Overtones: Fall 2016

Vol. XXXXI, No. 1
Fall 2016
A Personal Investment
Three Decades with Mikael Eliasen
PAGE 22
Darmstadt and Beyond
Reactions to Modernism
PAGE 18
Inside:
2015–16 Annual Report
Musically Multilingual
Jason Vieaux Teaches
Across Traditions
PAGE 7

Spring 2016 at Curtis
The Curtis Opera Theatre offered three productions last spring. Below left: LUDOVIC MORLOT, music director of the Seattle
Above left: Composition student RENE ORTH’s chamber opera Symphony, led the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in two concerts
Empty the House premiered in January, with (l. to r.) DENNIS on January 31 at Verizon Hall and February 1 at Carnegie Hall.
CHMELENSKY, KENDRA BROOM, and SHIR ROZZEN in the cast. Above Singers from the Curtis Opera Theatre, including (standing,
middle: In March, collaborating with Opera Philadelphia and l. to r.) ALIZE ROSZNYAI and EMILY POGORELC, joined the orchestra
the Kimmel Center, Strauss’s Capriccio took the stage in a
for Berio’s Sinfonia; the program also included Busoni’s Berceuse
lush production featuring KIRSTEN MacKINNON as the Countess, élégiaque and Mahler’s First Symphony. Below right: In April
who must choose between words (the Poet) and music (the
MICHAEL STERN, music director of the Kansas City Symphony,
Composer). Above right: May brought a perennial favorite,
led the orchestra in Varèse’s Amériques and the Brahms First
Le nozze di Figaro, with TYLER ZIMMERMAN and ELENA PERRONI Symphony. Also on the program was Debussy’s Prélude à
as the title character and his betrothed, the maid Susanna.
l’après-midi d’un faune. PHOTOS: PETE CHECCHIA, DAVID DEBALKO
PHOTOS: KARLI CADEL, CORY WEAVER
More Online
Watch and listen to musical highlights at www.curtis.edu/Multimedia

COntents
SPRING 2016 AT CURTIS
Opposite
vol. XXXXI, no. 1
Fall 2016
28
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 2
A unique idea: the all-school project
NOTEWORTHY 3
A transformational gift to Curtis, a high school music program
revived, and a memorial tribute to a beloved maestro and mentor
OvertOnes
Overtones is the semiannual publication
of the Curtis Institute of Music.
1726 locust street
Philadelphia, Pa 19103
telephone: (215) 893-5252
www.curtis.edu
roberto Díaz, president and CEO
Nina von Maltzahn President’s Chair
EDITOR
Melinda Whiting
EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP
Kathryn Bezella
Paul Bryan
lourdes Demers
roberto Díaz
Mikael eliasen
Kristen loden
David ludwig
Jeanne McGinn
CONTRIBUTORS
Matthew Barker
David ludwig
laura sancken
Jeffrey stingerstein
GRAPHIC DESIGN
art270, Inc.
Issn: 0887-6800
Copyright © 2016
by Curtis Institute of Music
MEET THE FACULTY 7
Jason Vieaux plays—and teaches—across genres and
traditions. Matthew Barker observes him in action.
MEET THE STUDENTS 10
A young trumpeter embodies the collaborative, connecting
mindset of a 21st-century musician. Dave Allen talks with
Steven Franklin.
THE COMPLEAT MUSICIAN 13
A required course, Presentation and Oral Practice, turns exceptional musicians into confident public speakers.
Instructor Jeffrey Stingerstein explains his method.
7
13
10
26
CON BRAVURA 15
Honoring Nina Baroness von Maltzahn’s tireless energy
and leadership, after her two-year tenure as board chair
DARMSTADT AND BEYOND 18
As the all-school project focusing on the Darmstadt school
continues in 2016–17, the spotlight is on varied reactions
to this watershed Modernist movement. David Ludwig
reflects on the season ahead.
THIS FALL AND WINTER AT CURTIS 20
On stage and online
A PERSONAL INVESTMENT 22
As Mikael Eliasen marks 30 years on the Curtis faculty, alumni of the vocal studies program tell Heidi
Waleson about their studies with this revered teacher.
FIRST PERSON 26
As an ArtistYear Fellow, Anna Odell recalls how she offered music to soothe suffering, and received
a priceless present in return.
MEET THE ALUMNI 28
Curtis violin graduate Karina Canellakis has become a compelling—and award-winning—presence
on the podium. Diana Burgwyn reports on her journey.
NOTATIONS
Alumni 31
Alumni Office Notes 34
Faculty 35
Students 36
Other Curtis Family News 37
Recordings and Publications 37
Class of 2016 38
ON THE COVER: Mikael Eliasen, who celebrates
30 years at Curtis this year, coaches all voice
and opera students on a regular basis. COVER PHOTO:
PETE CHECCHIA
38
THE CURTIS OPERA THEATRE’S
EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS,
1989 Back cover
OvertOnes Fall 2016
1

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
A Unique Idea
Roberto Díaz PHOTO: LEE MOSKOW
More Inside and Online
Learn about the current all-school
project on page 18 and at
www.curtis.edu/Darmstadt
We at Curtis like to enumerate the ways
this school is unique: its intimacy, its high
admissions standard, its performance culture.
One uniqueness that we don’t often
mention, and perhaps take for granted, is
that our young musicians communicate and
form relationships freely across disciplines.
at a conservatory it’s quite possible for
pianists to interact only with other pianists,
or for string players to associate mostly
with other string players. It can be hard for
students to get outside their comfort zones,
become acquainted with a broader constellation
of their peers, and grow as social
beings. Fortunately Curtis is small; with only
175 students, it’s easy to know everyone.
Curtis has become unique in another
way that is often overlooked: the close
connection between what our students do
on stage and in the classroom. the usual
conservatory mode is to talk of liberal arts
and musical studies courses as a requirement,
but not central to what students are at a
conservatory to do. Once upon a time this
was a default mindset for Curtis as well—
one that I wanted very much to address
when I became president of the school
ten years ago. art is never created in a
vacuum, and an understanding of cultural
context enriches our understanding of the
music we’re studying while prompting us
to dig deeper.
It was with these goals in mind that
we unveiled our first all-school project
in 2007–08. We chose a specific work—
Beethoven’s Op. 95 string quartet—to
look at from a number of angles. as a
work of chamber music, it was rehearsed
by every string player in the school. the
Curtis Symphony Orchestra presented
a transcription of the quartet in concert.
It became a subject for analysis in musical
studies classes, and a springboard for
cultural and historical discussion in liberal
arts classes.
that year at Curtis, there was a change
in the conversation—and in the feeling
around the school. For the first time,
nearly every student—whether singer,
instrumentalist, conductor, or composer—
had an opportunity to connect in one way
or another to one common topic. the New
York Times took notice, naming our all-school
project “the best teaching idea” of 2008.
Over time we honed our approach.
We chose themes broad enough to inspire
multiple programming ideas and course
proposals, but narrow enough to preserve
commonality and stimulate discourse.
We extended the term of especially rich
topics (like the current exploration of the
Darmstadt school of composition) over two
school years, which allowed us to explore
every facet as fully as possible.
Nine years later, the all-school project
has deeply informed who we are as an
institution and a community. It permeates
every aspect of the Curtis education in a
way I didn’t really expect when I proposed
it. the selection of the theme now provides
a central core for the programming of
our performance season. It inspires our
classroom faculty to develop intriguing
courses. It informs the works we commission,
what we play on tours, and what we offer
to our community.
the resulting cross-fertilization between
classroom and rehearsal room is wonderfully
fruitful. as students become aware of how
a musical work or a body of repertoire
exists within its context, their interpretations
evolve accordingly. So do their relationships.
they ask questions and have unexpected
conversations. to a degree I didn’t anticipate
at the start, I find that we’re empowering
our young musicians to move forward boldly.
We’re teaching them to learn more broadly
and deeply and to continue this learning,
self-initiated, throughout their musical lives.
It is one more way in which Curtis is
unique—and perhaps the most valuable
one of all.
roberto Díaz
President
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NOteWOrthy
“transformational” $55 Million
Gift Supports Strategic Direction
In May the Curtis Institute of Music announced a record-breaking $55 million gift from
NINA BARONESS VON MALTZAHN. It is, in inflation-adjusted terms, the largest single gift the
school has received since MARY LOUISE CURTIS BOK established the school’s tuition-free policy
in 1928, and among the largest gifts ever made to a music school in the United States.
The gift reflects Baroness von Maltzahn’s passionate belief in the educational programs
at Curtis, which she has supported since 2008 by endowing faculty chairs and student
fellowships, establishing new programs, and underwriting international touring experiences
for students. She concluded her two-year tenure as board chair on May 31 and remains
an active member of the board of trustees.
In recognition of this extraordinary support, Curtis will name two key initiatives in
honor of the Baroness: the Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet Program and Curtis on
Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative. Her $55 million gift will be added
to the endowment and will ensure continued support for these programs and other
strategic initiatives as the school pursues ambitious goals leading toward its 100th
anniversary in 2024.
“The students at Curtis are so close to my heart. To hear them perform, to support
their learning and to see them flourish is immensely gratifying,” said Baroness von
Maltzahn. “Over the past two years as board chair, I’ve witnessed the evolution of young
string quartets in residence at Curtis into fully fledged professional ensembles and
seen Curtis on Tour strengthen the school’s presence in Europe, Asia, Latin America,
and across the United States. I’m so pleased my gift will allow this growth to continue
and hopefully serve as an inspiration to others who want to support education and
music-making at the highest level.”
“The board of trustees is moved by the magnitude of Nina’s generosity,” said MARK
RUBENSTEIN, who succeeded Baroness von Maltzahn as board chair. “She has our profound
thanks for her vision and support.”
Baroness von Maltzahn’s latest gift represents a level of commitment matched
by few others in the 91-year history of the school. Among the countless contributions
of founder Mary Louise Curtis Bok was her pivotal gift of $12.5 million in 1928 that
established full-tuition scholarships for all students. H.F. “GERRY” LENFEST and MARGUERITE
LENFEST also provided an extraordinary level of support, allowing Curtis to double the
size of its campus with a $30 million challenge grant to build Lenfest Hall; endowing
11 faculty chairs; and investing in curricular, student health, and technology initiatives
to help the school maintain its position at the leading edge of conservatories worldwide.
“Like Mary Louise Curtis Bok and Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest, Nina’s dedication
has been transformational. There is no other word for it," said Curtis President ROBERTO
DÍAZ (Viola ’84), whose president’s chair was also endowed by the Baroness. “We cannot
thank Nina sufficiently through words alone, but hope to do it through music each time
we perform in Philadelphia and around the globe.”
Nina Baroness von Maltzahn PHOTO: LEE MOSKOW
“the students at Curtis
are so close to my heart.
to hear them perform,
to support their learning
and to see them flourish
is immensely gratifying,”
said Baroness von Maltzahn.
Baroness von Maltzahn with Roberto Díaz, who holds
the Nina von Maltzahn President’s Chair at Curtis,
before a Curtis on Tour concert in Berlin
PHOTO: ANNETTE HORNISCHER
OVertONeS Fall 2016
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NOteWOrthy
STAFF
ANNIVERSARIES
Curtis thanks the entire staff,
with a nod to those celebrating landmark
anniversaries in 2016.
30 years
PATRICIA LOMBARDO
20 years
JUNGEUN KIM
15 years
MICHELLE HOLMES
10 years
ROBERTO DÍAZ (Viola ’84)
MELINDA WHITING
5 years
LOURDES DEMERS
ANGELA McCORMICK
GREG SHARROW
Jonathan Bailey Holland
Nea Funds a Commission for
Curtis on tour
Over the summer Curtis received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment
for the Arts as part of the “Imagine Your Parks” initiative to encourage greater public
engagement with the arts in the U.S. National Park System. The grant supported
the commissioning of a new work by composer JONATHAN BAILEY HOLLAND
(Composition ’96) and the recent touring of that work with Curtis on Tour
in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Mr. Holland’s new string quartet, Forged Sanctuaries, was inspired by the
Cape Cod National Seashore. Curtis on Tour premiered the work in Harrisburg, Pa.,
in July, with repeat performances at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival and
in Nantucket, Woods Hole, and Great Barrington, Mass. The performers included
student KEVIN LIN (Violin) and alumni YOSHIHIKO NAKANO (Viola ’14), LAURA PARK
(Violin ’16), and YOUNA CHOI (Cello ’16).
SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR
YOUNG ARTISTS TAKE OFF
Curtis Summerfest’s programs for musicians in high school and college are growing in
popularity each year and are drawing applicants from around the globe. In its first five
years, the flagship Young Artist Summer Program—a three-week residential experience
for instrumentalists, composers, and conductors—has seen nearly a fivefold increase
in applications. Applications to the Young Artist Voice Program, a two-week residential
course launched in 2015, grew 45 percent in 2016. As a result admissions are becoming
more selective. Both programs are attracting applicants from around the globe, with
aspiring participants from locations as distant as Australia, China, New Zealand, and
South Korea.
Summerfest also offers programs for adult professionals and amateurs. Registration
for 2017 courses opens in November.
Participants in the Young Artist Summer Program
PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON
More Online
Curtis Summerfest videos, testimonials, and more are at
www.curtis.edu/Summerfest
4 OVertONeS Fall 2016

NOteWOrthy
artistyear Fellow Supports
a high School Music Program
South Philadelphia High School, in
collaboration with the Curtis Institute of
Music’s ArtistYear program, presented
the musical Dreamgirls in May at the
high school’s historic auditorium.
The production, featuring a cast of
talented SPHS students, was directed
by ArtistYear Fellow ALIZE ROZSNYAI
(Voice ’13, Opera ’15), who has spent
the last year helping to rebuild the high
school’s choral music program alongside
its one full-time music teacher, Louis
Russo. “We didn’t really think we were
going to be in a choir, and we didn’t
think we were going to be in a musical.
But they had hope in us,” said SPHS student Chyna McCoy about her teachers. “It’s
fun to try new things, and it’s fun to have people that actually care and motivate us
to do better.” The musical was accompanied by a band that included Curtis students,
led by ERIC HUCKINS (Horn ’16).
Dreamgirls capped the inaugural year of the school’s revived music program,
defunct for many years but with a rich past: South Philadelphia High School graduates
have included Marian Anderson, Chubby Checker, and Mario Lanza. “My biggest hope
is that this program can continue to grow and to build,” said Alize, whose interest in
resurrecting the SPHS choir was motivated by her own choir experience in high school:
“I can’t imagine having gone through the high school experience without [music]
as an outlet.” She hopes that the quality of the Dreamgirls production will motivate
continued funding from the school district. Alize will continue her work at the high
school in 2016–17, having extended her ArtistYear fellowship through the 2016–17
school year alongside five new fellows (at right).
The Dreamgirls project was made possible through a grant from the Picasso Project
of Public Citizens for Children. The Curtis ArtistYear Fellowship program is supported
by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Wells Fargo, the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation, and an anonymous donor.
Curtis ArtistYear Fellows 2016–17
Six ArtistYear fellows have
been announced for the current
school year.
STANISLAV
CHERNYSHEV
(Clarinet ’14)
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
SHANNON LEE
(Violin ’16)
T.J. COLE
(Composition ’16)
ALIZE ROZSNYAI
(Voice ’13, Opera ’15)
Above and below: Alize Rozsnyai with members of the Dreamgirls cast PHOTOS: GREG SHARROW
CALEB WIEBE
(Trumpet ’16)
ZSCHE CHUANG
RIMBO WONG
(Viola ’16)
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
OVertONeS Fall 2016
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NOteWOrthy
In Memoriam:
Otto-Werner Mueller
The Curtis Institute of Music mourns the loss of its legendary maestro and emeritus
faculty member, OTTO-WERNER MUELLER, who was widely regarded as the most important
conducting pedagogue of the last 50 years. Mr. Mueller passed away at his home in
Charlotte on February 25.
“Otto was the definition of the word ‘maestro,’” Curtis President ROBERTO DÍAZ
(Viola ’84) recalled in learning of Mr. Mueller’s passing. “He was an absolute master of
the musical art form who brought new insights and nuance to every score he interpreted
and every rehearsal he led. I know our students feel fortunate to have studied with him,
not only because they learned deeply and profoundly about music, but because they
understood he was also teaching them about life.
“Because of him, all of us at Curtis understand more fully the importance of respect,
how to learn, and how to offer the very best of which we are capable.”
Just a few of the hundreds of musicians who have been influenced by Mr. Mueller
commented on his indelible impact for an overtones tribute in 2012, when Curtis awarded
him an honorary doctorate. At the time his former student, New York Philharmonic
music director ALAN GILBERT (Conducting ’92), noted: “Otto-Werner Mueller remains
one of the most important influences I have had in my musical development. My years
studying with him were crucial and I literally think about things he taught me every day.”
His influence was no less profound on the students playing in the Curtis Symphony
Orchestra. “Mr. Mueller instilled in each of us the utmost respect for the composer’s
intentions, and made certain that we placed the importance of the score before our
own passing musical whims,” recalled ELENA URIOSTE (Violin ’08). “He opened our ears
to a new level of detail, and insisted upon a devout care for every note, in both quality
of sound and in its contextual placement.”
Contributors to Noteworthy include Jennifer
Dionisio, Jennifer Kallend, Daniel McDougall,
and Melinda Whiting.
6 OVertONeS Fall 2016
Above:
Otto-Werner Mueller received an
honorary doctorate from Curtis
in 2012. PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON
Mr. Mueller with his wife, Virginia
Allen, at Wednesday Tea
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
MAESTRO AND MENTOR
A native of Germany, Mr. Mueller was appointed director of the chamber music department
for Radio Stuttgart at age 19. He conducted opera and operetta for the Heidelberg
Theater and founded and conducted an orchestra for families of United States military
forces stationed there. After immigrating to Canada in 1951, he worked extensively
for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He taught and conducted at the Montreal
Conservatory; served as director of the Victoria Symphony and founder and dean of the
Victoria School of Music; served as guest professor at the Moscow State Conservatory;
and guest conducted the Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Riga symphony orchestras.
Mr. Mueller conducted in every major city in Canada and appeared as guest conductor
with the National, Atlanta, Detroit, and Saint Louis symphony orchestras; the Scottish
National Orchestra; and the Krakow Philharmonic, among others. In addition to his faculty
position at Curtis, he taught at the Juilliard School, the Yale University School of Music,
and the University of Wisconsin—Madison. His former Curtis students include Mr. Gilbert;
TEDDY ABRAMS (’08), music director of the Louisville Orchestra; MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA (’91),
music director of the Fort Worth Symphony; and PAAVO JÄRVI (’88), music director of
l’Orchestre de Paris. Mr. Mueller also trained conductors who became the music directors
of the San Diego and Pittsburgh symphonies and the Swedish National Orchestra, as
well as associate or assistant conductors of most of the major U.S. orchestras.
Mr. Mueller joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1986 and held the Rita E.
and Gustave M. Hauser Chair in Conducting Studies until his 2012 retirement. The Curtis
Symphony Orchestra’s concert on February 5, 2017 will be dedicated to his memory.
“I tell my students that only by preparing and knowing everything about a score
can they think of themselves as conductors,” Mr. Mueller told the Philadelphia Inquirer in
a 1987 interview. His unmatched intellect and his gentlemanly disposition will be missed
at Curtis for years to come.

