Overtones: Fall 2018

OVERTONES
VOL. XXXXIII, NO. 1
FALL 2018
90 Years Young
Curtis Celebrates Gary Graffman
P A G E 2 1
High Marks
The Process of Reaccreditation
P A G E 1 8
Inside:
2017-18 Annual Report
Tools of the Trade
Preparing for Professional Opera
P A G E 2 5

Mr. Lenfest saw into the future,
embraced an artistic and institutional
vision, and followed through.
CURTIS REMEMBERS CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest (1930–2018)
MORE ONLINE
A Tribute to Gerry Lenfest Curtis.edu/Lenfest
Known for his vision, generosity, and leadership,
Gerry Lenfest played an extraordinary role in the history of Curtis and helped transform
the school during his tenure as board chairman from 2006 to 2014.
Along with his wife, Marguerite, Mr. Lenfest presided over the creation of numerous
21st-century opportunities for Curtis students—many of whom developed lasting
relationships with the Lenfests. During his tenure as chairman, new programs, residencies,
and multi-disciplinary all-school projects were inaugurated. The campus doubled in size
in 2011, when Lenfest Hall opened—with its state-of-the-art facilities, housing for half
the student body, and rehearsal hall for the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Curtis instituted
a specialized fitness and conditioning program; enhanced student services; and expanded
its global outreach through Curtis on Tour, online courses and videos, and a new menu
of summer programs.
As chairman, Mr. Lenfest saw into the future, embraced an artistic and institutional
vision, and followed through—inspiring others in his wake. Curtis owes a profound debt
of gratitude to him, and the fabric of the school will always include the Lenfests, forever
benefitting future generations of students and music itself. Mr. Lenfest passed away on
August 5 at age 88.
Counterclockwise from top:
Gerry Lenfest enjoyed warm relationships
with Curtis students. PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON
Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest with
a model of Lenfest Hall PHOTO: DAVID DeBALKO
Mr. Lenfest and Roberto Díaz cut the
ceremonial banner at the opening of Lenfest
Hall in 2011. They were joined by Michael Nutter,
then the mayor of Philadelphia (left) and
Mrs. Lenfest (right). PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON
Mr. and Mrs. Lenfest in the Bok Room with Curtis
students Erika Gray (Viola) and Janice Carissa
(Piano), who currently hold fellowships endowed
by the Lenfests PHOTO: ALAN KOLC

CONTENTS
REMEMBERING GERRY LENFEST
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 2
Transforming Figures
Opposite
VOL. XXXXIII, NO. 1
FALL 2018
14
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
Paul Bryan
Roberto Díaz
Jennifer Kallend
Kristen Loden
David Ludwig
Jeanne McGinn
CONTRIBUTORS
Matthew Barker
Aiyana Tedi Braun
Paul Bryan
Viet Cuong
Dai Wei
Nicholas DiBerardino
Jennifer Kallend
Chelsea Komschlies
David Ludwig
Andrew Moses
Thomas Oltarzewski
Ashley Marie Robillard
Ignat Solzhenitsyn
Jason Ward
Diana Wensley
Peter Williams
GRAPHIC DESIGN
art270, Inc.
ISSN: 0887-6800
Copyright © 2018
by Curtis Institute of Music
NOTEWORTHY 3
The vocal studies department transitions to new
leadership, virtual reality comes to Curtis, and
the main building’s basement gets a makeover.
MEET THE FACULTY 7
Liberal arts chair and poet Jeanne McGinn
is a discerning and generous listener. David Allen
visits her classroom.
MEET THE STUDENTS 9
Cellist Oliver Herbert is setting his musical course
with quiet conviction, writes Matthew Barker.
THE COMPLEAT MUSICIAN 12
Learning liberal arts by doing takes students
beyond the walls of Curtis. Eva Swidler explores how they put abstract learning to work.
ELECTRONIC ODYSSEY 14
Pioneering composer Tod Machover guided six young composers through new territory last spring.
Composition chair David Ludwig and the students reflect on the journey.
HIGH MARKS 18
The reaccreditation process requires an intense period of self-study. Dean Paul Bryan relates
the resulting discoveries—and their implications.
TEACHER, MENTOR, FATHER, FRIEND 21
Curtis celebrates the 90th birthday of its past leader and beloved piano faculty member,
Gary Graffman.
FIRST PERSON 25
Opera student Ashley Marie Robillard reflects on the Curtis Opera Theatre roles that have
prepared her for the professional world.
MEET THE ALUMNI 28
The versatile trumpeter Kevin Cobb grounds his career in chamber music. Ian VanderMeulen
reports on the American Brass Quintet member,
who is also one of New York’s busiest freelancers.
3
9
7
28
12
NOTATIONS
Alumni 31
Divergent Paths 32
Alumni and Parent Office Notes 34
Faculty 35
Other Curtis Family News 35
Students 36
Recordings and Publications 37
Class of 2018 38
This Fall and Winter at Curtis
Inside back cover
ON THE COVER: Piano faculty Gary Graffman in a
lesson with student Daniel Hsu. Mr. Graffman, who
also served as Curtis’s director and president, turns
90 years old this fall and is celebrated in tributes
and images beginning on page 21. PHOTO: CHARLES GROVE
25
GARY GRAFFMAN AND
ISABELLE VENGEROVA, 1938
Back cover
OVERTONES FALL 2018
1

