Yefim Bronfman Joins the Curtis Institute of Music Piano Faculty
PHILADELPHIA—October 19, 2020—The Curtis Institute of Music announces the appointment of celebrated pianist Yefim “Fima” Bronfman to the school’s distinguished piano faculty. Mr. Bronfman, who himself studied at Curtis in the mid-1970s, begins his position effective immediately.
“We’re thrilled to have one of the world’s greatest pianists returning home to Curtis and our community,” said Roberto Díaz, president and CEO of Curtis. “I know Fima’s experience and world-renowned artistry will be a wonderful resource for our students and will greatly contribute to the education they receive as 21st-century musicians.”
Mr. Bronfman will begin his faculty appointment at Curtis by participating in online instruction, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing the school’s existing and emerging technologies to connect with students. As the newest member of the piano faculty, he joins a renowned roster of performers, pedagogues, and artist-citizens teaching at Curtis.
“I’m very excited to be working with the young artists of Curtis, and to return to my former school,” said Mr. Bronfman. “My time at Curtis allowed me to grow significantly as an artist and musician and I’m honored to provide that opportunity to others as a member of Curtis’s impressive piano faculty. Together, we will make the most of virtual teaching this semester and I look forward to the time when we can all make music together in person.”
Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman is an artist regularly sought by the world’s leading orchestras, recital series, and festivals. His performances are consistently lauded by the press and audiences alike.
Although the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed most in-person performances, Mr. Bronfman is engaged in a number of online concerts in Fall 2020, including appearances with the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, a solo concert for the Gilmore Foundation, and a recital with the Emerson String Quartet for the 92nd Street Y.
Born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Mr. Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at the Juilliard School, Marlboro School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, under Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given to American instrumentalists, he received the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University in 2010 and an honorary doctorate in 2015 from the Manhattan School of Music, where he is also a faculty member.
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. For nearly a century Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. To ensure that admissions are based solely on artistic promise, Curtis makes an investment in each admitted student so that no tuition is charged for their studies. In a typical year, Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings in Philadelphia and around the world.
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