MEET THE FACULTY
Jason Vieaux
Mr. Vieaux’s album Play won the 2015 Grammy
Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.
Musically Multilingual
JASON VIEAUX PLAYS—AND TEACHES—ACROSS GENRES AND TRADITIONS.
Mr. Vieaux’s Grammywinning
recent solo album
is titled Play, which takes on
multiple meanings the more
one gets to know him. after
all, the man can play—but he
also clearly loves what he does.
BY MATTHEW BARKER
For over twenty years Jason Vieaux has built his career around the periphery of what many
would consider “mainstream” classical music, only to find himself and his instrument a
musical bellwether. With each generation the guitar is leapfrogging its way to higher points
of prominence in classical music, even supplanting the piano as the preferred polyphonic
instrument among some of today’s most influential composers. that said, it can’t be
understated how much influence a collective of 1960s english songwriters have on today’s
artists. Says Mr. Vieaux, “My mother bought me a guitar when I was five because I couldn’t
stop listening to her Beatles records.”
It’s a memory that perfectly encapsulates the musically multilingual, border-free nature
of Jason Vieaux’s artistry. It’s also consonant with the guitar’s position as a nexus point
for “classical” music, connecting the traditions of the past to the fresh possibilities of the
future. Since he and fellow guitar faculty David Starobin founded Curtis’s guitar department
in 2011, the program has epitomized this pivotal quality, while also offering superb young
guitarists the opportunity to collaborate freely with exceptionally gifted students musicians
in other disciplines—something rare in the conservatory world.
Mr. Vieaux’s Grammy-winning recent solo album is titled Play, which takes on multiple
meanings the more one gets to know him. after all, the man can play—he has among the
OVertONeS Fall 2016
7

MEET THE FACULTY
Mr. Vieaux in a lesson
with student Alec Holcomb
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
most formidable techniques of any virtuoso guitarist performing today—but he also clearly
loves what he does, and his pursuit of musical nourishment doesn’t stop at the water’s edge.
his demeanor is relaxed without any hint of ego, coupled with a sense of humor that
permeates everything he does. his teaching and playing are filled with a genuine sense
of enjoyment and discovery.
“Mr. Vieaux really brings a lot of fun into lessons and makes the process of learning
a piece of music interesting,” says sixteen-year-old Curtis guitar student hao yang. “his
way of teaching makes me feel the magic of music so vividly and strongly, that I enjoy
practicing so much more.”
A PERSONAL VOICE
even in the teaching studio, that idea of “play” isn’t limited to specific musical categories
or traditions. Observing Mr. Vieaux in a lesson with hao reveals a completely fluid
and organic musical dialogue that transitions seamlessly among J. S. Bach, Queen,
John Scofield, and astor Piazzolla. he allows her to find her own voice and is supportive
of her approach as she works through a solo, while offering constructive feedback as he
kneels down to play beside her. they find solutions in an innovative, genre-hopping way.
“I always believe that rock ’n’ roll helps me with my rhythm and violin music helps me
with my lyrical melodies,” says hao.
this approach is not only successful for musical problem solving—why not call upon
a Pat Metheny solo for Baroque improvisatory inspiration?—it also reflects a growing
movement in classical music. Many emerging and influential artists who buck trends
and traditions (such as eighth blackbird, Brooklyn rider, and David lang) are redefining
what it means to be a classical musician, particularly as they spend much of their time
performing non-classical music. this trend has started to merge with a similar movement
from the other direction: Witness rock guitarists such as Jonny Greenwood and Bryce
Dessner working in classical forms.
even though his bread isn’t buttered by Beethoven and Brahms, Mr. Vieaux doesn’t
hesitate to put himself in the classical camp. “It’s just more in my blood, from the 20,000
hours or so of practicing,” he says. “even though I can solo over changes and function
8 OVertONeS Fall 2016

MEET THE FACULTY
Observing Mr. Vieaux in a lesson reveals a completely fluid
and organic musical dialogue that transitions seamlessly among
J. S. Bach, Queen, John Scofield, and astor Piazzolla.
‘on the bandstand’ in a jazz setting, I still think of myself as a classical musician visiting
the jazz world.” But he quickly adds that, over time, he has become less likely to categorize.
“I definitely think less about music according to genre; in fact I have a weird habit of
making analogies between disparate writers from wildly different styles, or composers
or rock bands to famous athletes. like ellington said, there’s only good and bad music.”
ALTERNATIVE PATHS
Blending innovation with tradition has kept Curtis among the world’s elite musical
conservatories for the past 90 years. One current manifestation of this mindset is the
school’s focus on what it means to be a musician and artist-citizen in the 21st century.
“there used to be a more-or-less-standard formula for developing a career in classical
music, but this way of working is no longer paying off,” says Jordan Dodson, a former
student of Mr. Vieaux who in 2013 was Curtis’s first guitar graduate. “So we have started
looking for alternative paths.” he cites “collaborations with non-classical artists, new
repertoire that doesn’t play to conventional classical audiences, ideas about what a venue
can (or should) be, [and] ideas about the audience’s role.”
this fall, audiences in athens, Seoul, hong Kong, and Shanghai will witness this
melding of traditions firsthand, as Mr. Vieaux joins Curtis students for his third foray in
five years with Curtis on tour, the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative. the tour
program will feature quartets for guitar and strings by Paganini and Piazzolla, along with
a reprise of the Curtis on tour commission Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs by Zhou tian, a Curtis
alumnus. touring is an experience that Mr. Vieaux savors not only for the collaboration
but also for the opportunity to share the Curtis magic. “Nothing delivers our goods like
the live concert experience,” he says. “I hope music lovers of any kind will recognize not
only how great these kids are, but also be able to see how so many of them are wonderful,
down-to-earth young people as well.”
as guitar continues to integrate itself into the fabric of Curtis, Mr. Vieaux, along with
Mr. Starobin and their students, offers an indispensable perspective: translating previously
foreign genres and styles, defying the need for labels, and reminding us that “play” means
more than practice and performance. “Guitarists can absolutely be more of a leader in
classical music and new music,” he says, “producing classical musicians that are comfortable
improvising, writing, arranging, performing new music, while continuing to remind us of
where we came from with the traditional repertoire.”
Matthew Barker is the director of recitals and master classes at Curtis.
WHY CHOOSE CURTIS?
—Jason Vieaux
More Reasons at
www.curtis.edu/WhyChooseCurtis
Curtis guitar faculty Jason
Vieaux and David Starobin
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
“A guitarist should choose Curtis because of the guitar faculty’s wealth of information and
experience, given freely and without hesitation, and given with passion towards helping some
of the most talented young guitarists around. The emphasis on chamber music is way ahead
of the curve, and it is a rare thing for a guitarist to have the opportunity to perform regularly
with such incredible young musicians in different disciplines. Plus, the way performances
are set up puts the guitarist performing solo and chamber music regularly in front of
appreciative audiences.”
OVertONeS Fall 2016
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a performance of Debussy’s La Mer
moved Steven so deeply that he felt spurred
to pursue music as a profession.
“I got goosebumps,” he recalls.
“I thought, ‘this is it.
this is absolutely what I want to do.’”

MEET THE STUDENTS
The Modern Musician
STEVEN FRANKLIN EMBODIES THE COLLABORATIVE,
CONNECTING MINDSET OF A 21st-CENTURY MUSICIAN.
BY DAVE ALLEN
What prompted him to choose the trumpet?
Steven Franklin doesn’t exactly recall. a serious student of the piano as a child, he
saw the trumpet as a social outlet, and the instrument didn’t much matter: It was a way
to join a band formed for fellow home-schooled children. ever since, for him music has
been a way of connecting to others, even as the trumpet has become the focus of his
primary study.
When Steven started private trumpet lessons at age 14, he began to take on some
very advanced repertoire. “I didn’t know it was supposed to be hard,” he says. Piano was
his main instrument, and so time spent on the trumpet—even playing conservatory-level
works—felt like a diversion. Joining a local youth orchestra provided his first exposure
to orchestral music; later, after joining the Chicago youth Symphony Orchestra, a
performance of Debussy’s La Mer moved him so deeply that he felt spurred to pursue
music as a profession. “I got goosebumps,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘this is it. this is
absolutely what I want to do.’”
that sense of music’s power and purpose comes across today as an introspective streak
in Steven’s otherwise outgoing personality. Orchestral music certainly has taken root in
him, and his facility was evident as he ran through audition excerpts during a recent lesson
with his teacher David Bilger, principal trumpet in the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Bilger
remarked on Steven’s ability to land very close to the mark the first time, both stylistically
and technically.
his student returns the compliment: to him, the opportunity to study with Mr. Bilger
is a privilege. “his playing has such refinement and clarity, with every phrase coming from
somewhere and going to somewhere,” Steven says. “that’s what he teaches, and that’s
how he plays with the Philadelphia Orchestra.”
A MODERN MUSICIAN
a musical environment as close-knit as Curtis leads to students crossing paths and
collaborating frequently, and it seems everyone who has worked with Steven—students and
faculty, across all instruments and disciplines—has praise for him as a person and musician.
eric huckins, a 2016 horn graduate, has played alongside Steven in a brass sextet, in the
orchestra, and in other ensembles over the past three years. “he’s the first person I think
about asking to join a group,” eric says, noting Steven’s willingness to give and to do
whatever is asked of him. “he wants to be an orchestral player, but I see him doing much
more than that. he encompasses what I think of as the modern musician.”
“One of Steven’s greatest strengths is connecting with others,” says Paul Bryan, dean
of faculty and students. “his ability to cultivate relationships with colleagues, performers,
students, and others with whom he’s involved has played a significant role in the success
of his many musical endeavors.”
Beyond being well-liked, though, Steven has bonds with his peers that have grown
deeper through what he calls “musical honesty”—being open in his approach to playing
and to giving and receiving feedback.
Soon after arriving at Curtis in 2013, Steven says he felt the need to show his fellow
students that he really had what it takes. Playing a mock audition for a trumpet studio class
during his first week, he choked up, and struggled to catch his breath. the tense, unsatisfying
performance led him to reassess. he realized that he should try to improve rather than
impress and, perhaps even more daunting, be open with his peers about the flaws in his
Steven Franklin is the David H. Springman
Memorial Fellow. PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
Opposite, clockwise from top left:
Steven practicing backstage and performing
onstage with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra
in April PHOTO: DAVID DEBALKO
Steven received the Presser Foundation
Undergraduate Scholar Award at Commencement
last spring. PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON
The Brass Project maintained a busy schedule
of teaching, coaching, and performing last year.
Members include (l. to r.): Eric Huckins, Steven
Franklin, Andrew Doub, János Sutyak, Caleb
Wiebe, and Daniel Schwalbach. PHOTO: JÁNOS
SUTYAK/MARIÉ ROSSANO
OVertONeS Fall 2016
11

MEET THE STUDENTS
playing. this frank sharing, he says, “is like a secret weapon. If you can learn from that,
and learn from others, you’ll be better for it.”
after that initial bout of nerves, Steven appears at ease both in performance and off-stage
at “trumpet hangs”—that is, socializing with the entire trumpet studio—and sessions both
performing and teaching with his brass sextet, the Brass Project. the group spent a recent
semester guiding teenaged musicians at South Philadelphia high School as part of eric
huckins’s community artist program (CaP) project, and went to New Mexico to coach
high school musicians in april under the auspices of the Music from angel Fire festival.
even while pursuing his
trumpet studies, Steven
has honed this separate but
fully realized musical pursuit:
he composes, regularly
and seriously, in a
straightforward, surprisingly
romantic style.
COMPOSING ON THE SIDE
as the Brass Project undertook a commissioning project for new works for brass ensemble
earlier this year, collaborating in yet another CaP enterprise curated by composition student
Nick DeBerardino, Steven’s role in the group expanded further. he gathered feedback
for the participating composers, organized performances and recording sessions, learned
nearly 30 challenging new pieces—and composed one of them, a lush, harmonically
rich Nocturne.
In fact, even while pursuing his trumpet studies, Steven has honed this separate but
fully realized musical pursuit: he composes, regularly and seriously, in a straightforward,
surprisingly romantic style, and is beginning to see his works performed. Violin student
Marié rossano asked him to write Fantasy-Journey for her graduation recital; and his trumpet
sextet was played by the Curtis trumpet studio at the 2016 National trumpet Competition,
netting them first prize.
Composer and pianist Noam Sivan, a member of the musical studies faculty, first
encountered Steven in his harmonic thinking in Performance course. Not long into
the semester, Steven mentioned that he liked to compose, and the small class gradually
evolved into a composition seminar for students majoring in other disciplines. Since then,
Mr. Sivan has encouraged Steven’s forays into composing during one-on-one lessons,
something previously offered only to students majoring in composition. “this year, he
began to use some of the elements that we had set as goals and make them into part of
his language,” Mr. Sivan says. “I was happy to see that he could take input, even if it was
sometimes general or hard to define, and compose with that in mind.”
Steven’s work as a creator informs his playing: he values fidelity to the score and the
intentions of the composer. In his Nocturne written for the Brass Project, though, the
composer takes a back seat. Steven scored the piece for the ensemble’s four lowest voices,
so in performance, he sits out as his colleagues play.
“I’ve gotten to know their playing, and them as people, so well over the years,” he says.
“It’s a treat for me to be able to write specifically for them.”
Dave Allen is publications and social media manager at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. His
writings on music have appeared in Chamber Music, Overtones, Symphony, and the Courier-Post.
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
WHY CHOOSE CURTIS?
—Steven Franklin
More Reasons at
www.curtis.edu/WhyChooseCurtis
“The music I’ve heard and the people I’ve met at Curtis have changed me, and those things
really go hand in hand. Everyone here loves music so deeply that it changes them as people.
I go to school with artists—people who love what they do and who are so good at it—and
I’m impressed every day by the level of music-making here, both by students and faculty.
They all have motivated me and inspired me on such a high level.”
12 OVertONeS Fall 2016