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Transforming Figures
Roberto Díaz PHOTO: LEE MOSKOW
On the back cover of this issue is an
eighty-year-old photo that makes me smile.
A ten-year-old pianist concentrates on some
thorny etude or other, under the benevolent
watch of a grandmotherly teacher. The student
is our beloved Gary Graffman. The teacher
is his Curtis mentor, the iconic Isabella
Vengerova, in an uncharacteristically
placid pose.
Gary has brilliantly sketched Vengerova’s
volcanic personality in his autobiography,
I Really Should Be Practicing. Though her
domineering methods would probably raise
eyebrows today, her devotion to her students
and her towering influence were never in
doubt. She transformed young prodigies
into mature pianists of individuality and
profound artistry, and those pianists
acknowledged their debt ever after.
Gary himself has been transforming
young pianists at Curtis for four decades
now. To see him in full teaching mode is
a marvel. He is caring, nurturing, respectful,
demanding much but also allowing each
musical soul to emerge as an individual.
The range of artists he has guided testifies
to his extraordinary gifts as a teacher—and
so do the words of his former students and
his colleagues in this issue, as we prepare to
celebrate Gary’s 90th birthday with a tribute
concert by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra
on October 28.
Transforming figures: the Curtis faculty
has always been filled with them. Indeed,
you meet them in each issue of Overtones—
deeply dedicated teachers like Jeanne McGinn,
whose probing poetic vision inspires our
young musicians in their liberal arts courses;
or David Ludwig, who delights in connecting
our students to living composers; or Mikael
Eliasen, leading the peerless learn-by-doing
laboratory that is the Curtis Opera Theatre.
Others in our orbit have had that
transforming power, too, though wielded
in a different way. Gerry Lenfest, whom we
lost over the summer, was deeply devoted
to Curtis, and I was proud to call him both
a friend and a colleague. In his eight years
at the helm of our board of trustees, his
commitment to our students and our mission
shone brightly—and with the enveloping
warmth of that marvelous smile. The concern
that Gerry and his wife, Marguerite, felt for
the welfare of our young musicians led to
Lenfest Hall, which has profoundly shaped
their daily lives. His generosity was expressed
in support for varied initiatives and wise
counsel, always motivated by a desire to
fill a gap, to address a pressing need, to truly
help. He was a transforming figure for Curtis,
in his own inimitable way.
Under the influence of such figures,
our students flourish, branching out and
blossoming in new and sometimes surprising
directions that are also captured in every
issue of Overtones. They take on full-length
operatic roles before they leave their teens.
They compose works that incorporate live
electronics or even virtual reality. They
become transforming figures themselves.
Just like the young prodigy in the
photograph.
Roberto Díaz
President
2 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTEWORTHY
T H E 2 0 1 8 – 1 9 S E A S O N
W I L L B E A Y E A R
O F T R A N S I T I O N
A N D C E L E B R A T I O N ,
A S M I K A E L E L I A S E N
B R I N G S H I S
D I S T I N G U I S H E D
T E N U R E A S H E A D
O F T H E D E P A R T M E N T
T O A C L O S E .
Mikael Eliasen (left), Danielle Orlando (second from left), and Eric Owens (center) with students and alumni
of the Curtis Vocal Studies Department after a 2015 performance. PHOTO: KARLI CADEL
Eric Owens and Danielle Orlando to Lead Vocal Studies
The Curtis Institute of Music has announced a new artistic leadership
team to guide the vocal studies department and Curtis Opera Theatre.
Distinguished bass-baritone ERIC OWENS (Opera ’95) and DANIELLE
ORLANDO, currently principal opera coach, will lead the department
beginning in the 2019–20 season, building upon Mikael Eliasen’s
remarkable 30-year legacy.
“We’re fortunate to have two artists with such deep expertise and
tremendous professional experience to continue Mikael’s legacy and
guide the Curtis Opera Theatre into the future,” said Curtis President
ROBERTO DÍAZ (Viola ’84). “Eric comes to Curtis at the height of
his career, and brings not only vast onstage experience, but also
a commitment to community engagement and musical advocacy
that perfectly aligns with the school’s mission to engage audiences
locally and globally. Danielle has collaborated with some of the most
prominent opera singers of this generation,” he continued. “And
as our principal opera coach and Mikael’s colleague since 1986, she
has tremendous depth of experience and institutional knowledge.”
The 2018–19 season will be a year of transition and celebration,
as Mr. Eliasen brings his distinguished tenure as artistic director of
the Curtis Opera Theatre and the Hirsig Family Chair of Vocal Studies
to a close. As planning begins for the following year, Mr. Owens and
Ms. Orlando will jointly hear auditions and be responsible for artistic
and educational oversight of the 2019–20 season.
Mr. Owens appears frequently with the Metropolitan Opera and
Lyric Opera of Chicago, among other international opera houses.
His broad performance experience spans music of all eras, and
he maintains an active concert career. He hopes to involve students
in his concert work after joining the Curtis faculty. “Working with
young people is something that is incredibly close to my heart,”
said Mr. Owens. “Coming back to Curtis—with its amazing, nurturing
environment and its illustrious and storied history—is just a dream
come true.”
Ms. Orlando’s career has included close collaborations with
musical titans such as Luciano Pavarotti, GIAN CARLO MENOTTI
(Composition ’33), and Plácido Domingo, as well as casting and
planning seasons for prestigious organizations around the world.
She was artistic administrator and head of music staff for the Opera
Company of Philadelphia for many years and has served on the music
staffs of the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington
National Opera, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, among others. She
has been a member of the Curtis faculty since 1986. “Working with
Mikael Eliasen as he developed the department has been a wonderful
journey, which forged a valued friendship as well,” she noted.
“As we transition to a new leadership team, the 2018–19 season
continues to reflect Mikael’s singular vision,” said Mr. Díaz. “He has
built an amazing department that embodies the Curtis core value of
learning by doing. And we believe the department will be in excellent
hands with Eric and Danielle, who know Curtis so well and care deeply
about continuing its trajectory of success.”
OVERTONES FALL 2018
3

