Anthony Davis’s You Have the Right to Remain Silent, activism through his instrument, balancing a full-time orchestral job, performances, and teaching at Curtis and Juilliard, and more.

From the Fall 2023 Issue

Tuning In: Podcasters

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Read the article HERE.
By Ryan Lathan

For the past decade, prominent academic journals, arts and culture magazines, influential bloggers, and media figureheads have touted the idea we are living in “the Golden Age of podcasting.” Three Curtis alumni, Pallavi Mahidhara (Piano ’10), Joseph Conyers (Double Bass ’04), and Yumi Kendall (Cello ’04), are connecting with new audiences through their successful podcasts.

From the Fall 2023 Issue