THE COMPLEAT MUSICIAN
Top left: Anastasiia Sidorova presents a Persuasive
Speech on teenage driving to her classmates.
Bottom left: Zubin Hathi receives feedback after
presenting a Persuasive Speech.
Above: Jeffrey Stingerstein in class
PHOTOS: PETE CHECCHIA
Speaking in the Spotlight
THE REQUIRED PRESENTATION AND ORAL PRACTICE COURSE
TURNS EXCEPTIONAL MUSICIANS INTO EXCEPTIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
BY JEFFREY STINGERSTEIN
according to Gallup polls, there is only one thing people fear more than public speaking.
Snakes.
While we cannot do much to help students overcome ophidiophobia—aside from
teaching prospective snake charmers how to play the pungi—we can, and Curtis does,
provide students with the essential skills and experience needed to become excellent public
speakers. Beginning two years ago, every student in the Bachelor of Music program has
been required to take Presentation and Oral Practice before graduation, and I’ve witnessed
firsthand the tremendous impact this course has had on students as both presenters and
listeners. every semester several exceptional Curtis musicians become exceptional speakers,
every bit as present and professional in oration as they are during concert performances.
the first speech is never easy. It is a one-minute “Speech of Introduction,” in which
the students inform the class about two to three important facts concerning themselves.
It is nerve-wracking. Words and ideas get garbled. Palms sweat. hands shake, amplified
by the sheet of paper on which the student’s notes are typed. and, usually, most pauses
are filled with “ums” and “uhs,” “likes,” and “y’knows.” however, for merely braving this
the first speech is never
easy. It is a one-minute
“Speech of Introduction,”
and it is nerve-wracking.
Words and ideas get garbled.
Palms sweat. hands shake.
and most pauses are filled
with “ums” and “uhs,”
“likes,” and “y’knows.”
OVertONeS Fall 2016
13

THE COMPLEAT MUSICIAN
first speaking experience, each student earns an a for the assignment. No one critiques
this speech. everyone applauds. and then the audience is required to ask a few questions.
It’s the experience, here, that matters. We learn by doing.
this course is about effectively communicating messages to an audience, and we
focus on three areas: organization, content, and delivery. While there are only six graded
speeches throughout the semester—a Speech of Introduction, a Special Occasion Speech,
a Classmate advocacy Speech, a Group Presentation, an Informative Speech, and a
Persuasive Speech—students are required to speak during every class, even if to simply
answer questions. these small speaking moments are every bit as important as the graded
assignments, since they provide additional opportunities to put communication theory into
practice and allow students to experience additional modes of delivery. While students may
use a manuscript for the first couple of speeches, and they use a speaking outline for the
rest of the assignments, these “Q & a” moments provide students with impromptu speaking
experience, which will be ever so important throughout their careers.
Being required to give
specific and concrete
feedback forces students
to analyze aspects of
a speech that might
otherwise be overlooked.
CRITICAL LISTENING
In addition to learning by doing, the students learn through the process of feedback—
sometimes as the receiver, and other times as the source. listening is every bit as important
as speaking. after all, there is no point in delivering a speech if there is no audience to
receive it, and it is only through the audience’s feedback that a speaker knows whether
her or his message has been received and understood. Being required to give specific and
concrete feedback also forces students to analyze aspects of a speech that might otherwise
be overlooked. a comment such as “that was great” may boost a speaker’s confidence,
but in the long run it is not nearly as helpful as a concrete statement about the effectiveness
of a particular gesture in reinforcing a speaker’s claim. to carry this process further, the
class watches and critiques the speeches of others, including several teD talks.
after getting over their initial nervousness, students focus more on presenting evidencebased
arguments. For the last two speeches of the semester, each student formulates a public
policy question, such as: Should the City of Philadelphia institute a soda tax in order to
combat obesity? they then research the topic thoroughly using Curtis library resources,
inform the audience about the problem such a policy is designed to address (the Informative
Speech), and advocate for or against implementing the policy (the Persuasive Speech) in a
well-organized argument backed by expert testimony, statistics, and other such evidence.
Witnessing the students’ growth throughout the semester is both exciting and inspiring.
I think of a young violinist I taught during her first year at Curtis. her dedication was
apparent on day one, and so were her nerves. When first taking attendance, I ask the students
to stand, state their names, what instruments they play, and what they hope to gain from
the class. the violinist stood hesitantly, trembling, and introduced herself in a barely audible,
quivering voice—and then quickly sat back down. She already knew a few of her classmates
well, but now she was in the spotlight, outside her comfort zone, performing—in a way—
without her violin, and there was no place to hide.
By the end of the semester, she had transformed. No longer did she shake, physically
or vocally. Instead, she stood before us, confident and in charge. an expert on her topic,
she convinced us, in a clearly audible voice and with deliberate movements and gestures,
to support her policy. any doubts that she had command of the facts were easily dispelled
by her PowerPoint slides, which included graphs, photos, and quotes that further built
her credibility. She connected with each member of the audience, and showed great
presence—one of the most difficult qualities to master.
So while students may still fear snakes, when they graduate from Curtis and head into
the world, they need not fear public speaking. rather, they are ready to embrace such
speaking opportunities wherever they arise—whether in a concert, through teaching,
or while advocating for the arts.
Playwright and director Jeffrey Stingerstein joined the Curtis faculty in 2014. In addition to Presentation
and Oral Practice, he teaches Drama Workshop.
14 OVertONeS Fall 2016

Con
NINA BARONESS
VON MALTZAHN’S TIRELESS
BrAvurAHONORING
ENERGY AND LEADERSHIP
In May Nina Baroness von Maltzahn
ended her two-year tenure at the helm of the Curtis board
of trustees. Since becoming involved with Curtis in 2008,
Baroness von Maltzahn has shown extraordinary devotion
to multiple educational initiatives. She has endowed
faculty chairs in guitar and violin, student fellowships,
and the president’s chair. her support was essential in
the establishment of the new guitar and string quartet
programs. and she has fostered touring opportunities
for Curtis students, faculty, and alumni through Curtis
on tour—most recently, during her term as board chair,
with a significant and strategic acceleration in touring
activity. as she handed the reins to new board chairman
Mark rubenstein, she made her most generous gift yet
to Curtis—one of the most significant in its history.
(See page 3.)
Passionate about the school from the moment
she encountered Curtis on tour eight years ago,
Baroness von Maltzahn remains an active, energetic
trustee and has been named honorary chair. her
dedication has set the stage for Curtis students to
develop into talented international performers in
their own right. her generosity has opened doors
near and far, helping to expand the school’s reach.
her networks have brought new energy to Curtis’s
artistic and educational vision.
For all this, Curtis is grateful.
Nina Baroness von Maltzahn PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON
OVertONeS Fall 2016
15

At right: Baroness von Maltzahn
with a Curtis on Tour ensemble
after a concert in Berlin
“CURTIS ON TOUR was an experience that I will cherish for a
lifetime. It was an honor and joy to represent Curtis and make great music
with wonderful colleagues in so many places across Germany and Spain!
I learned so much, and none of it would have been possible without the
generosity of dear Baroness Nina von Maltzahn; it was amazing to get to
know her during the tour, and seeing her fun personality and passion for
music was inspiring! Words are powerless to express my gratitude for her
amazing support.”
—Chelsea Wang (Piano)
Ida Kavafian in a
violin studio class
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
“WE AT CURTIS ARE GRATEFUL that you share
our passion for this incredible place. While we close our
chapter with you as our board chair, we open another
that—though it will be different—will be no less impactful
in our mutual dedication.”
—Ida Kavafian, Nina von Maltzahn Chair in Violin Studies
“NINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH for providing the students
of Curtis with this once-in-a-lifetime experience. As a budding
violist and as a part of a young quartet, the tours have been
a great source of culture, knowledge, and global connection …
and we are so grateful for these opportunities. Thank you for
all that you have done to make it happen!”
—Ayane Kozasa (Viola ’12, Quartet ’16), Aizuri Quartet
Above: The Dover Quartet inaugurated the string quartet program at Curtis.
At right: The Aizuri Quartet, in residence at Curtis in 2015–16
16 OVertONeS Fall 2016

“THE INAUGURATION OF THE
CURTIS INSTITUTE’S GUITAR
PROGRAM is a milestone in the
instrument’s history. With its inclusion
at Curtis, arguably the world’s finest
music conservatory, the guitar and
its repertoire continue their steady
ascent toward equal standing among
the instruments and music of the
great classical tradition.”
—David Starobin, Fondation Charidu
Chair in Guitar Studies
Guitar student Hao Yang, who holds
a Nina von Maltzahn Fellowship
PHOTO: ALI DOUCETTE, KARMA AGENCY
“OPERA IS FULL OF STRONG, ELEGANT WOMEN with interesting points
of view, and so in many ways it’s no surprise that Nina and I get along … Thank you,
Nina, for all you’ve done for our young singers, and for Curtis.”
—Mikael Eliasen, artistic director, Curtis Opera Theatre
At left: Baroness von Maltzahn at the Amadeus
Affair in May 2016 with trustee and opera
alumnus Eric Owens; Mikael Eliasen, Hirsig
Family Dean of Vocal Studies and artistic director
of the Curtis Opera Theatre; and voice student
Dennis Chmelensky PHOTOS: KARLI CADEL
Below: Baroness von Maltzahn with
Roberto Díaz, who holds the Nina von
Maltzahn President’s Chair at Curtis
PHOTOS: LEE MOSKOW, ANNETTE HORNISCHER
“THANK YOU, NINA. For your partnership, your generosity,
your dedication, your tireless energy, and especially for your friendship.”
—Roberto Díaz, president and CEO
OVertONeS Fall 2016
17

ARM S
CURTIS TAKES ON THE 20TH CENTURY
A N
BY DAVID LUDWIG
More Online
“Revolution: Modernism” is a vodcast
featuring David Ludwig and composition
student Emily Cooley. Follow their
conversation about the all-school project,
Modernism, and composing in general,
and view Darmstadt-related performances
in the 2016–17 season, at
www.curtis.edu/Darmstadt
THE MUSIC OF DARMSTADT
OFTEN PROVOKES
STRONG REACTIONS, BUT
TO REJECT THIS MUSIC
OUTRIGHT IS TO IGNORE
ITS GREAT IMPORTANCE
IN THE LONG NARRATIVE
OF MUSIC HISTORY.
Just to the left of the center of Germany, about twenty miles south of Frankfurt,
the small city of Darmstadt has become famous—or more accurately, infamous—for
its annual summer music festival, the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, which
emerged out of the ashes of the Second World War. the terms “Darmstadt” and “the
Darmstadt school” are now synonymous with a group of post-war european avant-garde
composers: enfant terrible artists, hell-bent on tearing down the traditions that represented
to them an indulgent and disingenuous culture of the past. In their minds this culture had
set the stage for the devastation of war-torn europe. they translated that devastation into
radically discordant and abstract art, as if to lay waste to the musical realism of the past.
the Darmstadt festival consisted of concerts, lectures, and symposia featuring some
of the most experimental music written at that time—or any time. this gathering of
revolutionaries quickly evolved into a center of european Modernism and the spiritual
home of composers like Pierre Boulez, luigi Nono, henri Pousseur, Karlheinz Stockhausen,
John Cage, and many others who redefined the boundaries of music. as critic alex ross
writes in his landmark study of 20th-century music, The Rest is Noise: “Music exploded
into a pandemonium of revolutions, counterrevolutions, theories, polemics, alliances, and
party splits … the dominant aesthetic, in european and american music alike, was one
of dissonance, density, difficulty, complexity.”
the Darmstadt school became the subject of last year’s all-school project at Curtis,
Darmstadt: the revolution of Modernism, and this year’s continuation, Beyond Darmstadt.
this two-year project was designed to explore influential trends in music through some of
the most iconic and controversial works of the last century. Indeed, the music of Darmstadt
often provokes strong reactions from audiences and performers alike (not to mention
composers!), but to reject this music outright is to ignore its great importance in the long
narrative of music history. Darmstadt was a reaction against the emotionally charged music
of 19th-century romanticism, just as so many Modern visual artists, writers, dancers, and
filmmakers similarly rejected the romantic aesthetic at the time. a conventional notion of
beauty was not a priority for most of these composers. Instead, broad abstraction, a fierce
commitment to process, and a stylistic orthodoxy ruled the day.
like many polarizing and controversial movements in the history of art and politics,
the ideology of the Darmstadt school is as important for the reactions against it as for the
principles of the movement itself. the first american minimalists exemplified the strongest
rejection of Darmstadt doctrine. Composers like Philip Glass, Steve reich, and terry riley
rejected the european aesthetics’ serialist, “atonal” roots, and embraced popular music,
jazz, and compositional techniques distilled from other cultures to create a fresh, newly
experimental sound all their own. Darmstadt reverberates through the 20th century as a
vitally important musical movement, meaningful not only because of its staunch advocates
but also because of those who staunchly rejected it.
LL- S C H O O
18 OVertONeS Fall 2016

TADT
D B E YO N D
DARMSTADT—AT CURTIS?
Contemporary music has always been a part of Curtis’s identity.
From the earliest days of the school, our visionary founder Mary
louise Curtis Bok saw the value of investing in her composers and
supporting their work. But even when considering that history,
as a student I couldn’t have imagined that we would (or could)
program luciano Berio’s post-Modern masterpiece Sinfonia with
the orchestra and our extraordinary singers, as we did last spring.
the thought of a dynamic new music ensemble, internationally
renowned composers in residence, or a dozen new works
commissioned from student and alumni composers every year—
this was a reality that lived in some alternate universe. the palpable
investment in the creation and performance of contemporary music
is something relatively new at Curtis, but it has already become
woven into the fabric of school culture.
the French artist honoré Daumier offered a pithy caveat to
his contemporaries: “Il faut être de son temps” (“it is necessary to
be of one’s own time”). Imagine getting a degree in creative writing
where your study left off at Dickens, or graduating from a visual
arts school where your study stopped at Monet. Imagine being
a young acting student who never got the opportunity to perform
in any plays written after Uncle Vanya. the aesthetic, language, and
very nature of the drama of 20th- and 21st-century theatre would
be completely new to you. It is our responsibility as an institution to
expose young musicians to the music of our time and the recent past.
this is a key aspect of their preparation for careers as practitioners
with diverse performance experiences and informed artistic lives.
PRE- AND POST-DARMSTADT
last year the Curtis 20/21 ensemble began the journey toward
Darmstadt at the historical point of departure of Schoenberg’s
Pierrot Lunaire, involving an instrumental ensemble of some of our
youngest students, aged 15 to 18. the journey continued through
a series of four wide-ranging “road to Darmstadt” concerts, each
live-streamed on the Web. each featured pre-concert conversations
to bring listeners closer into the thought processes of the composers,
who included such diverse figures as Webern, Messaien, ligeti,
Carter, rorem, Boulez, Cage, and several midcentury masters
of cabaret. In addition, Curtis student composer emily Cooley and
I have been hosting vodcast conversations about Darmstadt and
Modernism, and the school is making plans for a MOOC (massive
open online course) on 20th-century music, collecting research and
capturing performance footage.
this season the Curtis 20/21 ensemble will present music of
composers who reacted to the Darmstadt orthodoxy, both disciples
and dissenters. last year we performed the remarkable work of
composer-in-residence Unsuk Chin, a student of Darmstadt’s
second-generation disciple Gyorgi ligeti. this year, to open our
20/21 season on October 30, we have asked Curtis alumna violinist
Jennifer Koh to lead a concert portrait of Finnish composer Kaija
Saariaho, whose music owes as much to the Darmstadt tradition
as to those who rebelled against it. the “Beyond Darmstadt” theme
continues on December 3 with a concert titled “1948,” (electronic
music at Curtis!); a program of the experimental “New york school”
of the 1950s and 1960s on February 11; and a concert focused on
american and european minimalism on March 25.
as always, the Curtis Opera theatre plays an important role
in leading our artistic program. last year Curtis partnered with
Opera Philadelphia to present richard Strauss’s Capriccio, which
summarizes the lush and expressive traditions of an old world, written
at the apex of Modernism. this season features the opera Doctor
Atomic by John adams, an american composer whose music is rooted
in that minimalist tradition diametrically opposed to Darmstadt.
In less than a decade Curtis will be 100 years old. So much has
transformed at the school in the past decade, and it is truly exciting
to think of where we will go in the next one. But one thing that has
not changed, and will not, is the educational commitment to “learning
by doing.” By performing the great works of our time and the
recent past under the guidance of an extraordinary faculty, Curtis
students are being prepared for the coming century. Now is a time of
great musical diversity—a time of both evolution and revolution—
that, more than ever, demands passionate advocates for its music.
David Ludwig is the Gie and Lisa Liem Dean of Artistic Programs and
Performance, a member of the composition faculty, and artistic director of the
Curtis 20/21 Ensemble.
L P R O J E C
T19
OVertONeS Fall 2016