NOTEWORTHY
A BASEMENT
MAKEOVER IN THE
MAIN BUILDING
Last winter’s holiday hiatus began in an
inauspicious way, as a water main break
flooded the basement of the historic main
building at 1726 Locust Street on December
20. A second break a day later caused
further damage and erased the cleanup
efforts that had already begun.
When the water subsided, it was clear the
damage extended throughout the basement
and sub-basement, including the piano
workshop, student lounge, and maintenance
shop. All three organs in the basement had
to be removed and repaired, one piano was
lost, and the remaining 17 pianos were moved
to Lenfest Hall until the restoration work
could be completed.
Alongside the disruption, there was a
happy side effect: The flooding jump-started
renovations that had already been under
discussion, allowing Curtis to make needed
upgrades to the basement during the
spring and summer. New hard flooring was
installed throughout, repainting freshened
the walls, and two smaller rooms were
combined to form a larger, more comfortable
audio-visual studio.
Additional plans for improvement
include new mastering equipment for
post-production, a 4K video system for
the cameras in Field Concert Hall, and
an improved acoustic design as well
as an updated heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system for the studio.
This work is funded in part by a $125,000
grant from the Presser Foundation, which
will pave the way for further development
of the school’s audio-visual and facilities
needs in the year ahead.
In Memoriam
Curtis mourns the loss of MICHAEL TREE
(Violin ’55) who passed away on March 30.
A member of the viola faculty for 50 years and
a founding member of the Guarneri Quartet,
Mr. Tree was a mentor and inspiration to
generations of Curtis violists who carried
on the Curtis string legacy he inherited
from his Curtis teachers EFREM ZIMBALIST,
Michael Tree
LEA LUBOSHUTZ, and VEDA REYNOLDS.
“He was one of the original quartet superstar violists,” said President ROBERTO DÍAZ (’84)
of Mr. Tree. “Through his playing he raised the bar, and through his teaching he left
a legacy—some of the greatest young string quartet violists and orchestra principals are
Michael Tree students. We will remember him for his humanity, his wit, and his incredible
commitment to music, the quartet, and Curtis.”
The Guarneri Quartet was formed in the late 1950s by Mr. Tree, cellist DAVID SOYER, and
two other violinists, JOHN DALLEY (Violin ’57) and ARNOLD STEINHARDT (Violin ’59). Mr. Tree
volunteered to play viola, cementing the course of his career. With the quartet, he performed
on virtually every concert series throughout the world and recorded more than 80 chamber
music works. Also a dedicated pedagogue, he joined the Curtis faculty in 1968 and also served
on the faculties of the University of Maryland, Manhattan School of Music, the Juilliard
School, and Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Curtis extends heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, colleagues, and students
of Mr. Tree.
VIRTUAL REALITY
COMES TO CURTIS
The VR team:
Composition student
Cheslea Komschlies (second
from right) is joined
On May 8 Gould Rehearsal Hall
by Greg Sharrow, who
holds the Field McFadden
hosted a multimedia experience
Chair in Audio-Visual Arts;
unlike anything in Curtis’s history.
Drexel University game
As part of the Community Artist
design student Christian
Romero, and Curtis organ
Program, CHELSEA KOMSCHLIES
student Clara Gerdes.
(Composition) partnered with
PHOTO: THOMAS OLTARZEWSKI
students from Drexel University’s
Antoinette Westphal College of
Media Arts and Design to pioneer a new type of musical experience. Her project blended
live music—an organ piece titled To Starboard, Star-Bound composed by Chelsea and
performed by CLARA GERDES (Organ)—with virtual “mixed reality” artwork.
Led by Drexel game design student Christian Romero, the technical team used the
Microsoft HoloLens to create the visual component of the performance. Unlike “virtual
reality” goggles, which completely enclose a user’s field of view to create the illusion
of a completely digital environment, the HoloLens places a transparent screen in front
of the viewer’s eyes. This allows viewers to view their real-life surroundings and projected
images simultaneously, resulting in the “mixed reality” effect, an illusion where virtual
objects appear to be projected around the physical space.
Chelsea and Symphony XR worked together to develop a series of animated scenes
that played out alongside the live performance—including an underwater scene complete
with sunken ruins and a school of surprisingly lifelike fish, and a glowing volcano. As the
technology develops, more advanced versions could allow
users to create increasingly realistic projections, and MORE ONLINE
audience members may be able to move about freely and View edited video
of the VR experience at
even interact with the projections as the software tracks
their movements.
Curtis.edu/Overtones
4 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTEWORTHY
STAFF
ANNIVERSARIES
Curtis thanks the entire staff,
with a nod to those celebrating
landmark anniversaries in 2018.
25 years
PAUL BRYAN
CHARLES STERNE III
The members of the Vera Quartet are (clockwise from lower left) Patricia Quintero García, violin; Pedro
Rodríguez, violin; Inés Picado Molares, viola; and Justin Goldsmith, cello. PHOTO: LINDY TSAI
New Quartet in Residence and
Fellows named for 2018–19
Curtis welcomes to its student body the newest participants in the school’s professional
bridge programs. The VERA QUARTET has been named Curtis’s string quartet in residence
for 2018–19 and 2019–20. Recently added to the roster of Astral Artists, the quartet
comes to Curtis with a long list of accomplishments, including winning the grand prize
at the Plowman and Yellow Springs chamber music competitions.
YUWON KIM, from Daegu, South Korea, enters Curtis as the newest conducting fellow,
joining conducting fellow YUE BAO, who entered Curtis in 2017. Winner of the 2014
Robert Spano Conductor Prize, Ms. Kim has worked with numerous orchestras, including
the Zürich Tonhalle, Netherlands Philharmonic, and Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Three Curtis graduates have been named Community Artist Fellows for 2018–19.
NOZOMI IMAMURA (Trumpet ’15) returns for a second fellowship year, along with SEULA LEE
(Violin ’18) and NICK DiBERARDINO (Composition ’18). They will work with community partners
in Philadelphia to provide rich artistic experiences to underserved communities.
10 years
MATTHEW BARKER
5 years
ANDREW LANE
THOMAS OLTARZEWSKI (Composition ’13)
DAVID REINHARDT
Contributors to Noteworthy include Jennifer
Kallend, Thomas Oltarzewski, Diana Wensley,
Melinda Whiting, and Peter Williams.
HISTORIC CURTIS PERFORMANCES REDISCOVERED
During an inventory of the John de Lancie Library’s special collections, Curtis librarians
rediscovered several recordings of value to the school’s history that never made it into
the library’s catalog. Highlights include audio recordings of commencement ceremonies
from 1959 and 1961 and several short fanfares composed by GIAN CARLO MENOTTI (’33) for
the U.S. War Information Office during World War II.
Of special interest is a collection of videos of Curtis opera department performances
from the 1970s. These include productions of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Britten’s Rape of
Lucretia, and Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Performers include sopranos MARTHA SHEIL (’73),
CLAUDIA VISCA (’73), JANICE HOFER REDICK (’74), and ELLEN PHILLIPS FROHNMAYER (’76);
tenors JOSEPH FRANK (’74), JAMES HOBACK (’76), and GREGORY WIEST (’77); baritones
ALBERTO GARCIA (’75), PHILIP van LIDTH de JEUDE (’75), and CARLOS SERRANO (’77); and
basses JESSE COSTON (’76) and STEPHEN WEST (’77).
A 1974 Curtis production of Don Pasquale
The library eagerly anticipates the chance to see how Curtis operas from the 1970s
PHOTO: GEORGE KRAUSE/CURTIS ARCHIVES
were staged, but all of these performances are recorded on rapidly deteriorating materials
using now-defunct technology. Since few playback machines exist, librarians have not been able to watch them yet. The recordings have
been moved to offsite storage where deterioration can be slowed, but they still await transfer to more stable digital formats. The library
is currently seeking funding for this and other digitization projects.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
5

