Curtis Institute Of Music

Curtis Institute of Music

Curtis Institute of Music Logo
Type	Private conservatory
Established	1924; 99 years ago (1924)
Endowment	$253.2 million (2019)[1]
President	Roberto Díaz
Provost	Edward Gazouleas
Director	Roberto Díaz
Students	153
Location	Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States
Campus	Urban
Website	Official website

The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship.

History

20th century

Curtis Institute of Music at 1726 Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia, September 2006

The Curtis Institute of Music was founded in 1924, following the formation of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1900 and the Philadelphia Opera Company in 1908 and amidst industrial decline and political corruption in Philadelphia.^[2][3] The institute's founder, Mary Louise Curtis Bok, a philanthropist, administrator, and major proponent of the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, named the new school after her father, publishing magnate Cyrus Curtis.^[4][5]

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chartered the Curtis Institute on April 18, 1924, which opened in October 1925 on three mansions on 1727 and 1720 Locust Street and 235 South 18th Street. Both the Curtis Institute and the Settlement Music School shared a building at Queen Street in South Philadelphia for the first year.^[6]

Bok established the institute to train talented musicians for professional careers and to teach music for its own sake and not as a means to another end. In an official statement, Bok wrote about the goals and expectations of the institution: “It is my aim that earnest students shall acquire a thorough musical education not learning only to sing or play, but also the history of music, the laws of its making, languages, ear training and musical appreciation. They shall learn to think and to express their thoughts against a background of a quiet culture, with the stimulus of personal contact with artist teachers who represent the highest and finest in their art. The aim is for quality of the work rather than quick, showy results.”^[7]

When the institute opened, it included two distinct divisions: a preparatory division for 400 students and a conservatory for 200 students. Tuition was five hundred dollars, and the school opened with 357 students. Mary Bok became the conservatory’s first president, a position she would hold until 1969. Johann Grolle served as the first school director for one year, William E. Walter became director in 1925 and Josef Hofmann, head of the piano department, became director in 1927. The institute added a library in 1925 with over 5,000 volumes. Notable original faculty included pianist Josef Hofmann, conductor Leopold Stokowski and violinist Carl Flesch, as well as pianists David Saperton and Isabelle Vengerova, singers Marcella Sembrich and Andreas Dippel, cellist Michel Penha, and flutist William Kincaid.^[8]

Under Josef Hofmann as director, Curtis made several new changes to advance the school's standards and publicize the school. Hofmann reduced enrollment to ensure that students would receive individualized attention. Curtis initiated weekly radio broadcasts through CBS in 1929. The Curtis String Quartet was established in 1928 and lasted until 1981. From 1931 to 1941, Fritz Reiner served as the conductor of the Curtis Orchestra, who toured with the orchestra throughout the country and broadcast the orchestra on the radio. The school held its first commencement a decade after opening, awarding Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees.^[9]

Starting in the late 1920s, Curtis made significant changes to support students financially fully. In 1928, Mrs. Louis Bok expanded the school's first endowment of $500,000 to $12.5 million. The school started providing summer residency programs for advanced students in the United States or Europe. The new funds further allowed all students to study at Curtis at no cost. Since 1928, the institute has not charged tuition; it provides full scholarships to all admitted students.^[10] With the new endowment, the school purchased several Steinway pianos and enough instruments for an orchestra so that students would not have to pay for instruments.^[11]

The school faced financial difficulties in the 1930s, decreased enrollment, and had to remove some departments and reduce salaries. Josef Hoffman resigned in 1938 and was succeeded by Randall Thompson, who became director in 1939 and held the post for two years. Thompson introduced mandatory weekly lectures providing an overview of music history.