This
Fall andWinter
atCurtis
On Stage
1 3 – 1 6 CURTIS ON TOUR
Ashley Robillard, soprano
Dennis Chmelensky, baritone
Mikael Eliasen, piano
S E P T E M B E R
2 8 – O c t o b e r 1 3 CURTIS ON TOUR
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Jean Kim, cello
Nigel Armstrong, violin (’13) Leon McCawley, piano (’95)
Roberto Díaz, viola (’84) Jie Chen, piano (’06)
Works by Brahms, Kodaly, Piazzolla, Paganini, and Zhou Tian (’05)
Venues:
Gennadius Library, Athens (September 28–October 1)
Artist House, Seoul (October 3)
Café Sungsu, Seoul (October 4)
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong (October 7)
Shanghai Concert Hall (October 13)
O C T O B E R
9 CURTIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Corrado Rovaris, conductor
Conner Gray Covington, conducting fellow
Members of the Curtis Opera Theatre
RAVEL L’Enfant et les sortilèges
BOULEZ Notations
MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition
The Jack Wolgin Orchestral Concerts
More Online at www.curtis.edu/Performances
WOLF Italienisches Liederbuch
Venues:
Muhlenberg College, Allentown (October 13)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (October 16)
Field Concert Hall, Philadelphia (October 23)
N O V E M B E R
1 7 – 2 0 CURTIS OPERA THEATRE
Prince Theater
Conner Gray Covington, conductor Jordan Fein, director
BRITTEN The Rape of Lucretia
D E C E M B E R
5 – J a n u a r y 2 1 CURTIS ON TOUR
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin (’63) Student soloists to be announced
Roberto Díaz, viola (’84) Curtis Chamber Orchestra
MOZART Violin Concertos (various)
Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364
Venues:
South Orange Performing Arts Center, N.J. (December 5)
University of Delaware, Newark, Del. (December 10)
Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia (December 11)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (January 8)
Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, Fla. (January 10)
Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, Fla. (January 11)
Sunset Cultural Center, Carmel, Calif. (January 13 and 14)
Humboldt State University, Arcata, Calif. (January 17)
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Davis, Calif. (January 21)
20 OVertONeS Fall 2016

J A N U A R Y
2 9 CURTIS PRESENTS the Dover Quartet
Field Concert Hall
F E B R U A R Y
4 , 5 CURTIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Immaculata University, Immaculata, Pa.
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor (’91)
Carlos Ágreda, conducting fellow
Richard Woodhams, oboe (’68)
BARBER Canzonetta
FRANÇAIX L’Horloge de flore
STRAUSS Don Juan, Op. 20
RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2
The Jack Wolgin Orchestral Concerts
2 6 CURTIS PRESENTS Carter Brey
Field Concert Hall
M A R C H
2 , 4 CURTIS OPERA THEATRE
Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center
Timothy Myers, conductor R.B. Schlather, director
ADAMS Doctor Atomic
Online
C U R T I S P E R F O R M S
Watch Curtis performances anytime, anywhere at
www.curtis.edu/CurtisPerforms. Curtis Performs features
performance videos in broadcast-quality HD, viewable on
your mobile device, tablet, laptop, or PC. New content is
added continually and no registration is required. To be
notified when new videos are added, use the simple sign-in
option. Live-streamed recitals are featured every Friday night
during the school year.
I N S TA N T E N C O R E
Stream recordings of Curtis orchestra concerts, student
recitals, and more at www.instantencore.com/Curtis. New
selections are added each week, and when you become a fan,
you’ll be notified of new posts.
O N S TA G E AT C U R T I S
Philadelphia PBS station WHYY-TV (Channel 12) airs this
weekly series year-round, Sundays at 6 p.m., and posts every
program online. To view the current season of programs, visit
www.whyy.org/Curtis. A new broadcast season of programs
recorded in 2015–16 begins in October.
The Curtis Institute of Music receives state arts
funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania
Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National
Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
C U R T I S C A L L S
WWFM broadcasts Curtis performances each Saturday at
noon (E.T.), with live streaming at www.wwfm.org.
OVertONeS Fall 2016
21

BY HEIDI WALESON
A PERSONAL
INVESTMENT
Alumni of the Curtis vocal studies program reflect on their studies with Mikael Eliasen.
Mikael Eliasen coaches
soprano Emily Pogorelc,
a current voice student.
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
Heidi Waleson is the opera critic for the
Wall Street Journal and a regular contributor
to Overtones, Symphony, Opera News,
and other national publications.
For 30 years, Mikael Eliasen has nurtured young singers
at the Curtis Institute of Music. Whether they entered straight from
high school or with several years of college study behind them, he has ensured that
each singer in his charge has performed early and often, and he has taken a personal
interest in every one.
Singers from throughout his long tenure are remarkably consistent in identifying
the key elements of that experience. they cite the intimate, nurturing nature of the
vocal studies program, and the fact that they were allowed to stay at Curtis as long
as necessary. they value the professional environment of the Curtis Opera theatre,
in which they learned by doing: three to five productions a year, permission to perform
elsewhere as opportunities arose, and all the coaching and teaching they could fit in.
Most of all, they remain grateful for Mr. eliasen’s attention to them as individuals.
From the moment he chooses each singer at auditions, he is invested in them as people
and as artists, developing their gifts, programming operas that specifically suit and
stretch them, building their confidence, and pushing them to look beyond what they
might have envisioned for themselves.
22 OVertONeS Fall 2016

A NECESSARY FOUNDATION
“I have always thought of myself as an actor who sings, and
classical training was a necessary foundation,” says Shuler Hensley.
“There is no better place to get that training than Curtis.”
Mr. Hensley’s career has been largely devoted to musical
theater and film, starting with Phantom of the opera in Germany
(and in German), and continuing with long award-winning runs
in oklahoma in London’s West End and on Broadway, and a
starring role in the film van Helsing.
His three years at Curtis gave him the tools he needed. “It
enabled me to look at any piece of music, any piece of art, and
SHULER HENSLEY read it, analyze it, and see what’s underneath. The lines are always
(OPERA ’93) being crossed in my career, so I never say never to anything,
BARITONE
and the training that I had there gives me enough confidence
to know that with right kind of rehearsal, I can learn anything. Even more importantly,
it taught me how to sing healthily, even when I’m doing eight shows a week.
“Mikael’s focus is on the individual singer, and he knew what my desires were, so he
would have me do Sondheim. And he’s one of the best accompanists ever. I learned about
collaboration from him. It is rare to find someone who is that talented, but doesn’t take
things too seriously. Mikael not only brought humor into things, but also made you believe
you could do just about anything.”
Shuler Hensley won a Tony Award for his
portrayal of Jud Fry in the 2002 Broadway
revival of oklahoma!—a role for which he had
won London’s Olivier Award two years earlier.
“the training that I had there gives me enough confidence to know
that with right kind of rehearsal, I can learn anything.”—Shuler Hensley
UNORTHODOX … BUT FUN
Juan Diego Flórez as Prince Ramiro in the
Metropolitan Opera’s La cenerentola
PHOTO: KEN HOWARD/METROPOLITAN OPERA
When Juan Diego Flórez decided to leave his native Peru and
study abroad at the age of 20, his family sold their car for $1,000
so that he could travel to the U.S. and audition at Curtis, Juilliard,
and the Manhattan School of Music. In New York, he sang for
Marlena Malas, who was teaching at all three schools. “She
recommended that I go to Curtis, because I was an international
student and I would be taken care of in a family atmosphere
there,” he recalls.
The young tenor arrived without a solid technique, and he had
never sung an opera, a full concert, or a recital. In the voice program
JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ at Curtis he “gained a lot of experience,” appearing with the Curtis
(VOICE ’96) Opera Theatre in productions ranging from Sunday in the Park with
TENOR
George and Die Fledermaus to works that would ultimately become
his core repertoire as the world’s reigning male star of bel canto.
“Mikael Eliasen and the program are the same, because he designed it,” says Mr. Flórez.
“It prepared me for the real world, with real productions—with orchestra, costumes, and
make-up, in a proper theater, and with great stage directors.” Of Mr. Eliasen, he adds,
“I liked his directness. He was a person who always listened, and when we had problems
or concerns, he was there to help us solve them. And he always supported me in my
decisions. For example, when I decided not to have a voice teacher in my last year,
he was fine with it.
“He was a very unorthodox teacher, but fun, and he made us laugh a lot,” says Mr.
Flórez. “He also made us explore different ways of expressing ourselves through singing,
and he made us feel relaxed and at ease.”
OVertONeS Fall 2016
23

NO NEED TO RUSH
While a college student in his native England, Matthew Rose
met Mr. Eliasen at a singing course in Italy. “My singing was
really not of any standard whatsoever, though I enjoyed it. I did
a couple of things with Mikael. Years later, he told me that he
heard two or three notes in my voice that he thought, aha, I can
do something with that.”
Encouraged by Mr. Eliasen, the youthful bass left England for
Curtis and stayed there for five years. “The great thing is that it’s Matthew Rose as Baron Ochs in Der
open-ended. You are there as long as you feel you need to be
rosenkavalier at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
PHOTO: CORY WEAVER/LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO
there and can get something from it,” he says. “There are so many
MATTHEW ROSE facets to being a singer that you have to learn in such an expert
(OPERA ’03) way, and it’s amazing to know that you have a very long period
BASS
“Curtis does not foster
to be in that supportive environment, and you don’t have to rush.”
PHOTO: LENA KERN
Student singers at Curtis “are always performing, always
learning the process, which is the most important thing. You can’t learn the process by
sitting in the classroom or doing opera scenes. Actually doing operas is how you learn to have that kind of
to become an opera singer, how to use your potential to its maximum ability.” At Curtis,
supportive environment,
he stresses, the studio of 25 singers performs in three to five operas each year. “That’s
unprecedented in any music school—or even young artist program—in the world.”
while your voice is
“Mikael is so intuitive,” Mr. Rose adds. “He knew I would be interested in doing art songs,
so we did seven or eight big lieder projects in my time there. That’s such an important part changing and growing.”
of my work now, and it opened my eyes to what I could do.”
—Meredith Arwady
Mr. Rose went from Curtis into the young artist program at Covent Garden. A few years
later, his debut as Bottom in A Midsummer night’s Dream at Glyndebourne catapulted him
into an international career that is now
edging towards Wagner. He credits Mr.
Eliasen with giving him the foundation
STRETCHING, SAFELY
to do it. “I cannot say enough about how
wonderful that man is in understanding
Before coming to Curtis, Meredith Arwady worked with Mikael
how people need to be trained, how to
Eliasen at the Chautauqua Institution during the summers. Her
think about having a career as a singer,
unusual voice type made her choice of a graduate program easy.
and what quality you need to have in
“Curtis does not foster competition,” she says, adding that Mr.
every facet of what you do.”
Eliasen “chooses the operas that stretch you but are safe. As
a big wild voice, it’s wonderful to have that kind of supportive
environment, while your voice is changing and growing and
you’re exploring. He makes you feel that Curtis is a place that
wants you to succeed, and gives you the resources, but you
have to be willing to put yourself into the process. It’s not going
MEREDITH ARWADY to do the work for you.”
(OPERA ’04) In college, Ms. Arwady recalls, “I had done one opera scene
CONTRALTO
every other year, in English.” At Curtis her very first opera
PHOTO: SIMON PAULY
assignment was Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea. At first
she thought her casting was a mistake. “It was a full-length opera in Italian, higher than
anything I’d ever sung, a different style from anything I’d ever sung.” As it turned out,
“Ottavia is my repertoire. I realized that even if something doesn’t have your voice type
specifically on the list, it has less to do with what fach you are than how a piece sits in
your voice. Mikael’s view was, if it didn’t fit, you didn’t have to do it. It was never ‘this or
nothing,’ but ‘I see this for you, I know we can get there. Let’s try.’ By the time I got to the
other operas, I felt as though I could try anything.” Today, her assignments range from Erda
in Wagner’s ring to Pasqualita in John Adams’s Doctor Atomic, and from Sondheim’s Mrs.
Lovett to music written especially for her.
Ms. Arwady and Mr. Eliasen have remained musical collaborators. “Mikael is my recital
partner. We both feel very strongly about singing in the vernacular wherever possible,
Meredith Arwady in The Impresario at Santa Fe and singing in different styles. He is incredibly gifted about how a recital flows and it’s
Opera PHOTO: KEN HOWARD/SANTA FE OPERA
wonderful to have a partner at the piano who knows me so well.”
competition ... it’s wonderful
24 OVertONeS Fall 2016

PERMISSION TO FAIL
Layla Claire in The Enchanted Island
at the Metropolitan Opera
PHOTO: KEN HOWARD/METROPOLITAN OPERA
“If you were just up
there making a pretty
noise, he would say,
‘What are you saying?’
he would really get
after us.”—Layla Claire
Layla Claire chose Curtis over a young artist program in her
native Canada, and it changed her life. The heart of the Curtis
curriculum for singers, she recalls, was “the seminars we would
do with Mikael a couple of times a week. We would all get
together and sing for each other. We would be super-nervous,
and he would just make you get up there—no matter if you didn’t
feel like it, or you didn’t feel prepared, or you didn’t feel very well.
“It is so nerve-wracking to sing, and just by repetition, getting
up there, doing it, and totally failing, we learned. He let us fail.
He made it a safe place to take risks and to fail. And if you said
LAYLA CLAIRE you didn’t feel like it, he said, ‘Well, guess what? You’re not
(OPERA ’09) going to feel like it for most of your career. It’s not about singing
SOPRANO
on your best days. It’s about learning how to sing always.’
PHOTO: SEBASTIAN BESSON
“He treated us like we were all going to be working singers. He
expected us to want to be the best versions of ourselves, and to push ourselves artistically,
and to find our artistic voice. We had to bring ourselves to the music, and have something
special to say with it.” And, Ms. Claire adds, he wouldn’t let singers get away with anything.
“If you were just up there making a pretty noise, he would say, ‘What are you saying?’
He would really get after us.
“I was insecure and hard on myself, and he really made me believe in my talent,” she
says. “He challenged me to go beyond the repertoire and range that I felt comfortable in.
I didn’t love singing high notes, and he made me do that. He encouraged me to think
beyond a Canadian regional career, to think maybe I could sing with great orchestras and
great musicians all over the world, which is what I’m doing.” Today, Ms. Claire sings at the
Metropolitan Opera, Munich, Salzburg, and the like; her coming season is all Mozart. Not
surprisingly, Mr. Eliasen had cast her as Donna Elvira and the Countess at Curtis. “Those
two roles are the staples of my repertory now.”
FATHER FIGURE
Elliot Madore entered Curtis directly from high school, and spent
the next five years there. “My voice had dropped very suddenly
without any cracking when I was 13, and at 18, I had a mature
voice with a natural sound. Mikael and Marlena [Malas] made sure
that they kept the naturalness and didn’t harm me. They didn’t
fuss too much, but they let me enjoy singing and opened my ears
to opera and to being onstage.
“Mikael was very much like a father figure,” Mr. Madore recalls.
“He really looked out for me and cared about my well-being,
not only how I sang, or how my voice was feeling, how my
ELLIOT MADORE performances went, and my development—he cared about me as
(VOICE ’09, OPERA ’10) a person. When you have someone who is in your corner, it means
BARITONE
a great deal, especially to a young singer trying to find his way.
PHOTO: KRISTIN HOEBERMAN
“I won the Met competition at 22, and the very next day, I got a
call from Met Young Artists Program. Of course, it is every singer’s dream to go to the Met.
I had lunch with Mikael, and he said, ‘look, you don’t have to go, you can stay here if you
want.’ I understood what he meant by that. But he knew me. He knew I was an incredibly
ambitious, driven person, so he knew that I had to go, and he had to let me go.” Mr. Madore
went from the Met to a fest contract in Zürich. Today he is a busy freelancer, dashing from
Mercutio in a new roméo et Juliette at the Met program to Pelléas et Mélisande in Australia.
“I know for a fact that I would not be doing what I am doing today without him. Curtis and
Mikael gave me the very solid foundation for the house I’m still trying to build.”
Elliot Madore in Sweeney Todd at Santa Fe Opera
PHOTO: CORY WEAVER/SANTA FE OPERA
OVertONeS Fall 2016
25