NOTEWORTHY
S O C I A L H I G H L I G H T. . .
S U P P O R T E R S P O T L I G H T. . .
PAULINE
CANDAUX
Pauline Candaux
has been volunteering
as a member of the
Friends of Curtis since
Pauline Candaux
2011. Along with her
PHOTO: DAVID DeBALKO
husband Sol Katz, she
hosts dinners and arranges outings for her
“adopted” students, creating a home away
from home for many of them. Pauline is also
among the volunteers who maintain the garden
on Lenfest Hall’s Dannenbaum Terrace, helping
to improve the quality of life for Curtis’s
student residents. She currently serves
on the board of trustees as a representative
of the Friends of Curtis. Here Pauline talks
about her special projects and love of music.
How did you discover Curtis? I learned about
Curtis while I was still working actively, and
I had been told about these amazing student
recitals. I didn’t come but once or twice.
And then a friend said to me after I retired,
“You know, I think you would really like being
involved with Curtis.” I said yes, and it’s one
of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
Opera Alumna Takes Over
Curtis alumna AMANDA MAJESKI (Opera ’09) made a long-awaited return to Philadelphia
this spring, taking over the Curtis Instagram account to document her visit. Amanda
shared photos and video from rehearsal with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and conductor
KARINA CANELLAKIS (Violin ’04), but also brought fans along as she wandered the city,
visiting landmarks like Rittenhouse Square and even recording a message outside her
onetime student apartment. More Instagram highlights @CurtisInstitute.
G R A P H I C D E T A I L . . .
Has your involvement with Curtis affected
your musical interests? Hosting and knowing
the composition students opened our eyes
to new music. We have loved classical music
forever, but were a little wary about works by
living composers. Now, some of our favorite
musical experiences are hearing new works.
What has your work on the terrace garden
meant for you? A small group of volunteers
maintains the terrace and grows herbs and
lettuce used by the kitchen for student meals.
It is very gratifying when students thank us
for what we are doing. Volunteers also help
Curtis by greeting at student recitals, thanking
donors to the Annual Fund, offering tours to
potential new friends of Curtis, and holding
special events for students and host families.
Who are your favorite composers? This year,
of course, it’s hard not to have Bernstein
as a favorite. Certainly Brahms has always
been a favorite of mine.
Conversation edited and condensed by
Diana Wensley
10 YEARS OF CURTIS ON TOUR
As it starts a second decade, Curtis on Tour continues to tally more cities and venues.
In its first ten years, Curtis on Tour offered 300 concerts in 90 cities, in 20 countries
on four continents.
MORE ONLINE
Curtis.edu/CurtisOnTour
6 OVERTONES FALL 2018

MEET THE FACULTY
A Keen Ear and a Sharp Mind
Poet Jeanne McGinn, liberal arts chair at Curtis, is a discerning and generous listener.
BY DAVE ALLEN
Composers aren’t the only ones at Curtis who occasionally struggle to find a title for their works.
In a poetry seminar taught by Jeanne M. McGinn, finding the right phrase to title a poem
can be fraught, but it’s also sometimes a celebratory occasion. As students passed out copies
of their works last spring, someone exclaimed, “Monica wrote a title!”—that’s organ student
Monica Czausz—and exultant kudos were shared around the table in the second-floor seminar
room of the Rock Resource Center.
A member of the Curtis faculty since 1994 and chair of liberal arts since 2001, Dr. McGinn
is charged with fleshing out the non-musical education of young musicians. Regardless of her
students’ disposition toward poetry or literature, she supplies food for thought and space to
reflect; in every student, she aims to bring out previously untapped artistic potential.
“For students here, the center of their life is music, but they need to think and write and
express themselves in a parallel vernacular,” she says. “I suppose my job is to make room for
them to grow and to protect that space.”
Monica, a post-baccalaureate student, signed up for Dr. McGinn’s poetry seminar without
knowing much about the professor; in fact, with a degree already in hand, she wasn’t required
to take liberal arts courses. “I just like poetry,” she says. “I’m happier when I have something
going on outside of music.” Though Monica says she admires Dr. McGinn for the “elegant
ease in the way she carries herself and runs her class,” she’s found her poetry teacher even more
inspiring outside of the classroom. “She follows what all her students are up to, and she comes
to our recitals and concerts, because she really cares.”
During class, Dr. McGinn holds forth in a mode that would be welcome in any music
teacher’s studio: listening thoughtfully and taking everything in, then providing feedback that
both exhorts and encourages.
Along with weekly assignments in both creative writing and analysis, her poetry students
also contribute to a running definition of what poetry is and make additions during each class.
One of these definitions jumps out as especially resonant in a conservatory setting: “Poetry Is…
conversation with past traditions.”
“Students here understand that in order to break with tradition, you have to know the
tradition,” she explains. When writing, playing music, or making art of any kind, she has
found, “we’re actually in conversation all the time, and through that, I can make parallels with
Variations on a Theme by Paganini, or Brahms saying ‘hi’ to Beethoven” in his First Symphony.
Jeanne M. McGinn, Ph.D. holds the Ruth W. and
A. Morris Williams Chair in Liberal Arts at Curtis.
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
A LIBERAL ARTS LEGACY
Not long after completing her Ph.D. at Bryn Mawr College, Dr. McGinn took on the role of
liberal arts chair, succeeding Joan Hutton Landis, another poet and former Bryn Mawr faculty
member. Though Dr. McGinn teaches poems from Dr. Landis’s collection That Blue Repair
and draws on books Dr. Landis donated to Curtis, she honors her late predecessor in other
ways as well. “She was so generous, and she made Curtis into a family and a community of
learners,” she says. “The idea of learning deeply in addition to technical mastery—I think
that is part of the legacy, too.”
In addition to teaching courses in writing and literature, Dr. McGinn also helps to curate
a liberal arts faculty with particular strengths and sensitivities. Under her guidance, everything
from a convocation address on academic integrity to a monthly faculty meeting can be the
occasion for wit and eloquence, says James Moyer, who joined the liberal arts faculty in 2015
and teaches courses in philosophy, film, and literature.
“She’s the quintessential leader by example. She’s exquisitely aware of Curtis’s culture, and
of the students and their needs,” he says. “She’s a great listener, and she sincerely wants to
know your concerns.”
Dr. McGinn “follows what
all her students are up to,
and she comes to our
recitals and concerts, because
she really cares,” says organ
student Monica Czausz.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
7

