Q&A with Composer Richard Danielpour (Part II)

The Curtis Institute of Music will honor distinguished composition faculty member, Richard Danielpour, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. with a concert celebrating the artistry, enduring impact, and 25th anniversary of this GRAMMY Award-winning composer’s appointment to the school’s renowned composition faculty. Learn more about “Music of Richard Danielpour,” featuring the world premiere of Four Portraits, with acclaimed pianist Amy Yang (’06).

In part two of this Q&A series, the highly sought-after American composer discusses how he came to Curtis and shares his thoughts on the three works featured in this upcoming Curtis Presents concert at Field Concert Hall.

In an ongoing career of innumerable highlights, what is it about this event that really resonates with you?
I love this place and have a very special feeling in my heart for what Curtis has stood for all these years. I’m most proud of the way the structure of the composition program works, which is essentially what I designed. Before I got there, it didn’t have a structure of any sort. Now, every year for the last twenty-five years, we’ve had an orchestra concert in the spring and a chamber concert in the fall that feature student commissions, especially the students who prove themselves worthy after a year or two of being there.

The other thing we’ve engendered is that we wanted this to be a family of composers who work together, not people competing against one another like some schools live and function. We wanted this to be a family. So, when I was there, we encouraged the students to help one another. I remember many instances when one student who finished his orchestra piece stayed up all night helping another one finish their parts. I worked very hard to ensure that would continue.

It’s not an accident that the next person who directed the composition program after me was David Ludwig (’01): my first student at Curtis and Rudolf Serkin’s grandson. [Mr. Serkin taught on the piano faculty for 36 years and, from 1968 to 1975, was the school’s director.] And now the director of composition is composer Nick DiBerardino (’18), also my student. So, they have continued this powerful tradition born of great thought, care, and love. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of in my entire career, not just as a composer but as a mentor. I take great pride that what I set in motion is still in motion.

One of the things that I’m really hoping for at this concert is that Nick has invited a number of my former students from the last 25 years. So, I hope that a lot of them can come. It would be special to have an audience full of people that hopefully you’ve inspired and left a lasting, indelible mark on.

Not only have you been an integral part of educating and inspiring generations of young composers here at Curtis, but you’ve served as a mentor for them as well. What is your favorite aspect of teaching composition here?
My favorite thing is to see the fruit of their labor when they get it right, when they have listened and put what they’re learning into practice. It’s so interesting. Some students don’t need to learn anything about the craft. They are already finished. They need to learn how to work with people effectively in the process of rehearsing and bringing their music to life.

I remember, for instance, Gabriella Smith (Composition ’13, ArtistYear ’16) had her own voice and was fully formed in terms of her compositional identity. She only needed to become more aware of the music that she might not otherwise have paid attention to, so she could have a wider range that would contribute to her output. They all write 8, 10, 12, and 15-minute pieces, but you start writing longer works when you get older. My first song cycle was very short, but the oratorio, Passion of Yeshua, was 100 minutes long.

The greatest gift that I can give a student is to listen to them, see who they are at that moment, and never treat any student like another. They’re all individuals, and the extension and the bringing forth of their uniqueness is why we sit with them. It’s why we listen to them. It’s why we encourage them, and it’s why we train them. This is what Boulanger was all about. She was an amazing teacher because she understood what was intrinsically powerful and personal about each student.

This fall we announced that Nick DiBerardino, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Amy Beth Kirsten, and Steven Mackey are joining you to serve on the composition faculty here at Curtis. Over the years, what have you enjoyed the most about working alongside other composers to further the development of Curtis’s talented students?
It’s a pleasure to have the new faculty here. I like the idea that we could start fresh with Nick, and he brought Amy, Jonathan, and Steve into the faculty, and it’s nice that they have me as a continuing thread. It was a carefully chosen group that we knew all had the same interests of the students coming first. So many people who teach composition or music pay lip service to the fact that we are here to serve the students. You go where you’re truly needed, not where your ego thinks it’s needed.

The wonderful thing about this group of very esteemed and eminent artists is that they all have that as their number one goal, to serve the student’s needs and to be present to them. You must treat every student with the same respect and dignity as if they were the next great artist to come because you never know. I’ve been surprised a number of times. You can’t save people, but you can listen to them. Those who listen well and with great care and attention are the best mentors.

Visit Richard Danielpour‘s official website HERE.

CURTIS PRESENTS: Music of Richard Danielpour

Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 8 p.m.
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Tickets for Music of Richard Danielpour ($24) are available at Curtis.edu. Seating is general admission.

Q&A by Ryan Scott Lathan. Part one of this interview appeared in Curtis’s newsfeed on Friday, April 14, 2023.

Photos of Richard Danielpour courtesy of the artist. Photo of the creative team and artists of The Passion of Yeshua courtesy of San Francisco Classical Voice.