Category: Multimedia

Anthony McGill (Clarinet ’00) Signed as a Backun Artist

Date

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 signed as a Backun Artist. The GRAMMY Award®-nominated artist will design the new “McGill Signature Series” line of premium clarinets and clarinet barrels, bells, and mouthpieces with the internationally renowned instrument-maker while continuing to perform exclusively on his Backun Lumière Clarinets. As part of the agreement, Backun will draw on its educational networks to increase public awareness of McGill’s concerts and to sponsor workshops, classes, and other engagements in the cities where he is performing.

“I’m thrilled to be named a Backun Artist. The Backun Clarinets allow me to draw that warm, vibrant sound that I’m always searching for,” says Mr. McGill. “It is such an honor to be creating my own line of affordably priced, high-quality clarinets. I’m also very excited to share my music with more people through our Backun community events,” he adds.

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.

Read the article and interview with Mr. McGill HERE.

Visit Anthony McGill’s official website HERE.

Photo of Mr. McGill by © Todd Rosenberg Photography, Chris Lee/New York Philharmonic, and Eric Rudd, at a video/recording session in a barn near Nashville, Indiana.

Simon G. Bakos on the Latest Episode of WHYY’s “On Stage at Curtis”

Date

“One of the most rewarding things about being a classical musician is that I get to do what I love every day, and I feel very privileged to do that.” —Simon Bakos

Season 18 of WHYY’s acclaimed On Stage at Curtis series continues with a portrait of clarinetist Simon G. Bakos. The Mason, Ohio native entered Curtis in 2020 and studies with Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, as the Ruth and Eugene Helmer Fellow. He also studies with Paul Demers, bass clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Bakos began playing the clarinet in fourth grade after joining the elementary school band program and was inspired to follow a path as a classical musician from an early age after hearing a recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103.

Uncertain about the success rate of becoming a professional clarinetist, Mr. Bakos briefly entertained the idea of becoming a dentist until his junior year in high school, when his parents prompted him to continue pursuing his dream, ultimately leading him to audition for Curtis. Here, he encountered a warm, supportive environment surrounded by inspiring musicians of the highest caliber.

Click HERE to watch the On Stage at Curtis episode, or click the video below.

Performances in the episode include Franz Schubert’s Die Hirt auf dem Felsen, D. 965 with soprano Juliet Rand and pianist Ting Ting Wong, and Johannes Brahms’s Trio in A minor, Op. 114, featuring cellist Ania Lewis and pianist Nachuan Tao.

Prior to entering Curtis, he studied with Ronald Aufmann, bass clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Bakos has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, and New World Symphony. He is currently the second clarinetist of Symphony in C and has also held fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival and Tanglewood Music Center. In 2019, he was the winner of the Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Awards. After completing his Curtis studies, he looks to have a career as an orchestral musician and establish a private teaching studio or as part of a university or conservatory.

Mr. Bakos was also interviewed for a recent Curtis Student Spotlight feature. He shares distinct memories of visiting the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, exploring all kinds of instruments in his childhood, the intensity of playing chamber music, and his greatest inspirations. Watch the video HERE. 

Photos of Simon G. Bakos courtesy of Nichole MCH Photography. Photo of Simon Bakos, Tzu Yi Yu, and Hwaseop Jeong backstage at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, courtesy of David DeBalko.

Griffin Harrison (Percussion ’23) Featured on WHYY’s “On Stage at Curtis”

Date

“There’s something really special about Curtis. It’s a small school, but everyone here is so focused, really loves the music, and gets along with each other. You would never know that we come from a million different countries. Everybody comes together…which is pretty amazing, especially given the state of the world right now.” —Griffin Harrison

Season 18 of WHYY’s acclaimed On Stage at Curtis series continues with a portrait of recent graduate Griffin Harrison (Timpani and Percussion ’23). The Rochester, New York native grew up in a musical family—his grandfather was a woodwind player on Broadway, his father a guitarist in rock and punk bands, and his mother was a music teacher for many decades. He took piano lessons in elementary school, began studying percussion at age fourteen, and recalls jamming with his father in their family basement, playing on a self-taught drum set as a child. Later, in middle school, as the jazz band hadn’t an opening for him, he joined the concert band and was taught how to play the timpani, xylophone, and other classical percussion instruments.

Mr. Harrison attended the School of the Arts in his hometown, ultimately becoming a Pathways Scholar through the Eastman School of Music, a scholarship program designed to provide financial assistance for inner-city students. There, he studied with his inspiring music teacher, Ruth Cahan, to whom he attributes his success and musicianship as an artist. Before attending Curtis and studying with Don Liuzzi, Eric Millstein, and Ji Su Jung, Mr. Harrison received a diploma with honors from the Eastman Community Music School and a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance from Temple University and hopes to secure a position with a professional orchestra and teach at a university or college in the future.