MEET THE FACULTY
Opposite: Dr. McGinn
in a literature class
PHOTOS: PETE CHECCHIA
During class, Dr. McGinn
holds forth in a mode
that would be welcome in
any music teacher’s studio:
listening thoughtfully and
taking everything in, then
providing feedback that both
exhorts and encourages.
MORE ONLINE
Watch video of a musical setting
of Dr. McGinn’s poetry at
Curtis.edu/Overtones
Further evidence of close listening appears in Dr. McGinn’s own poetry, in which rhythm
and sibilance roil placid-seeming images. When writing (as Jeanne Minahan), she says,
“sound is first for me. Sense comes later.” With no published volumes yet, she is, interestingly,
a poet more heard than read; more than half a dozen composers, many of them connected
to Curtis, have set her poems. Jennifer Higdon, the Milton L. Rock Chair in Composition
Studies and an alumna, was the first, plucking six from a hand-delivered manuscript. The
resulting work—The Singing Rooms, for choir, orchestra, and violin soloist—has now been
performed throughout the United States and abroad.
“It’s humbling and terrifying,” Dr. McGinn says of hearing her words sung back to her.
“The idea that a line could move someone is such a joy, and so the possibility of hearing many
lines in a variety of moods is really fun.”
Most recently, Ya-Jhu Yang, a 2011 graduate in composition, premiered a song cycle titled
Five Minahan Songs, which strings together a story of smoldering desire from spare yet evocative
lines. Having now worked together with Dr. McGinn on two settings—the first, Rain Out at
Sea, was premiered in 2011—Ms. Yang has been able to measure her growth as a composer
against Dr. McGinn’s writings. “She’s always so gracious, never interfering,” the young composer
says. “She feels as though her poems are being well taken care of in a new art form.”
Whether students come to her to fulfill an academic requirement or a compositional need,
Dr. McGinn provides the assurance of a keen ear and a sharp mind. Those with a deep-seated
literary bent, like violin student Tsutomu William Copeland, find themselves uniquely satisfied.
Will, as he is known on campus, sought out Dr. McGinn’s Irish Literature course after taking
a trip to Ireland before his sophomore year. “I think she makes a point to teach things she
herself finds incredibly fascinating,” he says. “It seemed like she was learning and discovering
new things along with her students.”
He then took a second course the following semester: Paris Between the Wars. Though it
had the largest workload of his classes, he says he found the challenge well worth the reward.
“She really shines in whatever she chooses to teach.”
Dave Allen is communications manager at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, and has written
frequently for Overtones, Symphony, and other musical publications.
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
W H Y C H O O S E C U R T I S ?
More Reasons at
—JEANNE M. McGINN
Curtis.edu/WhyChooseCurtis
“Curtis is a gathering of artists choosing to forge a community. It’s a place where art can live
and (if we let it) thrive, and I think the community of fellow artists striving alongside one another
allows us to share in the excitement of making. Making—whether composing, singing, conducting,
or performing—is a cycle: The hard work and devotion that we bring to making can inspire a colleague,
just as we can be revived, challenged, exhorted, or changed by the hard work of others.
“At Curtis, when we give young artists the room and the tools to grow to be their best selves, then
we carry on the founder’s vision; and we ensure that the gifts of true artistry will continue to flourish.”
8 OVERTONES FALL 2018

MEET THE STUDENTS
“I never really thought
about doing anything else,”
Oliver says, speaking
of music as a calling:
“I don’t see it as a career
or as a job. It’s just a
part of who I am.”
A Quiet Conviction
Cellist Oliver Herbert calmly sets his musical course.
BY MATTHEW BARKER
Oliver Herbert holds the Edwin B. Garrigues
Annual Fellowship at Curtis. PHOTO: TODD ROSENBERG
There’s a kind of transformation that occurs when Oliver Herbert sits down to play the
cello in performance. After a humble bow that gives away his introverted nature, he closes
his eyes and breathes deeply. A change has occurred. The sound that emerges from the cello
seems to have been summoned from another place or time, and in that moment the audience
is transported to where Oliver feels most comfortable. “There’s something very exciting to
me about trying to get into that world, trying to put myself in that space,” says Oliver.
The result is immersive, thoughtful, and at times audacious.
Modest and soft-spoken, the 21-year-old cellist is on the cusp of a professional career.
Despite his gentle demeanor, he’s tenacious, self-aware, and mature beyond his years. “I have
a very clear idea of what I want to hear, and I don’t really ever achieve that,” he says. “In my
practice I try not to get too down on what I can’t do. I try not to be too self-critical because
improvement comes over time. Improvement doesn’t come from negativity. It’s never going
to be exactly what I want, but I know I’m closer.” His persistence and clear-eyed perspective
are directly related to the musical independence he’s afforded at Curtis. “I feel like the more
OVERTONES FALL 2018
9

