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PRESS CONTACTS Jennifer Kallend Elizabeth Racheva Nikki Scandalios
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Curtis Tours the United States and Central America Curtis 20/21 Ensemble celebrates the 80th birthday of composer in residence Krzysztof Penderecki at Carnegie Hall (March 20); all-Penderecki program includes U.S. premiere of Sinfonietta No. 3 Returning to New York City, Curtis 20/21 performs at the Miller Theatre with eighth blackbird, featuring works by Joan Tower (April 17) Curtis On Tour wind quintet and pianist Di Wu (’05) appear in Philadelphia (March 5); Boston (March 16); Santa Fe (March 19); San Jose, Costa Rica (March 12); Falmouth, Mass. (March 14-sold out); Davis, Calif. (March 23); and Shoreline, Wash. (March 25); program features world premiere by Katerina Kramarchuk (’12) PHILADELPHIA, PA–February 20, 2014–“One of the world’s most elite music academies” (BBC Culture), the Curtis Institute of Music performs across the country and in Central America this spring, for a season of performances highlighting the school’s exceptional students, faculty, and alumni. Krzysztof Penderecki leads the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble in a program of his own music in New York City at Carnegie Hall’s intimate Zankel Hall on March 20 at 7:30 p.m. In honor of the renowned composer’s 80th birthday, Curtis 20/21, the school’s contemporary music ensemble, performs an all-Penderecki program, including his Duo Concertante, Suite for Cello Solo, Sextet, Sinfonietta per archi, and the U.S. premiere of Sinfonietta No. 3. Called “Poland’s greatest living composer” (The Guardian), Krzysztof Penderecki is composer in residence at Curtis for the 2013-14 season, working with students in master classes and coaching Curtis 20/21 on his pieces. Later this year, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra presents the U.S. premiere of his Concerto doppio for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra, with soloists Benjamin Schmid (’91) and Roberto Díaz (’84). Born on November 23, 1933, Penderecki celebrates his 80th birthday this season, with a career that spans more than five decades and four operas, eight symphonies, and a number of concertos, choral settings, and chamber works. Tickets and more information: CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org. The performance will be repeated in Philadelphia at the Curtis Institute of Music’s Gould Rehearsal Hall on March 22; for information visit www.curtis.edu.
The Curtis 20/21 Ensemble returns to New York City on April 17 at 8 p.m. for the Miller Theatre’s Bach Revisited series. The group is joined by members of eighth blackbird, the groundbreaking contemporary music sextet in the midst of a three year residency at Curtis, and the acclaimed Dover Quartet, string quartet in residence at the school. In the program chosen by Joan Tower, the composer intersperses movements of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 with her own chamber music, including her trio Big Sky, an evocation of the awe-inspiring experience of riding through the Andes mountain range, and string quartets In Memory and String Quartet No. 5 (“White Water”). Praised for works that are “expertly wrought, full of character and instantly communicative” (New York Times), Joan Tower is widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today. During a career spanning more than fifty years, her works have been commissioned by major ensembles, soloists, and orchestras, including the Emerson, Tokyo, and Muir quartets; soloists Evelyn Glennie, Carol Wincenc, David Shifrin, and John Browning; and the orchestras of Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., among others. Tickets and more information: (212) 854-7799, www.millertheatre.com/BoxOffice. Over the past several years, Curtis ensembles have appeared regularly at the Miller Theatre, including the Curtis Chamber Orchestra with Jaime Laredo and Jennifer Koh in 2012 and Curtis 20/21 with an all-Tower program in 2011, part of Joan Tower’s 2010-11 residency at the school. “A stellar Curtis group” (Philadelphia Inquirer), the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble is flexible in size and scope to include works for solo performers, chamber groups, and larger ensembles with conductor. The ensemble frequently collaborates with guest artists and composers, including Matthias Pintscher, Lucy Shelton, Charles Dutoit, and Peter Serkin, as well Curtis faculty and alumni; and past guest composers in residence have included John Corigliano, Joan Tower, George Crumb, and Steven Stucky.
The Curtis On Tour ensemble performs across the country and in Central America in March, with stops in Boston (March 16); Santa Fe (March 19); San Jose, Costa Rica (March 12); Falmouth, Mass. (March 14-sold out); Davis, Calif. (March 23); and Shoreline, Wash. (March 25). Each year Curtis On Tour brings the extraordinary artistry of the Curtis Institute of Music to audiences worldwide, with tomorrow’s leading musicians performing alongside celebrated Curtis alumni and faculty. The program will also be performed in Philadelphia, on the stage of Curtis’s Field Concert Hall on Wednesday, March 5. The seventh season of Curtis On Tour features, for the first time, a wind quintet, performing side-by-side with pianist Di Wu (’05), recognized for her “charisma, steely technique, and keen musical intelligence” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and her “fire and authority” (Washington Post). The program features the world premiere of a new wind quintet by Katerina Kramarchuk (’12), who holds an artist diploma from Curtis, where she studied with Richard Danielpour and David Ludwig. Curtis On Tour continues to usher new works into the repertoire, with a premiere commissioned for the touring group each season. Di Wu joins the students in Mozart’s luminous quintet for piano and winds and Poulenc’s spirited sextet, and the wind quintet will also perform works by two celebrated Curtis composers: the iconic Summer Music by Samuel Barber (’34) and Summer Shimmers by Jennifer Higdon (’88). For tickets and more information on all dates: www.curtis.edu/CurtisOnTour.
Since Curtis On Tour was established in 2008, students, faculty, and alumni have traveled to 44 destinations worldwide. Ensembles have performed on stages in Europe, Asia, and North and South America, with new venues added each year. Frequent performances at home in Philadelphia and around the country are part of Curtis’s “learn by doing” philosophy, which is paired with personalized attention from celebrated faculty, alumni, and guest artists. This training has produced an impressive number of notable artists in the Curtis Institute of Music‘s 89-year history, from such legends as Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber to current stars Jonathan Biss, Juan Diego Flórez, Alan Gilbert, Hilary Hahn, Jennifer Higdon, and Lang Lang. Though there are fewer than 3,000 living alumni, Curtis graduates hold principal and titled chairs in every major American orchestra and are found on the rosters of the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, and the San Francisco Opera, among others. The March 20 Curtis 20/21 Ensemble performance is sponsored by BNP Paribas. eighth blackbird’s three-year residency at Curtis is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Katerina Kramarchuk commission supported by the Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.
TOUR SCHEDULE: March and April 2014 Curtis 20/21 Ensemble PENDERECKI Tickets and more information: CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org. Thursday, April 17 at 8 p.m. J.S. BACH TOWER Tickets and more information: Miller Theatre at (212) 854-7799, www.millertheatre.com/BoxOffice. Curtis On Tour Ensemble BARBER HIGDON MOZART POULENC Wednesday, March 5 at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 12 at 8 p.m. Friday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16 at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. # # # |