Violinist Efrem Zimbalist, who had become the head of the violin department in 1930 at Curtis, replaced Thompson as director in 1941. Under Zimbalist, the institute focused more on training soloists and cutting down on costs, which became especially necessary during the war years. This focus caused a shift away from orchestra, opera, and chamber music and a reduction of the instrumental faculty.^[12]

21st century

In 2020, following credible allegations of abuse at the hands of past faculty, the school ended its practice of keeping students enrolled "at the discretion of their major instrument teacher". In accepting the findings of an independent investigation of abuse allegations that found the practice was a "real threat" a student "could be dismissed for any reason at any time", Curtis pledged several other steps to ensure students' well-being, including providing them with access to counseling.^[13]

Admission

The institute formerly served as a training ground for orchestral musicians to fill the ranks of the Philadelphia Orchestra, although composers, organists, pianists, guitarists, and singers are offered courses of study as well.

With the exception of composers, conductors, pianists, organists, and guitarists, admission is granted only to the number of students to fill a single orchestra and opera company. Accordingly, enrollment is in the range of 150 to 175 students. According to statistics compiled by U.S. News & World Report, the institute has the lowest acceptance rate of any college or university (4 percent), making it among the most selective institutions of higher education in the United States.^[14][15]

Nina Simone claimed her application for a scholarship was rejected because of her race, despite excellent credentials and audition performance. Simone was one of 75 pianists to audition in 1951; only three were accepted.^[16][17][18] A short while before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary diploma by Curtis.^[17]

Notable faculty

Eleanor Sokoloff was a piano teacher at the institute, beginning during her studies in 1936, and serving until her death in 2020.^[19]

Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence

The Dover Quartet is the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at Curtis. Their faculty residency integrates teaching and mentorship, and the resident ensemble will recruit promising young string quartets to nurture a new generation of professional chamber ensembles.

Campus

Gould Rehearsal Hall

Field Concert Hall

Gould Rehearsal Hall

Gould Rehearsal Hall A 2,850-square-foot, acoustically designed rehearsal hall accommodates a full orchestra, with state-of-the-art video and audio capabilities.^[20]

Field Concert Hall

Field Concert Hall, a 240-seat auditorium with splendid acoustics and facilities for video- and audio-recording, is used for weekly student recitals, faculty and alumni concerts, master classes, and recording sessions. It also houses a 5-manual, 116-rank Aeolian-Skinner organ.^[20]

Rock Resource Center

The Rock Resource Center of the Curtis Institute of Music contains more than 100,000 music scores, books, and recordings for study and performance. Comprising the John de Lancie Library and the Curtis Archives, the Rock Resource Center’s mission is to: provide Curtis students, faculty, and staff with the best possible collection of printed music, books, periodicals, recordings, and electronic resources needed to fulfill the school's mission; promote the Rock Resource Center's holdings through forward thinking and open patron service; and preserve and make Curtis’s past accessible to the greater Curtis community. The Curtis Archives comprises largely unpublished materials whose value derives from its collection by, ownership of, or relation to, a Curtis-affiliated individual. Non-Curtis collections of published and unpublished materials, as well as published materials by anyone (Curtis-related or not), can be found in Special Collections. Official Curtis recordings are a part of the library collection.^[20]

Notable people

Alumni

Many alumni of the Curtis Institute have gone on to distinguished careers including:

A–L

• Teddy Abrams, Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra
• James Adler, composer
• Milton Adolphus, composer, arranger, pianist
• Joseph Alessi, principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic
• Adrian Anantawan, violinist
• Reid Anderson, bassist of The Bad Plus
• Shmuel Ashkenasi, first violinist of the Vermeer Quartet
• Jenny Oaks Baker, first violinist of the National Symphony Orchestra
• Rose Bampton, principal singer at the Metropolitan Opera during the 1930s and 1940s
• Samuel Barber, composer
• Michael Alden Bayard, percussionist and founder/owner of Rhythm Magic
• Diane Meredith Belcher, organist
• Leonard Bernstein, composer and conductor
• Jonathan Biss, pianist
• Judith Blegen, soprano
• Natalie Bodanya, opera singer
• Jorge Bolet, pianist and erstwhile Head of Piano at the Curtis Institute
• Gwendolyn Bradley, opera singer
• David Brooks, Broadway actor, stage director and producer
• Yefim Bronfman, piano
• Anshel Brusilow, violinist, conductor
• Alyson Cambridge (born 1980), operatic soprano and classical music, jazz, and American popular song singer
• Karina Canellakis, conductor
• Jenny Q. Chai, piano
• Keith Chapman, concert organist
• Ray Chen, violinist
• Cheng Wai, pianist
• Shura Cherkassky, pianist
• Pearl Chertok, harpist and composer
• Young-Chang Cho, cellist
• Jasmine Choi, flutist
• Nikki Chooi, violinist
• Nicolas Chumachenco, violinist
• Katherine Ciesinski, mezzo-soprano
• Layla Claire, soprano
• Tim Cobb, current principal bassist with the Metropolitan Opera
• Vinson Cole, operatic tenor
• Ken Cowan, organist, assistant professor of organ at the Westminster Choir College (Rice University)
• John Dalley, violinist, Oberlin String Quartet 1957–59, one of four founding members of Guarneri Quartet 1964–2009; faculty
• Di Wu, pianist
• John de Lancie, principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra, faculty at Curtis and Director of the school 1977–85 ^[21]
• Joseph de Pasquale, violist, faculty at Curtis 1964-2015 ^[22]
• Stanley Drucker, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic
• Julius Eastman, pianist, conductor, singer, composer
• Mohammed Fairouz, composer
• Juan Diego Flórez, tenor
• Lukas Foss, composer, conductor and pianist
• Bianca Garcia, flute, politician
• Frank Guarrera, baritone
• Anthony Gigliotti, clarinetist, former principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra
• Alan Gilbert, conductor, music director of the New York Philharmonic
• Max Goberman, conductor
• Richard Goode, pianist
• Valerie Muzzolini Gordon, harpist, principal of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra
• Olga Gorelli, composer and pianist
• Daron Hagen, composer, conductor, pianist, and stage director
• Hilary Hahn, violinist
• Burt Hara, clarinetist, principal of the Minnesota Orchestra
• Lynn Harrell, cello soloist
• Margaret Rosezarian Harris, conductor
• Margaret Harshaw, opera singer
• David Hayes, Music Director of The Philadelphia Singers and Director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies at Mannes College The New School for Music
• Daniel Heifetz, violinist; founder of the Heifetz International Music Institute
• Michael Hennagin, composer
• Shuler Hensley, singer and actor
• Sarah Hicks, conductor
• Jennifer Higdon, composer
• Lee Hoiby, composer
• Stanley Hollingsworth, composer
• David Horne, composer and pianist
• Michael Houstoun (born 1952), concert pianist^[23]
• Claire Huangci, pianist
• Eugene Istomin, pianist
• David N. Johnson, composer, organist and professor
• Arnold Jacobs, former tubist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and teacher of brass pedagogy (deceased)
• Paul Jacobs, organist, organ professor at the Juilliard School
• Paavo Järvi (conductor), Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra previously, Deutchekammerphilharmonie Bremen
• Leila Josefowicz, violinist
• Judy Kang, violinist
• Leonard Kastle, composer, screenwriter, and film director
• Sean Kennard, pianist
• Nina Kennedy, pianist, conductor, and filmmaker
• Chin Kim, violinist, soloist, faculty at the Mannes College of Music and Queens College, City University of New York
• Jonah Kim, cellist, conductor, composer
• Jennifer Koh, violinist
• Paul Kowert, bassist for Punch Brothers
• Lang Lang, pianist
• Mark Lawrence, principal trombonist of the San Francisco Symphony
• Theodore Lettvin, pianist
• Brenda Lewis, soprano
• Ang Li, pianist
• Cecile Licad, pianist
• Marc Lifschey, oboist
• Joan Lippincott, concert organist, former head of the organ department at the Westminster Choir College
• David Ludwig, composer