MEET THE STUDENTS
At right: Oliver played the extended cello solo
representing the title character in Strauss’ s
Don Quixote with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra
and conductor Juanjo Mena in October 2017.
Above: After his Don Quixote performance, fellow
orchestra members congratulated Oliver backstage.
PHOTOS: DAVID DeBALKO
Oliver, according to one
of his teachers, Carter Brey,
is “someone who lays the
foundation for a career as a
musician brick by brick, very
carefully, and makes his move
when he feels ready, not before.”
that I grow as a person, the more I grow as an artist,” he says. For him, Curtis is “the place
to experience those moments of growth.”
The past year included several noteworthy musical achievements for Oliver at Curtis and
abroad. Last fall he performed the solo part in Richard Strauss’s epic tone poem Don Quixote
with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Verizon Hall, and in the spring he performed alongside
piano faculty Meng-Chieh Liu (’93) and gave two riveting performances of J.S. Bach’s sixth
suite on a five-string baroque cello. In between he was a prizewinner at the Lutosławski
International Cello Competition in Poland. This fall he makes his debut as a soloist with
the San Francisco Symphony, playing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, and performs the Elgar
Cello Concerto with the Marin Symphony.
His ease in balancing several major projects prompts comparison with one of his teachers
at Curtis, Carter Brey, often noted for his versatility. Mr. Brey, who is principal cello of the
New York Philharmonic, is well-known for his interpretation of Don Quixote, as well as his
acclaimed performances of the Bach suites (not coincidentally, on the same baroque cello he
loaned to Oliver). But Oliver is “completely his own man,” says his teacher. “Both as a player
and as a human being, he has a tremendous depth of strength … He’s like the force that will
not be denied.”
A FACT OF LIFE
There’s never been a time when Oliver wasn’t supported in his musical endeavors. His family
tree is full of professional musicians going back generations, and much of his early musical
training came from his parents and grandparents. Growing up in the Bay Area, he regularly
attended San Francisco Symphony concerts and tours thanks to his father, David Herbert,
who was the orchestra’s principal timpanist (a post he now holds in the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra). Oliver never felt pressure to become a professional musician, but says it was
an easy call even from an early age. “I never really thought about doing anything else,” he says,
speaking of music as a calling: “I don’t see it as a career or as a job. It’s just a part of who I am.
… If a profession is supposed to be your contribution to the world, then that’s what I feel like
I can try to do.”
Like many musicians at Curtis, Oliver credits the work he’s done away from his principal
instrument as making the real difference in learning what it means to be a 21st-century musician.
“At this school I’ve had the opportunities to develop my sense of self in other ways,” says Oliver,
citing his “access to so much variety when it comes to mentors” and the independence to build
10 OVERTONES FALL 2018

MEET THE STUDENTS
his own projects based on his interests. In addition to his private study with Carter Brey and
Peter Wiley, he mentions his time with Ford Lallerstedt in musical studies, Leon Schelhase
in baroque interpretation, and composition faculty David Ludwig in new music, among others.
“Curtis creates an environment where not only do I have access to these mentors, but they are
actually approachable,” says Oliver. “Learning from all these wonderful people has been crucial
in developing my artistry, but equally important, getting to know my mentors as human
beings has given me access to so many ways of thinking, which has been invaluable to my
growth as a human being.”
Above left: Oliver played Mozart with Curtis
classmates as part of an all-day quartet
marathon in November 2016.
Above right: Oliver rehearses in Field Concert
Hall with piano student Janice Carissa
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
ENDLESS EXPLORATION
Oliver’s musical collaborations span generations, from such seasoned veterans as violinists
Pamela Frank, Miriam Fried, and Shmuel Ashkenasi and clarinetist Franklin Cohen, to young
Curtis alumni like pianist Xiaohui Yang, who met Oliver in 2017 through a tour for Ravinia’s
Steans Music Institute. The two have since formed a duo, with recitals scheduled through
Curtis on Tour this season and a forthcoming CD. Ms. Yang relishes the fresh perspectives
they offer one another in both new and old repertoire: “It’s always fun working with someone
who never ceases looking for challenges and possibilities in programming.”
Clearly Oliver continues to live the double life that is all too familiar around Curtis—at
once a student and a professional—and he’s learning that the two aren’t always so different.
“I’m starting to understand things that I thought I would never understand,” he says. “I still
have a lot of growing up to do, but I think I came to the realization that it’s okay to not know
everything, not to be totally grown up.” He feels confident—“Being confident and being
arrogant are not the same thing,” he smiles—and Mr. Brey has confidence in him, too.
“He’s someone who lays the foundation for a career as a musician brick by brick, very
carefully, and makes his move when he feels ready, not before.”
That foundation is firming up as Oliver makes new discoveries about the connections
in his life. “Every experience you have is valuable,” he says, adding “the bad or stressful things
that can happen to you as a person are still things to be grateful for. I have so much less
resentment towards everything than before I came [to Curtis].” And that freed-up energy
is going back into his music, or wherever else he wants it to go. “If I have something that’s
there to do, I want to do it and put my all into it.” Just try and stop him.
MORE ONLINE
Watch videos of Oliver’s recital performances at
Curtis.edu/Overtones
Matthew Barker is the director of recitals and master classes.
PHOTO: TODD ROSENBERG
W H Y C H O O S E C U R T I S ?
More Reasons at
—OLIVER HERBERT
Curtis.edu/WhyChooseCurtis
“[At Curtis] I always feel like I’m an individual. I’m treated like a person. I think every student here
is different, and has different interests, and wants to do different things, and the school’s very
accommodating of that.”
OVERTONES FALL 2018
11

THE COMPLEAT MUSICIAN
A Breath of Fresh Air
Learning liberal arts by doing, students venture outside the walls of Curtis.
BY EVA SWIDLER
PHOTOS: PETE CHECCHIA
Whether by holding fictionwriting
contests, organizing
theater outings. or attending
museum exhibitions, liberal
arts faculty ask students to
put abstract learning to work.
Eva Swidler teaches classes about history,
environmental studies, and food systems.
Since 1924, long before experiential learning became a catchphrase in education, Curtis’s
motto has been based on educational philosopher John Dewey’s formulation of “learning by
doing.” Young musicians come to the conservatory for individual studio lessons and classroom
instruction in musical studies, but become polished performers through the real-world practice
of music: they play and sing in recitals, operas, and concerts as well as give workshops, teach
master classes, and engage the community in projects. Learning by doing is a proud hallmark
of the institution.
Educational offerings at Curtis go beyond the traditional conservatory model, however.
Since 1940, the school has required academic work in the liberal arts from students pursuing
a bachelor’s degree. Incoming students often assume that these liberal arts classes will follow
conventional ideas of the ivory tower’s isolation from the larger world. On the contrary: Just
as the musical faculty at Curtis support their students to learn by being musical practitioners,
faculty in Curtis’s department of liberal arts create connections between students’ academic
work and the larger world. Whether by holding poetry and fiction-writing contests, organizing
outings to the theater, or attending museum exhibitions, liberal arts faculty ask students
to put abstract learning to work. We ask them to create, we prompt them to analyze their
experiences and daily lives using theory, and we invite them to think carefully about their civic
responsibilities using ethics. In short, we ask them to learn literature, sociology, or philosophy
by “doing” them.
As a member of Curtis’s liberal arts faculty, I teach across the social science disciplines,
including history, environmental studies, and food systems. Over the semesters, my students
have attended a play re-imagining the American South on the brink of the Civil War, heard
12 OVERTONES FALL 2018

