Curtis Presents Season Begins with Recital by Guitarist Jason Vieaux and Violinist Nigel Armstrong

PHILADELPHIA—October 10, 2018—Award-winning international soloists Jason Vieaux and Nigel Armstrong open the 2018–19 Curtis Presents season with Kindred Spirits, a Latin-inflected program for guitar and violin on Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m. in Field Concert Hall at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Each a model of the 21st-century musician, Curtis guitar faculty Jason Vieaux and violin alumnus Nigel Armstrong are musical chameleons and kindred spirits who navigate a seamless tapestry of sound with consummate artistry and technical mastery. Through a program featuring the works of composers from Argentine tango legend Astor Piazzolla to contemporary jazz violinist Jeremy Cohen, the duo expresses a genuine sense of joy in the exploration of music and their passion for sharing it with audiences.

Single tickets are $25 and subscriptions for the four-concert Curtis Presents season are $80, available from the Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Performances.

Past and future meet through the Curtis Presents series, which features a diverse collection of artists—alumni, faculty, students, and friends—whose musical foundations are rooted in the Curtis community. This series of intimate and innovative recitals offers a unique experience that transcends generations and genres, with exceptional artistry and one-of-a-kind programs.

Jason Vieaux has performed as a soloist with over 100 orchestras and has premiered new works by Avner Dorman, Dan Visconti, Vivian Fung, and José Luis Merlin, among others. The winner of the 2015 Grammy for best classical instrumental solo recording, he has recorded thirteen albums, including a collaboration with bandoneonist Julien Labro and a Ginastera Centennial album in October 2016. Recent and future career highlights include performances with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and the Bard, Caramoor, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, and Strings music festivals, among others.

Mr. Vieaux was the youngest first-prize winner in the history of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. A Naumburg International Guitar Competition prize winner and the recipient of a Salon di Virtuosi Career Grant, he was the first classical musician to be featured on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” series.

In 2012, the Jason Vieaux School of Classical Guitar was launched with ArtistWorks Inc., providing one-on-one online study for guitar students around the world. In 2015 Mr. Vieaux was invited to inaugurate the guitar program at the Eastern Music Festival. He has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music since 1997, heading the guitar department since 2001. Mr. Vieaux joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2011, co-founding its guitar department.

Nigel Armstrong is emerging as a dynamic and creative artist both within and beyond the realm of classical music. From his musical beginnings as a member of “The Little Fiddlers” in Sonoma, Calif., to collaborations with tango musicians in Argentina, he’s enjoyed using the violin in a versatile manner throughout his life.

Mr. Armstrong has performed as a soloist with the Dusseldorf Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, YOA Orchestra of the Americas, and Boston Pops. He received second prize, the Ole Bull Prize, and the Nordheim Award at the 2010 Menuhin Competition in Oslo. At the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition, he received fourth prize and the prize for the best performance of the commissioned work (STOMP by John Corigliano). As a chamber musician his concerts have taken him across the United States and abroad, sharing the stage with the Tokyo String Quartet and pianist Jonathan Biss, among others.

Mr. Armstrong feels fortunate to have had the chance to explore great orchestral literature throughout his career. Since 2009 he’s appeared as concertmaster with the Colburn Orchestra, LA’s American Youth Symphony, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, YOA Orchestra of the Americas, and the New York String Orchestra in their annual Carnegie Hall performances. Mr. Armstrong has served as concertmaster of the Santa Cruz Symphony since 2016.

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. One of the most selective schools in the United States, Curtis accepts four percent of applicants each year on average. A tuition-free policy ensures that talent and artistic promise are the only considerations for admission. With a small student body of about 175, Curtis ensures that each young musician receives an education of unparalleled quality, distinguished by personalized attention from a celebrated faculty and a “learn by doing” philosophy. Curtis students hone their craft through than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year in Philadelphia and around the world.

CURTIS PRESENTS: Kindred Spirits

Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m.

Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Jason Vieaux, guitar

Nigel Armstrong (’13), violin

4-concert subscription: $80, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office, Curtis.edu/Performances, or (215) 893-7902.

Single tickets: $25, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office, Curtis.edu/Performances, or (215) 893-7902.

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