FIRST PERSON
Anna Odell PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
Curtis artistyear has
taught me many things,
but above all it has given
me the perspective to live
my life with gratitude.
Gift of Gratitude
AN ARTISTYEAR FELLOW OFFERS MUSIC TO SOOTHE SUFFERING,
AND RECEIVES A PRICELESS PRESENT IN RETURN.
BY ANNA ODELL
More Online
Learn about ArtistYear projects and fellows at
www.curtis.edu/ArtistYear
as I stepped into the foyer of the handsome Old City townhouse, I was instantly greeted
by a flurry of activity: a team of nurses bustling about, carrying medical equipment and
supplies; the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor; the mechanical whirr of an IV pump;
the soft hum of an oxygen tank in the corner. In the center of the living room lay a
man in a paper hospital gown, completely immobile and gazing peacefully at the ceiling.
I had been invited into his home at the request of his wife, to play the harp for him.
he loved classical music, and we all hoped that the sounds of my harp could bring him
relief from his pain.
this gentleman suffered from alS—amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—so severe that he
had been immobile for the past three years. he could not speak; he communicated solely
through eye movements and a special pad that he wrote on with the help of his wife.
a team of caregivers surrounded him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. as he
had recently returned home for hospice care, the goal of the caretakers was to make him
as comfortable as possible.
When I began playing, his eyes welled up with tears. aided by his wife, he wrote “thank
you so much” on his special notepad. It was deeply meaningful for me to be able to share
an intimate musical experience with this couple. I was humbly reminded of the incredible
power and depth of music, and its ability to transcend formal communication.
throughout last year, I participated in Curtis’s artistyear Fellowship, a year of national
service dedicated to bringing the arts to Philadelphia communities with limited access. Since
the goal of my project was to incorporate music into underserved healthcare settings, I was
in residence at both thomas Jefferson University hospital and Mossrehab, a rehabilitation
center in the einstein healthcare Network. With my trusty, hot-pink Celtic harp in tow, I
played for patients recovering from strokes, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic
brain injuries. I played for premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, and I played
for people going into and coming out of major surgeries.
26 OVertONeS Fall 2016

FIRST PERSON
Most often it was the cancer patients in Jefferson hospital that I visited and played for.
I met cancer patients at all different stages of their illness: the early shock and disbelief that
follow diagnosis, the depression and anxiety that can accompany an extended hospital stay,
and the quiet hope—often against the odds—that treatment will be successful. It was incredibly
meaningful work, and I feel honored to have been able to touch these people’s lives.
Above left: Anna at work at MossRehab, where
she gave frequent performances in the atrium
Above right: Anna playing for a young patient
at Jefferson Hospital
A CUP HALF-FULL
last winter, when Philadelphia was hit with a major snowstorm, I played for a gentleman
who was suffering from late-stage stomach cancer. I finished playing, and as he looked out
the window at the snow falling heavily outside, the man began to speak, telling me how
deeply concerned he was for the homeless in Philadelphia who didn’t have shelter from
the storm; and how fortunate he felt to have a warm place to take refuge from the freezing
temperatures outside. even with his advanced cancer, this gentleman still considered
himself to be one of the luckiest people on the planet. at least he wasn’t a child with cancer,
he said, or a homeless person in a blizzard. even though he was sick, he had shelter from
the storm, a kind nurse had taken him for a walk down the hallway earlier that day, and
now he had—in his words—his “very own personal harpist.”
this was a man who chose to see his cup as half-full, not half-empty. Instead of focusing
on his terminal cancer, he was thankful for what he did have. I remember the exact moment
when he looked me directly in the eye and told me how lucky he felt. It truly put my
problems in perspective and had a profound impact on me.
In day-to-day life, it’s easy to take for granted all the luxuries I’m used to: a roof over
my head, clothes on my back, and loving family and friends. It’s easy to forget how fortunate
we are. While we are taught to constantly strive for more and realize our own value in this
world, I think it’s important to step back every now and then and appreciate the gifts we
have. there is so much to be thankful for. Curtis artistyear has taught me many things,
but above all it has given me the perspective to live my life with gratitude. after spending
a year with cancer patients, I am profoundly thankful for my health, and for the luxury to
spend my life how I choose: using music to spread joy and bring meaning to people’s lives.
life is a precious gift, and my time as a Curtis artistyear Fellow has made me appreciate
it all the more. I will continue to carry the life lessons it has taught me for years to come.
Anna Odell received a bachelor’s degree in harp from Curtis in 2015 and was a Curtis ArtistYear Fellow
in 2015–16. She is currently studying toward a master’s degree in harp performance at the University of
Cincinnati—College-Conservatory of Music.
even with his advanced
cancer, this gentleman still
considered himself to be
one of the luckiest people
on the planet. he had shelter
from the storm, and now
he had—in his words—his
“very own personal harpist.”
OVertONeS Fall 2016
27

MEET THE ALUMNI
Conducting Energy
KARINA CANELLAKIS (VIOLIN ’04) HAS BECOME A COMPELLING PRESENCE ON THE PODIUM.
BY DIANA BURGWYN
the idea of becoming
a conductor was not in
her sights until her Berlin
experience—and even then,
she remained hesitant.
at age 23, violinist Karina Canellakis learned that auditions were being held for the exclusive
academy Orchestra of the Berlin Philharmonic. the gifted young musicians who are
accepted into this intensive two-year training program play alongside the professional
ensemble in all concerts and often become full members of the Philharmonic afterwards.
Ms. Canellakis flew to Berlin and won the audition. “It was my dream orchestra,
my dream job,” she says.
later, as a member of the academy, she played in a chamber music concert at the
Philharmonie, performing first violin in Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht. Berlin Philharmonic
artistic Director Simon rattle was in the audience, and soon after, having heard from
colleagues that Karina had participated in a conducting master class, he surprised her with
an unexpected observation. “I’m sure you would be a great first violinist in a string quartet
or the concertmaster of an orchestra,” she recalls him saying. “But if you think you might
want to be a conductor, that’s what I think you should do.” a few months later, she conducted
a group of colleagues in Berlin, strictly for fun, with Mr. rattle’s encouragement. his vote
of confidence planted a seed.
a New york City native, Karina Canellakis had come to Curtis at age 17 to study
violin with Ida Kavafian. “as a violinist Karina had her own sound and a personal style,
a singing style that was reminiscent of early 20th-century violinists like Kreisler and Szigeti,”
Ms. Kavafian recalls. “her ethic, her integrity, her passion and drive were evident from
the beginning.”
“Ida taught me everything I know about the violin,” says Ms. Canellakis. “She fixed
my bow arm in two months.” She also became a trusted friend.
While a student, Ms. Canellakis joined the Curtis laboratory orchestra, which played
for a weekly conductor’s lesson taught by the venerable Otto-Werner Mueller. It was her
favorite time of the week. Not being a conducting student, she escaped his sometimes
withering critiques, but eagerly absorbed the lessons they offered. “Mr. Mueller held everyone
to the highest standards,” she says. “he wanted the conducting students to be humbled by
the greatness of a composer and to understand the composition’s inner workings.” Still, the
idea of becoming a conductor herself was not in her sights until her Berlin experience—
and even then, she remained hesitant.
Photos on opposite page:
Center: Karina Canellakis PHOTO: TODD ROSENBERG
An orchestra rehearsal for Curtis Opera Theatre’s
Le nozze di Figaro, which Ms. Canellakis
conducted last spring. PHOTOS: PETE CHECCHIA
TURNING POINT
at the end of the academy training in Berlin, Ms. Canellakis felt homesick and moved
back to the U.S. She divided her time among chamber music with Musicians from Marlboro
and other groups, teaching, doing solo work, and playing regularly in the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra. In 2010 she learned that alan Gilbert, music director of the New york
Philharmonic and a Curtis alumnus whom Ms. Canellakis knew and admired, would
begin teaching at Juilliard the next year. the die was cast. She applied and was accepted
for study toward a master’s degree in conducting.
Ms. Canellakis remained loyal to her beloved violin, practicing solo Bach regularly.
But conducting came first. every day she spent hours at the piano, improving her keyboard
skills and reading through scores. One summer at the Pacific Music Festival she worked
with the Metropolitan Opera’s principal conductor, Fabio luisi, studying arias and recitative,
transposing songs, and coaching singers. Back at Juilliard, she spent hours daily in the
basement of the Met, watching operas take shape under a maestro she calls “strict,
disciplined, and inspiring.”
With her master’s degree from Juilliard in hand, Ms. Canellakis was appointed assistant
conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, whose music director, Jaap van Zweden,
had also started as a fine violinist. “I am indebted to Jaap for life,” she says. Over two
28 OVertONeS Fall 2016 2015

MEET THE ALUMNI
seasons she covered Mr. van Zweden for every concert. Only five weeks into her tenure
and with less than 24 hours’ notice, she substituted for him in Shostakovich’s massive
eighth Symphony. “Did I just do that?” she asked herself in disbelief afterward. Critics
gave her glowing endorsements, noting her technical and interpretive excellence. another
fill-in, for the late Nikolaus harnoncourt with the Chamber Orchestra of europe at the
Styriarte Festival in austria, resulted in an invitation from the festival to return in 2016.
Over two seasons in Dallas, Ms. Canellakis conducted some 60 concerts of her own, not
counting the times she was called on to fill in for the music director and visiting conductors.
In Spring 2016 she won the coveted Sir Georg Solti Conducting award, open to young
conductors with a future in both orchestra and opera. With invitations multiplying for guest
appearances, she regretfully stepped down from her Dallas position—“a most unfortunate
announcement,” lamented one local critic—and arrived at Curtis to conduct Mozart’s
Le nozze di Figaro in May.
Only five weeks into
her tenure in Dallas, she
substituted for Jaap van
Zweden in Shostakovich’s
massive eighth Symphony.
Critics gave her
glowing endorsements.
PRECISE FREEDOM
at Figaro rehearsals Ms. Canellakis was characteristically clear: explaining her tempi in
detail, honing the sound of the orchestra, and encouraging eye contact with the singers.
Opera student elena Perroni, one of two sopranos who sang the role of Susanna, recalls
her approach as “very precise, but within that precision somehow she gave us a sense of
freedom. She allowed the two casts to be very different. We didn’t have to fit into a box.”
Bass-baritone thomas Shivone, who sang Figaro, adds: “Karina was very aware that she
was in control, but she didn’t use that power unnecessarily and she showed a rare humility,
a sense that there is always so much more to strive for.”
Ms. Canellakis put her stamp on the production in more subtle ways, too, notes lisa
Keller, a Curtis opera and voice coach who played recitative harpsichord for the production.
“at first she took out almost all the harpsichord and cello continuo that accompanied the
recitative, leaving only the barest harmonic skeleton, so that the singers would build a natural
speech-like pattern themselves. then she restored the continuo bit by bit.”
at the performances this intense, graceful, and energetic leader communicated as much
with her expressive face as with her arms, body, and baton. She looked younger than her
34 years, but her authority was that of a sophisticated maestro.
after the Curtis performances, Ms. Canellakis made her final appearances in Dallas,
then led the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Concentus Musicus Wien. On her agenda
for the coming season are debuts in Stockholm, Birmingham (U.K.), toronto, and Milwaukee,
as well as the world premieres of two new operas. her love of the violin undiminished,
she still plays.
It’s the very life that Simon rattle predicted for her.
Diana Burgwyn is a Philadelphia-based writer whose articles have appeared in Overtones, the Philadelphia
Inquirer, and Symphony, among other publications.
WHY CHOOSE CURTIS?
—Karina Canellakis
More Reasons at
www.curtis.edu/WhyChooseCurtis
“So many reasons! Because it’s small, it’s intimate. It’s free. Because it’s the best music school
in the world. … The people you meet as a student here will be your people forever.
“The new building is incredible. When I was a student, we rehearsed in the old hall. If we
played a Shostakovich symphony in there, it was deafening. And I’d have been a much healthier
person if we’d had a dorm and cafeteria—I was eating tuna out of a can! It’s great for foreign
students too, because they have the camaraderie of living in a dorm together.”
PHOTO: TODD ROSENBERG
30 OVertONeS Fall 2016

NOtatIONS
NOtatIONS
alUMNI
1940s
MARJORIE CHAUVEL (Harp ’45) is
celebrating her 70th year of teaching
harp at Stanford University.
1950s
In May MARIE TRACY (Violin ’59)
retired as the orchestra director of
the Millburn Middle School (N.J.),
where she taught for 33 years.
Her teaching career spanned
four decades.
1960s
In June LAMBERT ORKIS (Piano ’65)
and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter
presented concerts in Europe,
including benefit concerts in
Luxembourg for the SOS Children’s
Villages in Syria and in Leipzig for
the Leipzig Refugee Council. They
appeared at the Lucerne Festival
in August. A tour to Japan, China,
Taiwan, and South Korea is planned
for October.
LLOYD SMITH (Cello ’65) and
NANCY BEAN (Violin ’81) are
founding members of the Wister
Quartet, which is celebrating its
30th season. Their upcoming
concerts on Philadelphia’s 1807
& Friends series will feature DAVID
CRAMER (Flute ’75), MARCANTONIO
BARONE (Piano ’82), CYNTHIA
RAIM (Piano ’75, ’77), and ANNE
SULLIVAN (Harp ’81).
Alumni may share news
of recent professional
activities and personal
milestones by e-mail to
alumnirelations@curtis.edu
or by post to Laura
Sancken, Curtis Institute
of Music, 1726 Locust St.,
Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Notes are edited for length
and frequency.
DANIEL EBY (Voice ’66) teaches
voice at the New School of Classical
Vocal Studies in Toronto, an
organization he founded in 1985.
Daniel founded the Cabbagetown
Classical Youth Choir, a communityoriented
training program open to
young singers of all income levels.
In June CRAIG SHEPPARD (Piano
’68) performed Shostakovich’s 24
Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 at the
Royal College of Music in London
and at the Jerusalem Music Center.
In September, he repeated the
program at the Royal Norwegian
College of Music in Oslo. Over
the summer he led the seventh
annual Seattle Piano Institute at
the University of Washington,
and performed at the Methow
Valley and Orcas Island chamber
music festivals.
1970s
JAMES ADLER’s (Piano ’73,
Composition ’76) Daughters of
Music was premiered in February
in Fort Worth, presented by Sigma
Alpha Iota.
Tonu Kalam with
Gil Shaham
In October
TONU KALAM
(Conducting
’73) led a
performance
of Tchaikovsky’s
Violin Concerto
with soloist
Gil Shaham in
Memorial Hall
at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The performance with the UNC
Symphony Orchestra was part of
a year-long Gil Shaham residency
sponsored by the Carolina
Performing Arts series.
During the summer DORIS LEDERER
(Viola ’76) celebrated her 20th year
at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music
Festival in Blue Hill, Maine. Also over
the summer, she presented master
classes at Wuhan Conservatory and
the Qingdao and Xi’an international
music festivals in China.
1980s
Krista Bennion
Feeney
In September
KRISTA BENNION
FEENEY (Violin
’83) is the violin
soloist for a
performance
of The Lark
Ascending by
Ralph Vaughan
Williams with
the Orchestra
of St. Luke’s, part of a concert
conducted by Simon Rattle at
St. Thomas Church in New York.
The concert honors the memory
of John Scott, music director and
organist at Saint Thomas for 11 years,
who died unexpectedly in 2015.
MICHAEL KANNEN (Cello ’83), who
is the director of chamber music
at the Peabody Conservatory, has
formed the Cooperstown Quartet
with his wife, violist Maria Lambros,
Curtis alumna HYE-JIN KIM (Violin
’06), and her husband, Ara Gregorian.
In February
and March
KETTY NEZ
(Piano ’83) gave
performances
of her Balkan
folk-based
compositions in
Ketty Nez
lecture-recitals
at the University
of Iowa, Ball State University,
and Amherst College. In March
she participated in the symposium
“Why Prokofiev, Why Now?” at
the University of California—
Berkeley, presenting her new
opera-in-progress Lina and the
Wolf, about Sergei Prokofiev’s
first wife, Lina Prokofiev.
PAUL BRANTLEY (Composition ’85)
was commissioned by the University
of Michigan Symphony Orchestra
to compose a cello concerto, The
royal re:volver, performed in
December by Eric Jacobsen and
conducted by Kenneth Kiesler. In
May, RIEKO AIZAWA (Piano ’94)
and flutist Alexandra Sopp devoted
their entire Brooklyn Public Library
chamber concert to Paul’s chamber
music. The Kansas City Cello
Quartet, including LAWRENCE FIGG
(Cello ’85) premiered Paul’s Sir
Tristram, violer d’amores at the
Pittsburgh Chamber Music Festival.
MARK RUSSELL SMITH (Conducting
’87) led an international collaborative
project centered on the study
and performance of Bach’s Saint
Matthew Passion involving the
University of Minnesota, where
he is artistic director of orchestral
studies, and the Hochschule
für Musik in Detmold, Germany.
Students and faculty from both
sides of the Atlantic combined
for performances in Minneapolis
and Germany in March.
In May PASCALE DELACHE-FELDMAN
(Double Bass ’88) premiered John
McDonald’s uprights with the
Master Singers of First Parish
Church in Lexington, Mass.; and
Eric Sawyer’s Depth Charge with
EMMANUEL FELDMAN (Cello ’88)
at the Longy School of Music in
Cambridge, Mass., where she is
a member of the faculty.
In November EMMANUEL FELDMAN
(Cello ’88) gave a master class at
the Manhattan School of Music
and was a guest cello teacher at
the Peabody Institute. In May he
presented a faculty recital at New
England Conservatory featuring
premieres written for him.
In August the
Borromeo
String Quartet
premiered
RUSSELL PLATT’s
(Composition
’88) Mountain
Interval in
Russell Platt Woodstock, N.Y.
The work pays
tribute to the poetic world of
Robert Frost and the musical world
of late Beethoven. Russell continues
to work as classical music editor
at The new Yorker.
AVNER ARAD (Piano ’89) gave a
master class at New York University
in April.
OVertONeS Fall 2016
31