THE COMPLEAT MUSICIAN
a soil scientist talk about lead pollution in Philadelphia neighborhoods, written “environmental
biographies” of their instruments to place their musical artistry in a material context, and
visited local museums to infer subtexts created by curators in displays.
Above: Students in the Nature in America course
consider urban weeds collected on a walking “field trip.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Some of my most popular projects to bring academic learning to life are undoubtedly in my
course Introduction to Food Studies. A visit to Curtis’s kitchen is a favorite “field trip,” helping
students take the step from reading on a page about food systems to actually understanding
what’s on their plate and how it got there. Activities like talking to the Gould Dining Hall
chef about how he makes decisions about food supplies, or watching kitchen staff hard at
work, create a foundation for classroom conversations about the economics and ethics of what
we eat. One spring, a particularly enthusiastic class took up the chef’s invitation to learn knife
skills in a special session in the Curtis kitchen.
In a mid-semester assignment for the course, I ask students to visit two food stores in
different neighborhoods and compare what is sold, how it is packaged, and how it is marketed.
Students build their own understanding of how food systems in America operate by interpreting
what they see, using their newly acquired classroom learning. Although I’d originally imagined
that this assignment would get students focusing on stores and cultures other than their own,
I soon realized that students placed their own childhood food patterns into wider American
ones as they compared their memories to the shops and neighborhoods they visited.
Food Studies is a course designed to fulfill Curtis’s citizenship and ethics requirement,
so students also get the chance to choose and examine an existing project that works to end
hunger, such as a food pantry, a soup kitchen, or a community garden. They ask what ideas
about the causes of hunger animate the project, what principles are embodied in it, and
whether they are satisfied with the approach.
Learning the liberal arts by doing them can be a challenge for Curtis’s busy student body.
Just reading and writing becomes no longer enough, as it might be in a conventional college
or university; to “do” history or environmental studies, students need to get out into the world.
Making time to go for a walk and gather plants for a class session on urban weeds or to take
a trip to the Philadelphia Waterworks isn’t easy in a schedule already full with practicing and
performing, or while preoccupied with auditions and competitions. But even when reluctant
at first, students often come back to the classroom after outings excited about having wielded
new concepts and skills to make sense of both the everyday and the unusual outside the doors
of Lenfest Hall. And a break from the discipline of music and a breath of fresh air can bring
welcome balance to a demanding day.
Learning by doing is Curtis’s time-honored and proven approach to music. It is also an
approach to the liberal arts that ensures that lessons in English literature, history, or philosophy
won’t go the way of so much book learning—fading from memory—but will stay alive, shaping
perceptions and bringing insights, as students make their way in the world.
Food Studies students get the
chance to choose and examine
an existing project that works
to end hunger, such as a
food pantry, a soup kitchen,
or a community garden.
Eva Swidler is a member of Curtis’s liberal arts faculty.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
13

Electronic
Odyssey
BY DAVID LUDWIG AND THE 2017–18 COMPOSITION STUDIO
Pioneering composer Tod Machover guides
Curtis students through new territory.
P R E S E N T I N G S I X N E W
P I E C E S U S I N G L I V E
E L E C T R O N I C S W A S
A G R E A T L E A R N I N G
E X P E R I E N C E F O R T H E
S T U D E N T S . I T W A S
A L S O A N E D U C A T I O N
F O R T H E S C H O O L .
Above: Tod Machover answered questions from
the audience before the May 4 performance.
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
Composers have been using electronics in their work for a century,
and over time the incorporation of technology has become a part of the everyday vocabulary
of new music. So I was excited that in the 2017–18 school year the Curtis composition
department had the great privilege of welcoming, as visiting faculty, a pioneer in composing
with technology: Tod Machover, professor of music and media at the MIT Media Lab.
Learning that Tod was writing a new work for the Kronos Quartet prompted an idea
for a group project involving all six of our composition students: a Curtis 20/21 Ensemble
program that would tie together the example of Tod’s extraordinary work with technology
and composition with the performance of Curtis’s resident Zorá String Quartet. Composing
using electronics would be a new experience for many of our students, adding an important
additional perspective to their work over the course of the year—and there could be no
better mentor for them than Tod.
In preparation for these premieres, we also had the opportunity to collaborate on
logistical and technical issues with Drexel University professor Youngmoo Kim and his
students. Their help was truly invaluable. Meanwhile members of the JACK Quartet coached
the Zorás in realizing the new compositions and learning how to work with electronic elements
in performance.
The culminating concert in Gould Rehearsal Hall featured six new pieces, the likes of
which have never been heard in a full program at Curtis. Presenting their works was a great
learning experience for the students, who share their reflections here. It was also an education
for the school on many levels. The technical challenges stretched us and taught us to be
resourceful (as when a misbehaving loop pedal was fixed in performance using the highly
advanced technique of unplugging and plugging back in!).
I was so impressed by the work of our composers, and all of us involved in this project owe
a debt of gratitude to Tod for his generous mentorship and willingness to share his expertise
and experience.
—David Ludwig, chair of composition studies
14 OVERTONES FALL 2018

Clockwise from above left:
Tod Machover, student Dai Wei, and David Ludwig try out
the masks used in the performance of Wei’s Lo-re-lei.
PHOTO: SIJIA HUANG
Aiyana Tedi Braun conducted the performance
of her piece, which included a vocal line sung
by fellow composer Chelsea Komschlies.
Wei performs her Lo-re-lei with
the masked Zorá String Quartet.
Mr. Machover and Viet Cuong
Mr. Machover and Aiyana discuss the
operation of live electronics for her Meditation
with Curtis audio engineer Drew Schlegel.
Mr. Schlegel ran the live electronics from
a control station at the rear of the hall.
At the May 4 concert, Dr. Ludwig interviewed
Mr. Machover before a standing-room-only audience.
PHOTOS: PETE CHECCHIA
OVERTONES FALL 2018
15