He has attended the National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and School, Festival Napa Valley Blackburn Music Academy, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the New York State Summer School of the Arts’ School of Orchestral Studies. He has also been a member of the Festival Orchestra Napa, the NYSSMA Conference All-State Symphonic Band, the MCSMA All-County Symphonic Band, and the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

In this episode of On Stage at Curtis, he tackles Étienne Perruchon’s Cinq Danses Dogoriennes, Andy Akiho’s Stop Speaking, and Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango. Click HERE to watch the On Stage at Curtis episode, or click the video below.

Photos of Mr. Harrison courtesy of Nicole MCH Photography and courtesy of Irene Yoonseo Kang and the Aspen Music Festival.

Katie Trigg Featured on WHYY’s “On Stage at Curtis”

Date

“Curtis is that jumping point, where I’ve left the country, and I’m in this whole new environment. I’m getting to work the most phenomenal people, with coaches from the Met Opera and people who have so much expertise in this thing that I’m really passionate about.” —Katie Trigg

Season 18 of WHYY’s acclaimed On Stage at Curtis series continues with a portrait of Katie Trigg. The mezzo-soprano from Hamilton, New Zealand, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2022 and studies in the opera program with Julia Faulkner as the Mitchell Family Fellow. Ms. Trigg studied as a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar at the University of Waikato under the tutelage of Stephanie Acraman. After completing her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Waikato with first-class honors, Ms. Trigg spent 2021 as a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera.

An alumna of New Zealand Opera School (2019, 2020, and 2021), Ms. Trigg was awarded the Dame Sister Mary Leo Scholarship in conjunction with the Sue and Guy Haddleton Emerging Artist Award in 2020 to assist in her overseas studies.

Click HERE to watch the On Stage at Curtis episode, or click the video below.

In this episode of On Stage at Curtis, Ms. Trigg offers a sneak peek into her new adventures at the school, shares her performance of Tori Amos’s “Winter” at the piano, and discusses busking and growing up as a singer. The episode features clips of her performing “Werther qui m’aurait dit la place” from Jules Massenet’s Werther on the stage of Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She shares her excitement about being a young artist at the Wolf Trap Opera Company and finding the right repertoire for her voice as she prepares for auditions. Katie takes us behind the curtain of her first film opera and her journey away from home.

Photos of Katie Trigg by Nichole MCH Photography and Megan Goldsman Photography.

Merissa Beddows (Voice ’22) Featured on WHYY’s “On Stage at Curtis”

Date

“Curtis has given me something that I will have for my entire lifetime, which is solid technique. It helped me curate my ear and perfect what I’m hearing. Coming out of Curtis, I now have more an ability to be my own teacher than ever before, vocally, but also emotionally in this art form. ” —Merissa Beddows

Season 18 of WHYY’s acclaimed On Stage at Curtis series opens with a portrait of Curtis alumna Merissa Beddows (Voice ’22), who became a viral sensation in 2022 as a contestant on season 17 of America’s Got Talent (AGT). The soprano from Yonkers, New York, delivered spot-on impressions of celebrities like Ariana Grande, Stevie Nicks, and Celine Dion singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

While studying here in Philadelphia, Ms. Beddows performed the roles of Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Nora (Riders to the Sea), and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) with Curtis Opera Theatre, and the roles of Flora (Turn of the Screw) and Luisa (The Fantasticks) with the Chautauqua Institution. A graduate of the Juilliard Pre-College Division in 2016, she studied for two years at the Manhattan School of Music before attending Curtis, where she worked with adjunct faculty member Julia Faulkner. Ms. Beddows has attended the Brevard Music Center and the Chautauqua Institution, and in 2020, was selected as a participant at the Ravinia Festival and the Britten–Pears Young Artist Programme.

In this episode of On Stage at Curtis, Ms. Beddows discusses the mixed blessings of having perfect pitch, the origin of her ability to do impressions, the moment she wanted to be an opera singer after watching Jackie Evancho perform on America’s Got Talent, and embodying an older character as Lady Billows in Benjamin Britten’s opera Albert Herring with Curtis Opera Theatre. She reflects on her triumphs and challenges as a contestant on AGT and talks about writing her own pop songs, creating her own content, and pursuing a path to mainstream commercial success.

Click HERE to watch the On Stage at Curtis episode, or click the video below.

Photos of Ms. Beddows courtesy of Nichole MCH Photography and America’s Got Talent.