NOtatIONS
SEAN OSBORN (Clarinet ’89)
premiered his composition Four
Moods for Two Bass Clarinets in
April and led master classes at the
universities of British Columbia in
January and Puget Sound in March.
1990s
WILLIAM GOODWIN (’90) was
appointed leader of the Ulster
Orchestra viola section last fall.
MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA (Conducting
’91) guest conducted the New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra in
June; the Tokyo Metropolitan and
NHK symphonies in Japan in July;
Milestones
Births
ARASH “JOEY” AMINI (Cello ’97)
and his wife, Eveline Amini,
joyfully welcomed the birth
of their daughter, Sienna Malibu
Amini, on April 12.
YVONNE LAM (Violin ’05) and her
husband, Uri Abt, welcomed their
son Elliot on November 30, 2015.
NATE BACHHUBER (Opera ’09)
and his wife Greta welcomed a son,
Emmett Jacob, on May 5.
Brigham Warren Clark
ELIZABETH CLARK (Harp ’14) and
husband Tanner Clark gave birth
to son Brigham Warren Clark on
March 28. He joins sister Ivy.
Marriages
MARVIN MOON (Viola ’03) married
Jiyeon Kim on May 31.
PATRICIA FRANCESCHY (Timpani
and Percussion ’08) married
jazz drummer and percussionist
Noel Brennan on August 30 in
New York.
the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra
in August; and the Los Angeles
Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl
in September. He continues as chief
conductor of the Norwegian Radio
Orchestra and music director of the
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
SAN-KY KIM (Opera ’91) spent the
past academic year as a Fulbright
visiting professor at the Vytautas
Magnus University Music Academy
in Lithuania. He participated in
artistic activities throughout the
Baltic States and Russia, including
appearances on Lithuanian National
Television and at the Kaunas
Operetta Festival and the Nida Music
Festival. San-ky’s favorite experience
was taking his daughter Eva to
Mari Yoshinaga
and Noah Geller
Deaths
MARI
YOSHINAGA
(Timpani and
Percussion ’12)
married Noah
Geller, concertmaster
of the
Kansas City
Symphony,
on March 13
in Kagoshima,
Japan.
We mourn the loss of these
members of the Curtis community
and send our condolences to their
families and friends.
BRONJA FOSTER (Piano ’38)
passed away on May 6 in
Bloomington, Indiana. Bronja
met her husband, SIDNEY FOSTER
(Piano ’38), at Curtis. They married
in 1939, and moved to New York
City to focus on Sidney’s concert
career. In 1952 Sidney accepted a
position at the Indiana University
School of Music and they moved
to Bloomington, Ind. In addition
to raising two sons, Bronja was an
active teacher, both privately for
young children and on the faculty
at Indiana University, from which
she retired at the age of 70.
HERBERT FAWCETT (Bassoon ’59)
passed away on February 13 in
Kennesaw, Georgia, where he
recently moved. Prior to entering
Curtis, Herbert joined the Navy
kindergarten on a sleigh every
morning. He resumes his position
at Texas Christian University this fall.
The Clarion Quartet, comprising
four Pittsburgh Symphony
musicians—JENNIFER ORCHARD
(Violin ’91), Marta Krechkovsky,
TATJANA MEAD CHAMIS (Viola ’94),
and BRONWYN BANERDT (Cello
’08)—debuted in March. After they
were invited to play a concert that
explored “entartete musik,” contemporary
music of the 1930s and 40s
that was considered “degenerate”
by the Nazi regime, they decided
to stay together and continue to
explore this genre of music. In
May they performed at the Terezin
Memorial in the Czech Republic.
and studied the bassoon at the
San Diego Naval Training Center.
Herbert was accepted to Curtis for
study with Sol Schoenbach, who
would become a lifelong mentor.
While at Curtis, he met and
married PATRICIA ALBINSON KIRK
(Flute ’59). Together they played
in the Houston Symphony, the
Santa Fe Opera, and the Phoenix
Symphony. Herbert became a
dentist in 1967 and practiced until
2003. He married Malgorzata
“Gosia” Opalska in 1986. Herb
played bassoon in community
orchestras, maintained a bassoon
studio, and was an avid reed
maker throughout his life.
JAMES HOUGH (Bassoon ’70, ’73)
passed away on February 14.
While a Curtis student, he studied
bassoon with Sol Schoenbach and
Bernard Garfield and chamber
music with John de Lancie.
Following graduation, James
joined the Utah Symphony and
earned his doctorate in music at
Texas Tech University. In 1998,
he joined the Castilla y León
Symphony Orchestra in Valladolid,
Spain. He taught throughout his
career at schools including the
University of Utah, Settlement
Music School in Philadelphia,
and Conservatorio Professional
de Música in Valladolid, Spain.
DAVID PRAGER’s (Opera ’87)
family has informed Curtis of
his passing.
MICHAEL HILL (Double Bass ’92)
and the Orlando Chamber Soloists
are pleased to announce their
virtual choir video, “We Are One—
Mitakuye Oyasin,” which won
second place in the largest Native
American film festival in Europe.
The project is part of the Chamber
Music Festival of the Black Hills
and involves WILLIAM GOODWIN
(Viola ’90), ALAN MORRISON
(Accompanying ’93), ROBERT
KOENIG (Accompanying ’91),
WANCHI HUANG (Violin ’90), and
CHARLES WETHERBEE (Violin ’98).
ANTHEA
KRESTON (Violin
’93) has joined
the Artemis
String Quartet,
based in Berlin.
In addition to
performing with
Anthea Kreston the quartet, she
teaches at the
Universität der Künste and records
for Virgin Records. She moved to
Berlin with her husband, cellist
Jason Duckles, and daughters
Tzippy, age 6, and Mirabai, age 4.
She blogs online for Slipped Disc.
Jeffrey Lastrapes
JEFFREY LASTRAPES (Cello ’96)
spent his 20th summer as a faculty
member at the Interlochen Center
for the Arts.
Fernando Valcárcel
FERNANDO VALCÁRCEL (Composition
’96) debuts this season with
the Siberian State Symphony
Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica
Nacional del Ecuador, and the
Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad
de Guanajuato (Mexico). He remains
music director of the National
Symphony Orchestra of Peru.
32 OVertONeS Fall 2016

NOtatIONS
2000s
CHIAYU HSU (Composition ’00)
received the Wladimir and Rhoda
Lakond Award from the American
Academy of Arts and Letters.
JENNIFER STUMM (Viola ’01) was
guest professor at the Hochschule
für Musik Leipzig last spring. In May
she made her recital debut at the
Berlin Philharmonie, performing
a concert version of her TED talk
about the viola. The second season
of Ilumina, her chamber music
festival and talent development
project in São Paulo, Brazil, took
place in January.
SUK CHUL KIM (Opera ’02) sang
the role of Third Esquire in a new
production of Parsifal and covered
Siegmund in Die Walküre at the
Bayreuth Festival in July and
August. He will perform the title
role in Lohengrin at the Korea
National Opera in November.
VICTORIA LUPERI (Clarinet ’02)
completed her tenth season as
principal clarinet with the Fort
Worth Symphony, and in August
performed the Mozart Clarinet
Concerto with the FWSO and music
director MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA
(Conducting ’88). She joins the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
as associate principal clarinet in
September. In July, she performed in
the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra.
PRISCILLA LEE (Cello ’03) has
been appointed associate principal
cello of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
In the 2015–16 season MARY
BOWDEN (Trumpet ’04) performed
as principal trumpet with the
Sarasota Orchestra and made
solo debuts with the Springfield
Symphony (Mo.) and the Laredo
Philharmonic (Texas). Mary is
co-founder and artistic director
of the brass quintet Seraph Brass,
which will perform over 30 concerts
in the coming season.
In March KARINA CANELLAKIS
(Violin ’04) won the 2016 Sir Georg
Solti Conducting Award. In June
she conducted Concentus Musicus
Wien at the Styriarte Festival in
Austria, and in July she led the
Grand Teton Festival Orchestra and
the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Elizabeth DeShong
ELIZABETH DESHONG (Opera ’05)
will sing the roles of Isabella in
Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri at the
Metropolitan Opera in October
and Adalgisa in Bellini’s norma at
Lyric Opera of Chicago in January
and February.
Zhou Tian
ZHOU TIAN
(Composition
’05) was
appointed
associate
professor of
composition at
Michigan State
University
College of Music.
In May JIE CHEN (Piano ’06) was
awarded a medal for distinguished
work by the Shanghai Government
Youth Federation. Jie is founder and
artistic director of the First Shanghai
Collegiate Piano Competition.
YOONIE HAN (Piano ’07) gave
recitals at the French Embassy
in Washington D.C. (December),
Bilkent Concert Hall in Ankara,
Turkey (February); and the Polish
Consulate in New York (May).
She performed with the Boulder
Chamber Orchestra in April, the
Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra
in New Jersey in May, and the New
Amsterdam Symphony at New
York’s Symphony Space in June.
In May CYNTHIA TOBEY (Piano ’07)
received a Ph.D. in higher music
education from Columbia
University’s Teachers College.
RACHEL DUNCAN
(Trumpet ’08)
has been
appointed
lecturer in
trumpet at the
University of
Virginia and
Rachel Duncan will serve as
principal trumpet
of the Charlottesville Symphony.
ABRAHAM FEDER (Cello ’08) has
completed a master’s degree at the
Shepherd School of Music, studying
under Desmond Hoebig. He joins
the cello section of the Dallas
Symphony Orchestra this fall.
Gabriel Globus-
Hoenich
In March
GABRIEL
GLOBUS-
HOENICH
(Timpani and
Percussion ’08)
was the
featured
soloist with
the Pittsburgh
Symphony in
STEVEN HACKMAN’s (Conducting
’04) Firebird: remix|response
in Heinz Hall. Also in March, he
collaborated with Grammy-winning
percussionist Rogerio Boccato,
the New York City Department
of Probation, and Carnegie Hall to
launch PlasticBand, a community
percussion ensemble in Harlem.
In April Gabe returned to Salvador,
Brazil to perform his salsa
arrangements with the NEOJIBA
SESI Youth Orchestra.
NATHAN BACHHUBER (Opera ’09)
has been promoted to artistic
administrator of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. Nate is responsible
for classical programming at the
Hollywood Bowl and collaborates
with creative chair John Adams
to program the Green Umbrella
contemporary music series in
Walt Disney Concert Hall.
JOSEPH CAMPAGNA (Double Bass
’09) has joined the Pittsburgh
Symphony.
JASON COFFEY (Opera ’09)
appeared as Paris in Gounod’s
romeo and Juliet with Opera
Grand Rapids in April; Marcello in
Puccini’s La bohème with the Kent
Philharmonic in May; and Dr. Engel
in Sigmund Romberg’s Student
Prince with Opera Grand Rapids
in June. In October he will sing the
title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi
with the Grand Valley State University
Opera Theatre in Grand Rapids.
YAO GUANG ZHAI (Clarinet ’09)
has been appointed principal
clarinet of the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra, beginning this fall.
2010s
In June JOSHUA STAFFORD
(Organ ’10) was awarded the
Pierre S. du Pont First Prize in the
Longwood Gardens International
Organ Competition.
In June ELIZABETH FAYETTE
(Violin ’11) completed a two-year
fellowship with Ensemble ACJW
in New York. This fall, she moves
to Atlanta to join the Vega Quartet,
Emory University’s quartet in
residence, as first violinist.
Rachel Kuipers
Yonan
The Marinus
Ensemble,
directed by
RACHEL
KUIPERS YONAN
(Viola ’11), held
a residency
at Covenant
College (Ga.)
featuring
HYE-JIN KIM
(Violin ’06) and SARAH SHAFER
(Voice ’10, Opera ’14); performed
at Musical Cocktails in Chestnut Hill
featuring Rachel and BRONWYN
BANERDT (Cello ’08); played Haydn’s
Seven Last Words of Christ in
Raleigh, N.C. featuring ELIZABETH
FAYETTE (Violin ’11); and concluded
their season playing great chamber
works of Brahms and Schumann in
Philadelphia with the Sheridan Trio.
BENJAMIN BEILMAN (Violin ’12)
gave a recital at the Verbier Festival
in July. He also performed with
ANDREW TYSON (Piano ’10) at
the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris
in March, and at Wigmore Hall in
London in July. Ben and Andrew
will tour Australia in October. In
November Ben will perform with
the Philadelphia Orchestra and
YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN at the
Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall.
J’NAI BRIDGES (Opera ’12) won a
2016 Richard Tucker Career Grant.
NIKKI CHOOI (Violin ’12) has been
appointed concertmaster of the
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
In May AMALIA HALL (Violin ’12)
won first prize and the overall prize
at the Tunbridge Wells International
Music Competition and the Royal
Over-Seas League award.
OVertONeS Fall 2016
33

