Curtis Institute of Music

 

in Philadelphia; coeducational; founded 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok (later married to Efrem Zimbalist) and named for her father, Cyrus Curtis. The institute operates entirely on a scholarship basis, with a faculty made up principally of concert artists. The library includes the Burrell collection of Wagnerian materials.

Curtis Institute of Music
Established	1924
Type	Private
President	Roberto Díaz
Director	Roberto Díaz
Students	167
Location	Philadelphia, PA, US
Address	1726 Locust St.
Campus	Urban
Website	http://www.curtis.edu

The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. It is considered by some to be one of the leading musical institutions in the world.

It was originally established in 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok, to some extent as a training ground for orchestral players to fill the ranks of the Philadelphia Orchestra, much like the Vienna Hochschule fur Musik (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna) and the Vienna Philharmonic or the New England Conservatory and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, although pianists, singers, organists and composers were offered courses of study as well.

All pupils attend on full scholarship, but admission is extremely competitive. Besides singers, pianists, organists, conductors and composers, only enough students are admitted to fill a single orchestra. Accordingly, enrollment is in the range of 150 to 170 students.

Past directors

Past directors of Curtis have included pianist Józef Hofmann, composer Randall Thompson, violinist Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., pianist Rudolph Serkin, John de Lancie, Sr. (principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years), and Gary Graffman, who was appointed in 1995 and retired at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, continuing on the piano faculty. The current president/director is Roberto Diaz, principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra until 2006 and member of the Diaz Trio; Diaz is also a Curtis alumnus and faculty member. The current conductor of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra is Otto-Werner Mueller.

Distinguished alumni

Many of its alumni have gone on to distinguished careers. Among them are:

• Joseph Alessi, principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic
• Samuel Barber, American composer
• Harold Bennett, former principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
• Leonard Bernstein, composer and conductor
• Jonathan Biss, American pianist
• Jorge Bolet, Cuban-American pianist
• Anshel Brusilow, Violinist, Conductor
• Jesse Ceci, Violinist
• Jasmine Choi, flutist
• Juan Diego Flórez, tenor
• Anthony Gigliotti, clarinetist, former principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra
• Alan Gilbert, conductor, music director of the New York Philharmonic
• Richard Goode, pianist
• Stewart Goodyear, Canadian pianist
• Daron Hagen, American composer
• Hilary Hahn, violinist
• Burt Hara, clarinetist, Principal of the Minnesota Orchestra
• Shuler Hensley, singer and actor
• Jennifer Higdon, American composer
• Lee Hoiby, American composer
• Stanley Hollingsworth, American composer
• Arnold Jacobs tubist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and influential teacher of brass pedagogy
• Lang Lang, pianist
• Mark Lawrence, principal trombone of the San Francisco Symphony
• David Ludwig, American composer
• Monte Maxwell, Chapel Organist at the United States Naval Academy
• Gian Carlo Menotti, American composer
• Frank Miller, cellist
• Leon McCawley, pianist
• Virginia MacWatters, soprano
• Anna Moffo, soprano
• Sean Osborn, clarinet soloist, formerly with the Metropolitan Opera
• Janet Perry, soprano
• Vincent Persichetti, composer
• Gianna Rolandi, soprano, director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center
• Ned Rorem, American composer
• Nino Rota, Italian composer and film composer
• Michael Rusinek, clarinetist, Principal of the Pittsburgh Symphony
• Peter Serkin, pianist
• David Shiffrin, clarinet soloist, professor at Yale School of Music
• Jacques Singer, conductor
• Ignat Solzhenitsyn, music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
• Michael Stern, music director and lead conductor of the Kansas City Symphony
• Michael Strauss, violist
• Hidetaro Suzuki, violinist
• Benita Valente, soprano

Gian Carlo Menotti was also a teacher at the school.

See also

External links

• Curtis Institute website

Colleges and Universities in Metropolitan Philadelphia

The American College • Arcadia University • Art Institute of Philadelphia • Bryn Mawr College • Cabrini College • Chestnut Hill College • Cheyney University • Curtis Institute of Music • Delaware Valley College • Drexel University • Eastern University • Gratz College • Gwynedd-Mercy College • Haverford College • Holy Family University • Immaculata University • La Salle University • Lincoln University • Manor College • Moore College of Art and Design • Neumann College • Peirce College • Penn State Abington • Penn State Delaware County • Penn State Great Valley • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts • Pennsylvania College of Optometry • Philadelphia Biblical University • Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine • Philadelphia University • Reconstructionist Rabbinical College • The Restaurant School • Rosemont College • Saint Joseph's University • Swarthmore College • Temple University • Thomas Jefferson University • University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey • University of the Arts • University of the Sciences in Philadelphia • University of Pennsylvania • Ursinus College • Valley Forge Christian College • Villanova University • West Chester University • Westminster Theological Seminary • Widener University

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