New Voices, New Ventures Gala Supports Curtis Institute of Music on April 12 at Barnes Foundation

PHILADELPHIA—April 5, 2019—The Curtis Institute of Music celebrates its 2019 Gala—New Voices, New Ventures—on Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. at the Barnes Foundation. This year, Curtis’s annual fundraising event celebrates the past, present, and future of Curtis’s vocal studies department and the Curtis Opera Theatre and their enduring impact worldwide. The gala also welcomes distinguished bass-baritone Eric Owens (’95) and master vocal coach Danielle Orlando to their new roles at the helm of the vocal studies program, beginning in the 2019–20 school year.

The gala evening begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails, followed by performances by Mr. Owens, Ms. Orlando, and alumni Elena Perroni (Opera ’18) and Evan LeRoy Johnson (Opera ’18) and a seated dinner. Festive attire is recommended, in the spirit of a celebratory evening. Curtis’s largest fundraising event of the year, the 2019 Gala is co-chaired by Eileen Rosenau and William Stensrud. Proceeds from the gala directly support Curtis’s tuition-free policy, which ensures that talent and artistic promise are the only considerations for admission, and allows Curtis to attract the most gifted young artists from around the world. More information and limited tickets are available at Curtis.edu/Gala.

As one of the world’s pre-eminent conservatories, the Curtis Institute of Music has long nurtured great vocal artists who have gone on to frequent the most distinguished opera and concert stages. The school’s uniquely personalized attention to each student, along with an unmatched number of performance opportunities, has kept Curtis at the forefront of vocal training for more than three decades under the leadership of Mikael Eliasen, artistic director of the Curtis Opera Theatre and the Hirsig Family Chair of Vocal Studies.

Even as Curtis’s young singers take on role after role with the Curtis Opera Theatre, they are featured in recital, on tours, and in community settings—ensuring that audiences of all ages, locally and globally, enjoy easy access to the wonders of an exhilarating art form. This commitment to access will continue and flourish as Mr. Owens and Ms. Orlando assume leadership of the vocal studies department in the 2019–20 season.

A 1995 Curtis graduate, bass-baritone Eric Owens appears frequently with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, among many opera houses and orchestras. His broad performance experience spans music of all eras, from the Baroque to new works being written today, and he maintains an active concert career alongside his opera performances. He will continue to perform actively after joining the Curtis faculty and hopes to add appearances with Curtis on Tour along with opportunities to involve students in his concert work.

Danielle Orlando’s career has included close collaborations with musical titans such as Luciano Pavarotti, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Plácido Domingo, as well as work casting and planning seasons for many prestigious organizations around the world. A member of the Curtis faculty since 1986, she was artistic administrator and head of music staff for the Opera Company of Philadelphia for many years and has served on the music staffs of the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Dresden Semperoper, Savonlinna Opera Festival, and the Academy of Vocal Arts. She has also been a recital partner to Mr. Owens many times over the years.

Under the artistic direction of Mikael Eliasen, the Curtis Opera Theatre has become known for imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre. Promising young singers work alongside established professional directors and designers, resulting in fresh interpretations of standard repertoire and contemporary works. All of Curtis’s 25 voice and opera students are cast repeatedly each season, receiving a rare level of performance experience on stage and appearing frequently with Opera Philadelphia, Curtis on Tour, and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. As a result Curtis graduates have sung with opera companies all over the world, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.

2019 GALA: NEW VOICES, NEW VENTURES

Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m.

Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia

Gala Co-chairs:

Eileen Rosenau
William Stensrud

Performances by:

Eric Owens (’95), bass-baritone
Danielle Orlando, piano
Elena Perroni (’18), soprano
Evan LeRoy Johnson (’18), tenor

More information and limited tickets at Curtis.edu/Gala.

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