NOtatIONS
KEVIN RAY
(Opera ’12)
made his
Los Angeles
Philharmonic
debut in July at
the Hollywood
Bowl in
Kevin Ray Beethoven’s
Choral Fantasy.
In September, he will sing the
role of Erik in Wagner’s The Flying
Dutchman with Estonian National
Opera. In November, he appears
as the Prince in Dvořák’s rusalka
with Arizona Opera.
MICHAEL SPARHUBER (Timpani and
Percussion ’12) has been appointed
director of percussion in Cornell
University’s music department.
BRANDON CEDEL (Voice ’10,
Opera ’13) won a 2016 Annenberg
Fellowship Grant.
Julia Harguindey
JULIA
HARGUINDEY
(Bassoon ’13)
joins the
Nashville
Symphony
Orchestra
as principal
bassoon.
The DOVER QUARTET (Quartet ’14)
was the first recipient of Lincoln
Center’s Hunt Family Artist Award,
recognizing emerging world-class
artists and performers across genres.
SARAH SHAFER (Voice ’10,
Opera ’14) appeared as Adina
in Donizetti’s Elixir of Love with
Opera Philadelphia in April. She
also performed in Israel in Egypt at
Carnegie Hall with New York Choral
Society in May, Mahler’s Symphony
No. 2 at Carnegie Hall with the New
York Youth Symphony in June, and
Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 at the
Aspen Festival with ROBERT SPANO
(Conducting ’85) in July.
MOONYOUNG YOON (Flute ’14) has
completed a master’s degree at
the Manhattan School of Music. She
joins the Orchestra Now program
at Bard College.
Last spring ANDREW HSU (Piano ’13,
Composition ’15) won the 2016
Arthur Friedman Composition
Prize at the Juilliard School. The
award included a premiere of his
tone poem vale by the Juilliard
Orchestra under the direction of
Jeffery Milarsky in Alice Tully Hall
at Lincoln Center in April.
alUMNI OFFICe NeWS
announcing the alumni Network!
The mission of the Alumni Network is to keep alumni connected to one
another, supported as artists, invested in the mission and well-being of
Curtis, and active as global ambassadors for the school. All alumni are
members of the network, which is designed to support your project ideas
and develop resources you can access throughout your career.
STANFORD THOMPSON (Trumpet ’09) will serve as the first Alumni
Network chair. We need alumni to step r forward this year to make the
network successful! There are so many ways to get involved, detailed
in the chart below. Serve as a regional ambassador by representing Curtis
in your city. Be a Curtis Storyteller by sharing your alumni story and helping
others to share theirs, too. Serve on the fundraising committee and
encourage others to give back to Curtis. Singers can join the Vocal and
Opera Alumni Task Force to help us better understand your experiences
as singing alumni. And there’s more: In 2017, Curtis will launch a formal
mentorship program. This skill-based mentorship program will offer
opportunities for alumni to mentor a student or receive a mentor.
We’re eager to understand all the ways Curtis can help you.
Get involved at www.curtis.edu/AlumniNetwork or email
alumnirelations@curtis.edu.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
MENTORS
Alumni interested in:
•
promoting skill-based s
mentorship for
alumni and students
ts
•
sharing experiences and skills in an
online mentorship directory
MENTORSHIP
CURTIS STORYTELLERS
S
PROJECT LEADER
PROJECT LEADER
ALUMNI
NETWORK CHAIR
CURTIS
STORYTELLERS
Activate te alumni on social media to:
•
help identify and tell stories about
Curtis and
Curtis
alumni
•
promote alumni
performances
and projects
•
promote the Curtis brand
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
Help Curtis achieve its alumni
fundraising goals by:
•
making an annual donation to Curtis
•
encouraging friends and colleagues to
participate via phone, e-mail,
Facebook, and personal challenges
FUNDRAISING
N
PROJECT LEADER
REUNION CHAIR
[every 5 years]
REGIONAL
AMBASSADORS
ADOR
S
PROJECT LEADER
OPERA ALUMNI TASK FORCE
PROJECT LEADER
REGIONAL AMBASSADORS
Alumni willing
to:
•
contact alumni in their regions to
share news and events
•
serve e as hosts or greeters at alumni
gatherings
•
communicate municate regularly with Curtis to
stay abreast of opportunities,
programs, and Curtis on Tour
activities
REUNION COMMITTEE [every 5 years]
OPERA ALUMNI
TASK FORCE
Alumni willing
to:
• assist sist in planning and facilitating
alumni reunions
• recruit alumni to attend reunion n
events
Alumni willing
to:
• help Curtis develop a deeper
understanding of the post-graduation
experiences of opera and voice alumni
34 OVertONeS Fall 2016

NOtatIONS
REN MARTIN-DOIKE (Viola ’15)
recently played in the film Last
Words from Montmartre, directed
by Evans Chan. She participated
in the Knopf International
Competition in April, where she
was awarded a one-year loan
of a bow by H. R. Pfretzschner,
and received a grant from the
Fondation Meyer to use toward
the purchase of a new viola made
by Yann Besson. During the summer,
Ren toured Romania with Teodora
Enache and the Benny Rietveld
Quintet to promote their new
album Transfiguration; performed
at the Conservatoire Américain at
Fontainebleau; and participated
in Artosphere Arts and Nature
Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.
In April NATHAN PAER (Double
Bass ’15) was hired by cellist David
Finckel and pianist Wu Han as the
artistic administrator of their record
label, ArtistLed; the Music@Menlo
chamber music festival and institute
in the Bay Area; and Chamber
Music Today, an annual chamber
music festival in Seoul, Korea.
ANTHONY REED
(Opera ’15) is
in his second
year with the
San Francisco
Opera as an
Adler Fellow.
He performed
Anthony Reed
on the main
stage of the
War Memorial Opera House as the
Mayor in Janáček’s Jenu ° fa (June),
Schmidt in Umberto Giordano’s
Andrea Chénier (September), the
Imperial Commissioner in Puccini’s
Madama Butterfly (November),
and the King of Egypt in Verdi’s
Aïda (November).
ALEXANDER WALDEN (Trombone
’15) was the first-prize winner
of the Texas State Trombone
Symposium solo competition
in February and was a finalist in
the Woolsey Competition at Yale
University in April.
KENSHO WATANABE (Conducting
’13, ’15) has been appointed
assistant conductor of the
Philadelphia Orchestra.
FaCUlty
In April DAVID BILGER performed
with the Yamaha Symphonic Band
in Hamamatsu, Japan. In June he
gave recitals and master classes
at the Yamaha Concert Hall in
Tokyo and at the Truax Trumpet
Camp in Dallas. He returned to
Japan in August to perform and
teach at the Hamamatsu Academy.
In June BLAIR
BOLLINGER
(Trombone ’86)
was featured
at the 2016
International
Trombone
Festival at the
Blair Bollinger
Juilliard School,
where he played
a concerto and a recital and gave
master classes. Also in June, he
led a concert at Bar Harbor Brass
Week in Maine, celebrating the 100th
anniversary of Acadia National
Park—a concert in which MATTHEW
VAUGHN also participated.
KE-CHIA CHEN
(Composition
’09) has been
commissioned
by the National
Symphony
Orchestra
of Taiwan
Ke-Chia Chen
to compose
an orchestral
work sponsored by the Council
of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan.
The orchestra will also give the
Asian premiere of her Broken
Crystal in October.
Last December MICHAEL
DJUPSTROM (Composition ’11)
presented a recital in Tokyo with
AYANE KOZASA (Viola ’12, Quartet
’16) who premiered his Walimai.
Also last winter, LUOSHA FANG
(Violin ’14) premiered Lăutar,
commissioned by Astral Artists,
in Philadelphia. In March the 6821
Quintet premiered Songs of Spring,
a piano quintet based on Japanese
folk songs commissioned for the
National Cherry Blossom Festival
and performed at several locations
in Washington, D.C.
In May JENNIFER HIGDON’s
(Composition ’88) opera Cold
Mountain won the award for best
world premiere at the International
Opera Awards in London.
DAVID LUDWIG was awarded a
project grant from The Pew Center
for Arts & Heritage to support
the creation and premiere of a
new song cycle, The Anchoress,
with singer Hyunah Yu, the
PRISM Quartet, and Piffaro, to
be presented by the Philadelphia
Chamber Music Society. David’s
Moto perpetuo was premiered
by JENNIFER KOH (Violin ’02) in
May at National Sawdust, as part
of “Shared Madness,” a concert
featuring 32 works for solo violin
that was presented by the New
York Philharmonic Biennial
Festival. “Shared Madness”
also included NOAM SIVAN’s
Concentrated Stillness.
ALAN MORRISON (Accompanying
’93) performed a solo recital for
the Organ Historical Society
National Convention in June and
returned to South Dakota in July
for the ninth annual Chamber
Music Festival of the Black Hills,
serving as pianist along with fellow
Curtis alumni SOLOMIYA IVAKHIV
(Violin ’03), CHARLES WETHERBEE
(Violin ’88), WILLIAM GOODWIN
(Viola ’90), MICHAEL HILL (Double
Bass ’92), and ROBERT KOENIG
(Accompanying ’91).
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN has
been named music director of the
Metropolitan Opera in New York
City, effective with the 2020–21
season; and has renewed his
contract with the Philadelphia
Orchestra through 2025–26.
DANIELLE ORLANDO performed
a recital with soprano Vanessa
Vasquez at the Philips Museum
in Washington, D.C. in May. In June,
she served on the Curtis Summerfest
faculty and in July, returned
to Arezzo, Italy as a guest coach
for Oberlin in Italy. In November,
Danielle will perform with soprano
Angela Meade in La Coruña, Spain.
ERIC SESSLER
(Composition
’93) composed
a guitar quartet
for the Curtis
guitar studio
during the
summer, to
Eric Sessler
be premiered
during the
2016–17 school year.
In July NOAM SIVAN curated
the opening concert of the Great
Quartets series at the Haifa Chamber
Music Society in Israel. He presented
his vocal and chamber works and
performed music by Tchaikovsky,
Brahms, and Fauré.
In February JASON VIEAUX
performed with Symphony in C
at the Rutgers-Camden Center for
the Arts. In May, he premiered Dan
Visconti’s piece Living Language
with the California Symphony. His
summer performances included
the Guitar Foundation of America’s
Convention and Symposium, Eastern
Music Festival, Chautauqua, and
Lexington Chamber Music Festival.
THOMAS WEAVER joined the newly
founded Amram Ensemble with
violinist Elmira Darvarova and
saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky.
The trio will perform a newly
commissioned work by David
Amram in October 2016 at the
ZKM Center for Art and Technology
in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Over the summer AMY YANG (Piano
’06) performed with the Saint Paul
Chamber Orchestra, rehearsed with
National Youth Orchestra of the
U.S.A. under JIM ROSS (Conducting
’89), performed at Chelsea Music
Festival, and taught at Curtis
Summerfest and Music Academy
International in Italy. She also
participated in the Mitsuko Uchida
Workshop at Carnegie Hall and
soloed with the Penn Symphony
Orchestra under THOMAS HONG
(Conducting ’02) in February.
OVertONeS Fall 2016
35

NOtatIONS
StUDeNtS
Héloïse Carlean-Jones
HÉLOÏSE CARLEAN-JONES (Harp),
LENA GOODSON (Double Bass),
WILLIAM KARNS (Double Bass),
WILLIAM LANGLIE-MILETICH (Double
Bass), JONATHAN MCCAMMON
(Horn), MAGGIE O’LEARY (Bassoon),
JIA CHENG XIONG (Piano), and REX
YAPE (Oboe) attended the Aspen
Music Festival over the summer.
YU-TING CHEN (Violin) won third
prize and the Bartók Solo Sonata
Prize at the Menuhin Violin
Competition in April.
Dennis Chmelensky
Ashley Robillard
DENNIS CHMELENSKY (Voice) sang
the role of Papageno in Mozart’s
The Magic Flute at the Chautauqua
Institution in July. This fall he and
ASHLEY ROBILLARD (Voice) will
tour the U.S. with MIKAEL ELIASEN,
performing Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches
Liederbuch with Curtis on Tour.
In June TIMOTHY CHOOI (Violin)
performed in two recitals at Festival
Musique de Chambre Montréal. In
July, Timmy performed Tchaikovsky’s
Violin Concerto with the Montreal
Symphony Orchestra and gave a
recital at Music Niagara in Ontario.
EMILY COOLEY (Composition)
was commissioned by the Lake
Champlain Chamber Music Festival
to write a new piano quartet which
premiered in August.
NICK
DeBERARDINO
(Composition)
curated the
Brass Project,
a program of 26
commissioned
works for
Nick DeBerardino
brass sextet,
culminating
in a performance in May at the Art
Alliance in Philadelphia. Among the
composers represented were Nick
and his fellow composition students
T. J. COLE and ALYSSA WEINBERG,
STEVEN FRANKLIN (Trumpet),
GABRIELLA SMITH (ArtistYear), and
DANIEL TEMKIN (Composition ’13).
In March the Curtis trumpet
studio—NOAH DUGAN, TESSA ELLIS,
STEVEN FRANKLIN, MATTHEW
GAJDA, and CALEB WIEBE—placed
first in the National Trumpet
Competition small ensemble
division, performing a composition
by Steven, who also placed second
in the Vincent Bach Undergraduate
Solo Division.
Last spring BRYAN DUNNEWALD
(Organ) performed solo concerts
at the Cathedral of St. John the
Divine in New York City, Saint John’s
Cathedral in Denver, and Saint
Peter’s Church in Morristown, N.J.
Over the summer he performed at
First Presbyterian Church in Santa
Fe and the Organ Historical Society
National Convention in Philadelphia,
and taught at Interlochen Arts
Camp. In September he performs
a solo concert at the Mormon
Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.
TESSA ELLIS (Trumpet) attended
the Pacific and Lake George music
festivals during the summer.
In June VARTAN GABRIELIAN
(Voice), EVAN JOHNSON (Opera),
and TYLER ZIMMERMAN (Opera)
sang in Strauss’s Salome with
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
alongside JONATHAN BEYER
(Opera ’07) and BRANDON CEDEL
(Opera ’13). Also during the
summer, Vartan performed in
Rachmaninoff’s Aleko with the
Russian Opera Workshop in
Philadelphia and sang the roles
of the Speaker in The Magic Flute
and Sparafucile in rigoletto at
the Chautauqua Institution.
In June WILLIAM LANGLIE-MILETICH
(Double Bass) won first prize at the
Irving M. Klein International String
Competition, the first double
bassist ever to win the competition.
He was also awarded the Pablo
Casals Prize for the best
performance of solo Bach.
KATE LIU (Piano) is a finalist for the
2017 American Pianists Association
Award, along with STEVEN LIN
(Piano ’15). During a yearlong
competition process, the five
finalists make frequent visits to
Indianapolis to perform solo and
chamber recitals and outreach
concerts in the community. Each
will give a concerto performance
with the Indianapolis Symphony
and premiere a newly commissioned
work.
Wei Luo
Kirsten MacKinnon
WEI LUO (Piano)
signed with
Opus 3 Artists
in September
2015. In May she
performed at
the Zaubersee
festival in
Lucerne,
Switzerland.
KIRSTEN
MacKINNON
(Voice) won
a George
London
Foundation
Award in
February.
In March JONATHAN McCULLOUGH
(Opera) covered the lead role of
Edward Kynaston in the premiere
of Carlyle Floyd’s Prince of Players
at the Houston Grand Opera.
In January TIMOTHEOS PETRIN
(Cello) performed the Elgar
Cello Concerto with the Kansas
City Symphony Orchestra and
conductor ROBERT SPANO
(Conducting ’85). Over the
summer he attended Chamberfest
Cleveland and participated in the
Lake Como International Piano
Academy (Italy).
In March SEAN MICHAEL PLUMB
(Opera) won the Metropolitan
Opera National Council Auditions
and was awarded the top prize
at the Gerda Lissner International
Vocal Competition. Last winter
he made his Bavarian State Opera
debut in the world premiere of
Miroslav Srnka’s South Pole.
In April EMILY
POGORELC
(Voice)
performed the
role of Chan
Parker in Opera
Philadelphia’s
encore production
of Daniel
Emily Pogorelc
Schnyder’s
opera, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird,
at the Apollo Theatre in New York.
Over the summer Emily was a young
artist at the Glimmerglass Festival,
where she portrayed Johanna in
the mainstage production of
Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd.
EMMA RESMINI
(Flute) won the
junior division
of the Albert M.
Greenfield
Competition
in April and
was young artist
EMMA RESMINI in residence
with public
radio’s Performance Today for
a week in May.
CHANG YONG SHIN (Piano) won
first prize at the Hilton Head
International Piano Competition
in March.
Over the
summer,
JAHLEEL SMITH
(Bass Trombone)
attended the
Pacific Music
Festival and
participated in
Jahleel Smith
the Cleveland
Trombone
Seminar. He is a finalist in the
International Trombone
Association’s Edward Kleinhammer
Orchestral Excerpts Bass Trombone
Competition.
Stephen Tavani
STEPHEN TAVANI
(Violin) participated
in the
Marlboro Music
Festival over
the summer.
36 OVertONeS Fall 2016

