duende and the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble Present an Irreverent and Electric Evening of Song and Dance December 3 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Kimmel Center’s SEI Innovation StudioInfused with the spirit of the early 20th-century cabaret, program includes music by Schoenberg, Satie, Webern, and others alongside a world premiere by Alyssa Weinberg and choreography by Chloe Felesina PHILADELPHIA—December 1, 2015—The intimate setting of the Kimmel Center’s SEI Innovation Studio hosts an irreverent and electric evening of cabaret-influenced song and dance on December 3 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. featuring duende and the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble, produced in partnership with the Kimmel Center. |
Infused with the spirit of the early 20th-century Cabaret Voltaire, each 70 minute program includes music by Satie, Webern, and a world premiere by Alyssa Weinberg mingling with Dada-inspired readings and choreography by Chloe Felesina. Anchored by Schoenberg‘s hauntingly beautiful Pierrot Lunaire, the performance evokes the early Modernism that would lead to the avant-garde experiments of the Darmstadt School, the Curtis Institute of Music’s 2015-16 All School Project.
Tickets for the performance are $25 general admission, $10 for students, and include a drink. They are available from the Kimmel Center Box office at (215) 893-1999 or kimmelcenter.org. A special young friends event hosted by the Curtis Crescendo Club offers $16.50 tickets for the 9 p.m. performance, with pre- and post- receptions at the Kimmel Center’s Volvér offering happy hour prices. Visit www.curtis.edu/CrescendoClub for details.
The 9 p.m. performance will also be live streamed to audiences around the world on Curtis Performs (www.curtis.edu/CurtisPerforms) and the video will remain online for 72 hours. Free with a high-speed internet connection, the Curtis Performs can be viewed on any mobile device or desktop.
Explaining the inspiration for the program, Alyssa Weinberg, one of three founders of duende, said “We started with the idea of Pierrot Lunaire and the second Viennese school, and how it leads up to Darmstadt. We decided to really dive into Pierrot Lunaire and look at the origins, how it came out of the cabaret tradition. So we took the theme of cabaret as a whole—all the different countries and influences, all the things that cabaret meant around the turn of the century.”
duende is a group run by composer Alyssa Weinberg, cellist Gabriel Cabezas (’13), and dancer/choreographer Chloe Felesina. With three varying perspectives and backgrounds, they come together to co-create performances that involve different elements of music and dance interacting with each other in a unique way, presented in informal atmospheres that allow intimate connections with the audience and exciting, improvisation-based collaborations.
The December 3 performance is part of the Curtis Presents series, which features an inspiring array of intimate and innovative recitals each year. Honoring the school’s unique performance culture with virtuosity and magnetism, the Curtis Presents season is sponsored by Blank Rome LLP.
Flexible in size and scope, the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble performs a wide range of music from the 20th and 21st centuries, including works by Curtis students and alumni. This season, it spearheads a five-part exploration of the Darmstadt school and the music that influenced and grew out of this critical time of experimentation and discovery. The ensemble has appeared at major U.S. venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Miller Theatre, as well as internationally. The Curtis 20/21 Ensemble collaborates with some of today’s most prominent artists, including Charles Dutoit, eighth blackbird, and Matthias Pintscher. It has presented portrait concerts of iconic composers in residence Steve Mackey, George Crumb, and Krzysztof Penderecki, among others. Of the ensemble’s Joan Tower portrait program, the New York Times wrote, “Ms. Tower could hardly have hoped for more passionate performances.” The Curtis 20/21 Ensemble is led by artistic director David Ludwig.
Drawing upon 90 years of artistry, the Curtis Institute of Music pairs tradition and innovation, educating exceptionally gifted young musicians as artist-citizens who engage a local and global community through music-making of the highest caliber. Each year 175 students come to Curtis, drawn by a tuition-free, performance-inspired learning culture. In this intimate environment, they are nurtured by a celebrated faculty and inspired by the school’s distinctive “learn by doing” approach, offering more than 200 concerts each year in Philadelphia, as well as performances around the world through Curtis on Tour.
“One of the world’s finest music academies” (BBC Culture), Curtis reaches global audiences through Curtis Performs (curtis.edu/CurtisPerforms), the school’s dedicated HD performance video site. Online music courses and Summerfest programs offer lifelong learners further ways to listen, explore, and learn. And students hone 21st-century skills through social entrepreneurship programs that bring arts access and education to the community.
The extraordinary young musicians of Curtis graduate to join 4,000 alumni who have long made music history. Each season leading orchestras, opera houses, and chamber music series around the world feature Curtis alumni. They are in the front rank of soloists, composers, and conductors and hold principal chairs in every major American orchestra. Curtis graduates are musical leaders, making a profound impact on music onstage and in their communities. To learn more, visit www.curtis.edu.
Curtis Presents: duende with the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble
Produced in partnership with the Kimmel Center
Thursday, December 3 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
SEI Innovation Studio at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia
Alize Rozsnyai, soprano (’13, ’15)
Emma Resmini, flute
Yuhsin Su, clarinet
Grace Clifford, violin and viola
Andres Sanchez, cello
Janice Carissa, piano
Gabriel Cabezas, cello (’13)
Chloe Felesina, dancer and choreographer
Alyssa Weinberg, composer
Tickets: $25 general admission, $10 students; available from the Kimmel Center Box office at (215) 893-1999 or kimmelcenter.org
Young friends event hosted by the Curtis Crescendo Club offers $16.50 tickets for the 9 p.m. performance, with pre- and post- receptions at the Kimmel Center’s Volvér offering happy hour prices. Visit www.curtis.edu/CrescendoClub for details.
Live stream at 9 p.m. EST on Curtis Performs (www.curtis.edu/CurtisPerforms); video will remain online for 72 hours.
The Curtis Presents season is sponsored by Blank Rome LLP.
# # #