Curtis New Music Ensemble’s 2024–25 Centennial Series Concludes with Amy Beth Kirsten’s Savior & Infernal Angel

Press Contacts:
Patricia K. Johnson | patricia.johnson@curtis.edu | (215) 717-3190
Ryan Scott Lathan | ryan.lathan@curtis.edu | (215) 717-3145

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PHILADELPHIA, PA—April 22, 2025—Curtis New Music Ensemble’s bold and exciting 2024–25 series concludes on Friday and Saturday, May 9–10, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. with composer, poet, filmmaker, vocalist, director, and Curtis composition faculty member Amy Beth Kirsten’s Savior & Infernal Angel at the Gould Rehearsal Hall. Praised by BBC Music Magazine as “one of America’s most innovative and visionary composers,” Dr. Kirsten has been recognized with awards and fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2020), John S. Guggenheim Foundation (2010), and the Rockefeller Foundation (2009), currently serves as the director of the Artist Residency at Longy School of Music of Bard College and is a composer mentor for the Blueprint Fellowship at the Juilliard School.

Curtis New Music Ensemble’s series finale opens with a full-length theatrical work, Savior, inspired by the mystical life and death of Joan of Arc. A fearless French teenage peasant who claimed divine guidance, she led French troops to pivotal victories during the Hundred Years’ War, becoming both a martyr and a shining symbol of courage after being executed for heresy. Originally commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for MusicNOW with support from the Toulmin Foundation and hailed at its 2018 premiere as an “ingenious, absorbing and quietly powerful” work (Chicago Tribune), Savior features the immense talents of three Curtis vocalists—sopranos Shikta Mukherjee, Juliet Rand, and Jeysla Rosario Santos, and the pre-recorded voice of film and television actor, William “Sandy Smillie,” as The Chronicler.

Savior is followed by the world premiere of Dr. Kirsten’s Infernal Angel, focused on the life of Gille de Rais, the notorious 15th-century medieval knight turned serial killer and comrade-in-arms with Joan of Arc—allegedly the inspiration for the classic French folktale of Bluebeard, widely popularized by Charles Perrault. This chilling chamber piece occupies the murky space between truth and fiction: while folklore casts Bluebeard as a notorious child-killer, historical records note that de Rais, the figure behind the legend, might have been a scapegoat sacrificed by the Inquisition to benefit the political power of the day.

Infernal Angel features guest artist Ty Bouque—a renowned baritone, musicologist, and educator who specializes in experimental opera and vocal music—as the infamous de Rais alongside rising young stars of Curtis Opera Theatre. Soprano Maya Mor Mitrani plays the Baron (The Devil), mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg is Marceline, The Scholar, and tenor Jackson Allen is François Prelati, an Italian cleric and alchemist who became an accomplice to de Rais’ reign of terror. Both productions are supported by a fantastic chamber ensemble of Curtis instrumentalists.

“What an incredible opportunity it is to work with the Curtis community to bring to life Savior and Infernal Angel,” says Amy Beth Kirsten. “There are several facets of this production that are exciting to me artistically. First is to engage with the thoughtful, fearless, and dedicated young musicians of Curtis who are coming to both of these pieces with a wealth of artistry and positive energy; second is the chance to welcome to Curtis three of my favorite artists working today (Ty Bouque, baritone; Alex Sopp, visual artist; Christopher Kriz, sound design) so that we may all combine forces to express the story of Joan of Arc and Gilles de Rais—characters I’ve been in love with for almost a decade.

“Savior was originally commissioned and premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2017–18), and now in a few weeks, it’ll be performed—at last—with its companion piece, Infernal Angel (commissioned by Curtis in celebration of the 100th anniversary), which gives to us another side of Joan’s story, one that finds us in the mind of Gilles de Rais—her companion-in-arms, and alleged real-life model for Bluebeard.”

Savior and Infernal Angel are brought to life by Amy Beth Kirsten, who directs both of her works. She is joined by highly sought-after flutist, singer, and Brooklyn-based visual artist Alex Sopp, serving as video designer. Known for her genre-defying collaborations, she blends hand-drawn animation, live video, and evocative imagery to complement the music with poetic visual storytelling. Cirque du Soleil veteran Luke Kritzeck, former head of lighting for the resident show Zaia and current director of lighting and resident designer for the New World Symphony, transforms the space with lighting that sculpts mood and intensifies emotion. The creative team is rounded out by Chicago-based, award-winning sound designer Christopher Kriz, whose intricate soundscapes and sharp dramatic instincts deepen the psychological tension of these riveting chamber pieces, and costume supervisor Catherine Blinn.

TICKETS
Tickets for the Friday, May 9 performance of Savior & Infernal Angel are $31 and can be purchased through curtis.edu/savior. The Saturday, May 10 performance is currently sold out. Join the waitlist to be notified when additional tickets become available.

Savior & Infernal Angel            Curtis New Music Ensemble
Friday and Saturday, May 9–10, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Gould Rehearsal Hall, Curtis Institute of Music

Amy Beth Kirsten, music and libretto; director
Alex Sopp, video designer
Luke Kritzeck, lighting designer
Christopher Kriz, sound designer
Catherine Blinn, costume supervisor

CAST

INSTRUMENTALISTS

Savior & Infernal Angel will be performed in English with English supertitles.

Philanthropic Support for Curtis’ 2024–25 Season
Curtis’ Centennial Season is made possible through the support of Derek and Sissela Bok, the Mary Louise Curtis Bok Foundation, Deborah M. Fretz, Charles C. Freyer and Judith Durkin Freyer, Mignon and Jim Groch, Rita E. Hauser, Lisa and Gie Liem, Bob and Guna Mundheim, Judith and James Ritchings, Bob and Caro Rock, Mark and Robin Rubenstein.

Infernal Angel has received support from The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.

Generous support for Curtis New Music Ensemble is provided by the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation.

Mainstage productions were financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development.

About Curtis New Music Ensemble
Curtis New Music Ensemble features compelling repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries. With bold collaborations and striking productions, Curtis New Music Ensemble embraces the cutting edge of contemporary classical music through the highest level of artistry.

About the Curtis Institute of Music
At Curtis, the world’s great young musicians develop into exceptional artists, creators, and innovators. With a tuition-free foundation, Curtis is a unique environment for teaching and learning. A small school by design, students realize their artistic potential through intensive, individualized study with the most renowned, sought-after faculty. Animated by a learn-by-doing philosophy, Curtis students share their music with audiences through more than 100 performances each year, including solo and chamber recitals, orchestral concerts, and opera—all free or at an affordable cost—offering audiences unique opportunities to participate in pivotal moments in these young musicians’ careers. Curtis students experience a close connection to the most renowned artists and organizations in classical music, as well as innovative initiatives that integrate new technologies and encourage entrepreneurship—all within a historic campus in the heart of culturally rich Philadelphia. In this diverse, collaborative community, Curtis’s extraordinary artists challenge, support, and inspire one another—continuing an unparalleled 100-year legacy of musicians who have led, and will lead, classical music into a thriving, equitable, and multidimensional future. Learn more at curtis.edu.

Photo Credits: 1.) Micah Gleason (Matt Genders). 2.) Amy Beth Kirsten (Gennadi Novash). 3.) L-R: Jeysla Rosario Santos, Shikta Mukherjee, and Juliet Rand (Nichole MCH Photography). 4.) L-R: Ty Bouque (courtesy of artist), Katie Trigg, Maya Mor Mitrani, and Jackson Allen (Nichole MCH Photography).