NOtatIONS
STEVEN WAARTS (Violin) gave
recitals at the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum in Boston in
January, and at the Morgan
Library and Museum in New York
in March. In April he performed
the Brahms Violin Concerto with
the Konzerthausorchester Berlin
at the Konzerthaus Berlin.
YIJIA WANG (piano) won the senior
division of the Albert M. Greenfield
Competition in April and will
debut with the Philadelphia
Orchestra in March 2017. She
attended Music Academy of
the West during the summer.
Qwinda PHOTO: ANDREW BOGARDS
Qwinda—a quintet of Curtis
students including NILES WATSON
(Flute), WILLIAM WELTER (Oboe),
STANISLAV CHERNYSHEV (Clarinet
’14, ArtistYear), EMELINE CHONG
(Bassoon), and AMIT MELZER
(Horn)—was invited to the Bravo!
Vail festival for a week-long
residency in July.
ALYSSA WEINBERG (Composition)
won the 2016 ASCAP Morton Gould
Award for her work in somnis.
Other CUrtIS
FaMIly NeWS
The boards of trustees and overseers
welcomed new members at the
close of the 2015–16 school year.
New to the board of trustees are
ROY NEFF, horn faculty member
JENNIFER MONTONE, alumni
representative STANFORD
THOMPSON (Trumpet ’09), and
Friends of Curtis representative
PAULINE CANDAUX. MARSHA
HUNTER (Opera ’77) has joined
the board of overseers, and
MARGUERITE LENFEST has
become an emeritus overseer.
reCOrDINGS aND PUBlICatIONS
JENNY OAKS BAKER’s (Violin ’97)
fourteenth studio album,
Awakening, was released in April
on Shadow Mountain Records.
It charted at number five on the
Billboard Classical Crossover Chart.
BENJAMIN BEILMAN’s (Violin ’12)
album Spectrum, featuring works
by Schubert, Janacek, Stravinsky,
and Kreisler with YEKWON SUNWOO
(Piano ’11), was released in March
on Warner Classics.
QIONG-YAN JENNY CHAI’s (Piano
’04) published an article in the
magazine Music Friends, produced
by the Shanghai Concert Hall.
LUCILLE CHUNG (Piano ’92) is
featured on the CD Poulenc Works
for Piano Solo and Duo, released
in June on the Signum Classics
Repertoire label.
LUOSHA FANG’s (Violin ’14)
recording of George Tsontakis’s
unforgettable with the Albany
Symphony Orchestra is scheduled
for release on Naxos.
Early in 2016 ALEXANDER RITTER
GEORGE’s (Horn ’04) articles on
wind pedagogy were published in
The Instrumentalist and The Horn
Call, the peer-reviewed journal
of the International Horn Society.
RUSSELL HARTENBERGER (Timpani
and Percussion ’66) is the editor
of The Cambridge Companion to
Percussion, released in May 2016
by Cambridge University Press.
The book collects articles on
percussion and rhythm from
the perspectives of performers,
composers, conductors, instrument
builders, scholars, and cognitive
scientists.
A recording of the Santa Fe
Opera performances of JENNIFER
HIGDON’s (Composition ’88)
Cold Mountain was released in
January by Pentatone. MIGUEL
HARTH-BEDOYA (Conducting ’91)
leads the performance, which
features JARRETT OTT (Opera ’14)
and ROY HAGE (Opera ’16).
WANCHI HUANG’s (Violin ’90)
second CD for Centaur Records,
Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo
violin, was released in November.
The Daedelus Quartet, including
THOMAS KRAINES (Cello ’92) and
JESSICA THOMPSON (Viola ’00),
is featured on Joan Tower: String
Quartets (Naxos), released in
April. They perform Tower’s String
Quartet No. 5 (“White Water”).
Tuba faculty PAUL KRZYWICKI
has published From Paderewski to
Penderecki: The Polish Musician in
Philadelphia. The book is available
at www.lulu.com.
YVONNE LAM (Violin ’05) won her
first Grammy in February for the
eighth blackbird album, Filament.
The ensemble’s new album,
Hand Eye, was released in April
by Cedille Records.
JEFFREY LASTRAPES (Cello ’96)
released a recording of works by
Kodàly and Ravel with violinist
Kirsten Yon on Centaur Records
in April.
NATHAN LAUBE (Organ ’09) is
the organ soloist on the Grammywinning
album Paulus: Three Places
of Enlightenment, veil of Tears,
Grand Concerto for organ and
orchestra with the Nashville
Symphony and Giancarlo Guererro
on the Naxos label.
DAVID LUDWIG’s (Composition ’01)
Pleiades for oboe and piano was
recorded by KATHERINE NEEDLEMAN
(Oboe ’99) and JENNIFER LIM (’98)
for release on the Genuin and
Naxos labels last April. Also on
the CD are works by Haas, Poulenc,
and Schumann.
In February organ faculty member
ALAN MORRISON (Accompanying
’93) recorded his latest CD in
performance at Spivey Hall in
Morrow, Ga., where he is organist in
residence. The ACA Digital release
will be available in October.
This fall, guitar faculty member
JASON VIEAUX will release a new
CD with bandoneon player Julien
Labro on Azica Records.
JOHN WEAVER’s (Organ ’59) 1966
recording on the Aeolian Skinner
organ at Holy Trinity Lutheran
Church in New York was reissued
on CD as Aeolian-Skinner: The
King of Instruments, AS320: John
Weaver playing Liszt and Mozart.
OVertONeS Fall 2016
37

NOtatIONS
COMM
E N C E
MENT
2016
38 OVertONeS Fall 2016

NOtatIONS
PHOTOS BY DAVID SWANSON
Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Xavier Foley, Lauren
Eberwein with Mikael Eliasen, Yu-Chien Benny Tseng, Miho Saegusa
of the Aizuri Quartet, Edward Poll, Zsche Chuang Rimbo Wong, Roy
Hage, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Yumi Ninomiya Scott
Above left: T. J. Cole and Rene Orth
ClaSS OF 2016 NOtatIONS
In July the AIZURI QUARTET
(Quartet in Residence) concluded
its term as the 2016–17 Ernst
Stiefel String Quartet in Residence
at Caramoor, where the quartet
premiered Paul Wiancko’s Lift.
Debuts during the coming season
include the Kennedy Center in
February and a Canadian debut,
presented by the Women’s Musical
Club of Toronto, in April. The
quartet is working with composer
Lembit Beecher on a new chamber
opera to be premiered in Fall 2017.
PEARSON ALTIZER (Bassoon)
joined the development team
at the University of Texas Health
Science Center in San Antonio.
YU-TING CHEN (Violin) toured
Australia with the Macao Youth
Symphony Orchestra in August.
She enters the Yale School of Music
this fall.
JUNG MIN CHOI (Violin) is pursuing
a master’s degree at New England
Conservatory, studying with
Miriam Fried.
YOUNA CHOI (Cello) is attending the
Colburn School. Over the summer
she participated in Curtis on Tour,
performing in New England.
WILL CHOW (Cello) participated
in the Marlboro Music Festival over
the summer. He has joined the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s
cello section.
In July T. J. COLE’s (Composition)
concerto for Time for Three
premiered in Sun Valley, Idaho.
T. J. is an ArtistYear fellow at
Curtis this year.
BRENDAN DOOLEY (Flute) returned
to the American Institute of
Musical Studies in Graz, Austria
over the summer. He is pursuing a
master’s degree at the University
of Southern California.
LAUREN EBERWEIN (Voice) was
in residence at Chamberfest
Cleveland, Marlboro Music Festival,
and the Britt Music Festival over
the summer. This fall she joins the
Ensemble Studio of the Canadian
Opera Company in Toronto.
BRENDON ELLIOTT (Violin)
returned to the Aspen Music Festival
over the summer. He premiered
the Amerigo Sonata by Stephanie
Ann Boyd in Virginia as part of a
50-state sonata project. Brendon
is attending the Juilliard School
in pursuit of a master’s degree.
PIOTR FILOCHOWSKI (violin)
is freelancing in Philadelphia.
XAVIER FOLEY (Double Bass)
spent the summer at the Marlboro
Festival and is freelancing in
Philadelphia.
GEORGE XIAOYUAN FU (Piano)
participated in the Queen Elisabeth
Competition in May. In July, he
performed the solo piano part in
Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie
with the Tanglewood Music Center
Orchestra under conductor Stefan
Asbury. He is based in Philadelphia.
ROY HAGE (Opera) was a Curtis
artist teacher during Summerfest’s
Voice Program in June. He is
attending the Academy of Vocal
Arts as a student of Bill Schuman.
GERGANA HARALAMPIEVA (Violin)
participated in the Steans Music
Institute at Ravinia over the summer.
She is pursuing a master’s degree
at the New England Conservatory.
ARLEN HLUSKO (ArtistYear) is
launching Philadelphia Performances
for Autism, founded as a result of
her ArtistYear work.
ERIC HUCKINS (Horn) was a young
artist at Music from Angel Fire over
Above right: William Welter and Joshua Lauretig
with their teacher, Richard Woodhams
the summer. He is attending the
Juilliard School to study toward
a master’s degree.
JOSHUA LAURETIG (Oboe) has
joined the Buffalo Philharmonic.
SHANNON LEE (Violin) has returned
to Curtis as an ArtistYear fellow.
SUNG JIN LEE (Viola) is pursuing
a master’s degree at the Juilliard
School.
Over the summer WON SUK LEE
(Timpani and Percussion)
participated in Spoleto Festival
USA and the Verbier and Aldeburgh
festivals. He is attending Temple
University, studying toward a
master’s degree.
KIRSTEN MacKINNON (Voice) will
sing the roles of Helena in Britten’s
A Midsummer night’s Dream in
Beijing in October and Pamina in
Die Zauberflöte with the Canadian
Opera Company in January 2017.
JONATHAN McCULLOUGH
(Opera) was a young artist at
the Glimmerglass Festival over
the summer. He has returned to
Curtis for further study, and is
an Emerging Artist with Opera
Philadelphia this year.
OVertONeS Fall 2016
39

NOtatIONS
George Crumb
Nina Baroness von Maltzahn
with President Roberto Díaz
hONOrary DeGreeS aND aWarDS
DOCTOR OF MUSIC
(HONORIS CAUSA)
George Crumb
Nina Baroness von Maltzahn
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Yumi Ninomiya Scott (Violin ’67),
in recognition of her 46 years
as a dedicated and inspiring
member of the Curtis faculty
JOAN HUTTON LANDIS AWARD
FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Stephen Waarts (Violin)
EDWARD ALDWELL AWARD FOR
EXCELLENCE IN MUSICAL STUDIES
Marié Rossano (Violin)
CHARLES MILLER PRIZE:
THE FRITZ KREISLER AWARD
Shannon Lee (Violin)
MILKA VIOLIN ARTIST PRIZE
Yu-Ting Chen (Violin)
ANGELO SYLVESTRO FESTORAZZI
SCHOLARSHIPS
Thomas Shivone (Opera)
PAUL G. MEHLIN SCHOLARSHIP
Chang- Yong Shin (Piano)
RICHARD F. GOLD CAREER GRANT
Sean Michael Plumb (Opera)
PRESSER FOUNDATION UNDER-
GRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARD
Steven Franklin (Trumpet)
DIPLOMA: 18
BACHELOR OF MUSIC: 23
CERTIFICATE OF PROFESSIONAL
STUDIES: 1
MASTER OF MUSIC IN OPERA: 5
ANNA ODELL (Harp) is attending
graduate school at the University of
Cincinnati—College-Conservatory
of Music.
RENE ORTH (Composition) has
been appointed composer in
residence at Opera Philadelphia.
She continues to work on various
projects, including a commission
from the Women’s Sacred Music
Project and a new opera, Machine,
made possible by an OPERA
America Discovery Grant.
Over the summer LAURA PARK
(Violin) performed in the
Artosphere Festival Orchestra
and with Curtis on Tour in New
England. She is pursuing a master’s
degree at the Yale School of Music,
studying with Ani Kavafian.
SEAN MICHAEL PLUMB (Opera)
has joined the Bavarian State
Opera as a principal soloist. Over
the summer he debuted with the
Opera Theater of Saint Louis as
Schaunard in La bohème and with
the Salzburg Festival as Oberon
in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.
EDWARD POLL (Conducting)
participated in the conducting
seminar at Tanglewood over the
summer, and conducts Haydn’s La
fedeltà premiata at the Juilliard
School this fall.
In May JEAN-MICHEL RICHER (voice)
performed the role of Vallier in the
premiere of Les Feluettes by Kevin
March with Opéra de Montréal and
the Duke of Mantua in rigoletto at
the Chautauqua Institution. He will
return to Opéra de Montréal this
season to sing Don Ottavio
in Don Giovanni.
MARIÉ ROSSANO (Violin) joined
the New York Philharmonic in May.
SHIR ROZZEN (Opera) has joined
the young artist program at
Israel Opera.
This summer DANIEL SCHWALBACH
(Trombone) was a young artist at
Music from Angel Fire. He has been
appointed co-principal trombone
at the Malaysian Philharmonic.
CHANG-YONG SHIN (Piano) is
attending the Juilliard School to
continue his studies with Robert
McDonald. He will perform at
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in
November as the first-prize winner
of the Hilton Head International
Piano Competition.
THOMAS SHIVONE (Opera) spent
the summer as a Young Artist
at the Glimmerglass Festival. He
is currently living and auditioning
in Germany.
In October GABRIELLA SMITH’s
(ArtistYear) orchestral work
Tumblebird Contrails premieres
at the Nashville Symphony, where
she is the inaugural Composer
Lab Fellow.
Over the summer ALEXANDRA
SWITALA (Violin) performed
with the Grant Park Orchestra
in Chicago as the Project
Inclusion Fellow.
YU-CHIEN BENNY TSENG (Violin)
is attending the Mannes School of
Music. He has a recording contract
with Deutsche Grammophon in
China and his new CD will be
released in December.
ALEXANDRA VON DER EMBSE
(ArtistYear) is living in New
York City and freelancing with
orchestras on the East Coast.
STEPHEN WAARTS (Violin) spent
the summer at Music@Menlo, in
addition to participating in the
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center’s Chamber Music Encounters
program in June and soloing with
the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
in August. He is currently attending
the Kronberg Academy in Germany.
ALYSSA WEINBERG (Composition)
won the 2016–17 Ettelson Award
from Composers, Inc. for her work
Parallels. She attended a residency
at Avaloch Farm Music Institute
over the summer and enters the
Ph.D. program at Princeton
University this fall.
WILLIAM WELTER (Oboe) is studying
at Oberlin Conservatory.
CALEB WIEBE (Trumpet)
participated in Music from Angel
Fire as part of the Brass Project.
He is an ArtistYear fellow at Curtis
this year.
ZSCHE CHUANG RIMBO WONG
(Viola) has returned to Curtis
as an ArtistYear fellow.
MENGWEN ZHAO (Viola)
participated in the Tanglewood
Music Center over the summer and
enters the Peabody Conservatory
this fall.
40 OVertONeS Fall 2016

YOUR LEGACY.
LEGACY CREATOR
ALAN MORRISON
As an alumnus, Alan wanted to
ensure that future students continue
to have the same opportunities that
have led him to a career as a Curtis
faculty member, world-renowned
concert organist, and recording
artist. That is why he has included
Curtis in his estate plan.
THE WORLD WILLLISTEN.
Curtis is a unique global resource for musical talent, sustained
by the foresight and generosity of alumni like Alan Morrison.
For more information about including Curtis inyour estate plan,
call Charles Sterne, director ofplanned giving, (215) 717-3126.

1726 Locust Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PaID
CURTIS INSTITUTE
OF MUSIC
address service requested
THE CURTIS
OPERA THEATRE’S
EMPEROR OF
ATLANTIS, 1989
Soon after arriving at the
Curtis Institute of Music
in 1986, Mikael Eliasen
described the job of a
vocal coach in Overtones,
calling it “a profession
baptized by fire…one
just had to go out and
do it.” By 1989, Mr. Eliasen
was one year into his
new position as head
of the opera department,
and no less intrepid.
In November 1986, Curtis
presented the Philadelphia
premiere of Viktor Ullman’s
powerful chamber opera
The Emperor of Atlantis.
Pictured here are San-ky
Kim (Opera ’91) and Ilana
Davidson (Opera ’92)
as a soldier and his love,
with Charlotte Hellekant,
as the Drummer, in the
background. Read more
about Mikael Eliasen’s
30-year tenure at Curtis
beginning on page 22.
PHOTO: CURTIS ARCHIVES/DON TRACY