M–Z

• John Mack, oboist
• Amanda Majeski, soprano Chicago Lyric Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Semperoper^[24]
• Virginia MacWatters, soprano
• Robert "Bobby" Martin, pianist, saxophonist, vocalist, most notably with Frank Zappa^[25]
• Leon McCawley, pianist
• Jeremy McCoy, current assistant principal bassist with the Metropolitan Opera
• Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist with the Metropolitan Opera
• Gian Carlo Menotti, composer, librettist, and stage director, teacher at the institute
• Frank Miller, cellist
• Anna Moffo, soprano
• Alan Morrison, organist, faculty, Curtis Institute of Music, Westminster Choir College
• Lorne Munroe, cellist, former principal of the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra
• Christina Naughton, pianist
• Michelle Naughton, pianist
• Erik Nielsen, conductor Frankfurt Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Rome Opera, Semperoper
• Nokuthula Ngwenyama, solo violist, Indiana University faculty
• Lambert Orkis, pianist, Temple University faculty
• Sean Osborn, clarinet soloist, formerly with the Metropolitan Opera
• Eric Owens, bass-baritone
• Rob Patterson, Clarinet, University of Virginia, Lyrique-en-Mer, VERGE Ensemble
• Janet Perry, soprano
• Vincent Persichetti, composer
• Eytan Pessen, accompanist and opera director.^[26]
• Richard Purvis, composer and organist, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
• André Raphel, conductor of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra
• Gianna Rolandi, soprano, director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center
• Ned Rorem, composer, pianist, and writer
• Aaron Rosand, violinist^[27]
• Leonard Rose, cellist and teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School
• Matthew Rose, bass vocalist
• Nino Rota, composer and film composer
• Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violinist
• Andre-Michel Schub, pianist
• Kathryn Selby, pianist
• Peter Serkin, pianist and Director of the Curtis Institute
• Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano
• David Shifrin, clarinet soloist, professor at the Yale School of Music
• Benjamin Shwartz, conductor
• Jacques Singer, conductor
• Muriel Smith, mezzo-soprano
• Ignat Solzhenitsyn, former music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
• Josef Špaček, violinist, concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic and renowned soloist
• Robert Spano, conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Leslie Spotz, pianist
• Susan Starr, pianist
• Benjamin Steinberg, violinist and conductor
• Arnold Steinhardt, violinist
• Michael Stern, music director and lead conductor of the Kansas City Symphony
• Mimi Stillman, flutist
• Laila Storch oboist, Marcel Tabuteau's biographer
• Jennifer Stumm, violist
• Kay Swift, composer
• Henri Temianka, violinist, conductor
• Michael Tree (née Applebaum), violist, violinist, founding member of the Guarneri Quartet
• Yu-Chien Tseng, violinist
• Benita Valente, soprano
• Yuja Wang, pianist
• Wendy Warner, cellist
• Peter Wiley, cellist with Beaux Arts Trio and Guarneri Quartet, Curtis faculty ^[28]
• Haochen Zhang, pianist, Gold Medalist/First Prize winner of the 2009 Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Faculty and administrators

Past directors

Past directors of the institute have included:

• Josef Hofmann (1926–38) – pianist
• Randall Thompson (1938–40) – composer
• Efrem Zimbalist (1941–68) – violinist
• Rudolf Serkin (1968–76) – pianist
• John de Lancie (1977–85) – principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years
• Gary Graffman (1986–2006) – pianist, continues on the piano faculty

Current administrators

Roberto Díaz is president and director of the institute. Díaz is also a Curtis alumnus and faculty member. He was principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1996 to 2006 and is a member of the Diaz Trio.^[29]

References

External links

[ ⚑ ] 39°56′56″N 75°10′14″W / 39.9488°N 75.1706°W / 39.9488; -75.1706

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