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
The world of electronics was particularly daunting to me before beginning this venture,
as I was unfamiliar with the possibilities of the sound world, the capabilities of the relevant
software, and the tools needed to bring these unique soundscapes to life. To be introduced
to this new world by someone as knowledgeable and accomplished as Tod Machover was
an incredible privilege, to say the least.
In addition to several mentoring sessions with Tod throughout the year, all six Curtis
composers were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Boston to visit the MIT
Media Lab. It was inspiring to see so many young people exploring the various applications
of sound. I was especially impressed by one project that transforms the physical space
a listener occupies in order to mimic and enhance one’s auditory experience, and another
that improves the cognitive functions of patients with various terminal illnesses through
the use of sound frequencies.
Being exposed to individuals who are pushing the boundaries within their prospective
fields, especially fields that directly relate to what we do as composers, is tremendously
rewarding and inspiring. I am very grateful to Tod and those at MIT for sharing their work
and enthusiasm with us.
—Aiyana Tedi Braun
I D I D N O T I M A G I N E I ’ D
B E H E A R I N G T H E
M A Y 4 C O N C E R T F R O M
A H O T E L R O O M
H A L F W A Y A C R O S S T H E
W O R L D . Y E T T H A T ’ S
W H E R E I F O U N D
M Y S E L F, L I S T E N I N G
T H R O U G H E A R B U D S T O
T H E L I V E S T R E A M
F R O M H O N G K O N G .
— N I C K D i B E R A R D I N O
THE CHALLENGE OF NOVELTY
The string quartet is a tricky ensemble to write for, in part because it is so heavily represented
in the canon. It’s difficult to say something new. I understood generally how technology
might help a composer create something unique for this time-honored medium, and was
especially interested in the expanded timbral possibilities. That said, electronics are not
in my wheelhouse as a composer, so I knew this was going to be a challenge.
As I wrote my piece, Dripstone, I had in my mind images of stalagmites and stalactites
(or “dripstones”) formed in caves and thought it would be an eerie but interesting place to
encounter a string quartet. I saw myself walking towards them, and the character of the music
changed as I got nearer. The only problem was that I had no sense of how I might achieve
this sonically within the confines of Gould Rehearsal Hall.
Thankfully, Tod’s guidance helped me not only in applying electronic elements to my
piece, but also in improving my native writing for the quartet. With the help of our fabulous
collaborators from Drexel, the devoted preparation of the wonderful Zorá Quartet, and the
tireless efforts of audio engineer Drew Schlegel (especially during the concert!), the piece came
together beautifully.
—Viet Cuong
LEARNING CURVE
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Tod throughout the year. He’s such a kind and generous
teacher, and very supportive of all of us, even outside of the context of our lessons with him.
Writing for electronics had always been too daunting for me to try because of the learning
curve. In most schools, if you want to write with electronics—great. But buying and learning
the software, creating and running all the electronics and hardware, and finally having the
piece rehearsed and performed on a recital is 100 percent up to you, without any outside help.
So the opportunity to have this curated concert of all electro-acoustic pieces and to have
help in creating and running the electronics was an incredibly relieving way to go about my
first piece in this medium. I’d like to give heartfelt thanks to Jeff Gregorio and Andy Wiggins,
graduate students of Youngmoo Kim at Drexel University, who helped us learn the software
and create our electronics, to Drew Schlegel and Loren Stata of the Curtis audio-visual team,
who ran the electronics and even helped us refine them prior to the performance, and of
course to Tod and David Ludwig for their guidance, putting together the collaborations,
and overseeing this whole project. It’s the sort of opportunity I would never have found
outside of Curtis.
—Chelsea Komschlies
16 OVERTONES FALL 2018

LABELS EFFACED
I have always wanted to write a piece in response to the issue of labeling. Gender, race, ethnicity,
social hierarchy, sexuality—while these labels and identities can help us to better understand
and respect one another, they can also create barriers between us. The legend of Lorelei, an
aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a human and the tail of a fish, is meant
to be a metaphor that delivers this message. All of the five performers wear black masks
as a symbol of effacing the effect of labeling.
I was given the option to use either Linear Predictive Coding or Vocoder to execute my
idea, but I had no prior experience with either of these tools. Dr. Ludwig and Dr. Machover
encouraged me strongly to explore both options. With the use of Vocoder, the Zorá String
Quartet and I (as the vocalist) are able to alter the acoustic material in real time in order to
give Lo-re-lei as dynamic a personality as possible.
—Dai Wei
WHAT IF?
It was a pleasure working with Tod over the past year—and the Curtis composers’ trip to Boston
to see the Media Lab at MIT was illuminating. I’m thankful to Curtis for having provided
space—resonant space for thought and performance—as well as time and the opportunity for
experimentation, with respect to this project. My composition turned out to be a synthesis of
components—principally, components that belong to the categories of hypotheses, questions,
and “what would happen if?”
One axis of the work I composed, theology after breakfast sticks to the eye or or did the saint
survive?, is the manipulation of recordings of interviews with four logical positivist philosophers
(Willard Van Orman Quine, Bertrand Russell, A.J. Ayer, and John Searle). The sound of their
voices is treated as an element separate from the listener’s perception of their words; so the
boundary between verbal recognition and pure sound—without verbal recognition, though
abstracted from the verbal—is acknowledged as a variable in this piece.
Technically speaking, learning about acoustical balance with respect to the combination
of electronics and classical string instruments was useful for me. This project helped me to
consider, for example, what parameters I ought to manipulate so that a specific electronic
sound could be heard over a specific live string sound, and vice versa.
—Andrew Moses
Opposite: Audio engineer Drew Schlegel ran
the live electronics from a control station
at the rear of the hall.
Above: Applause at the program’s close
PHOTO: PETE CHECCHIA
DISTANT IMPRESSIONS
I did not imagine I’d be hearing the May 4 concert—the culmination of so many months
of effort by so many people—from a hotel room halfway across the world. Yet that’s where
I found myself, listening through earbuds to the live stream from a bed in Hong Kong,
where I had traveled to participate in the Intimacy of Creativity festival. At the time, the
“early returns” from our ambitious project to write new quartets with electronics were not
all encouraging. A long list of logistical challenges faced us, and the first rehearsal for our
concert—the only one I was able to attend—was cut short due to technical difficulties.
The sheer volume of the growing pains we faced was enough to make me worry the challenges
might get the best of us. As I tuned in from Hong Kong, I worried I’d hear the signs of a project
plagued with problems.
Instead, I was amazed. The quality of the music on the program, the sensitivity of the
Zorás’ playing, and the inventiveness of my incredible colleagues all shone through, even
through earbuds halfway around the world. As the evening wrapped up, I couldn’t help but
smile. The ambitiousness of this concert, with all its innovation, had created many challenges.
But in the end, this music was worth it.
—Nick DiBerardino
David Ludwig is chair of composition studies and the Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor to the President.
MORE ONLINE
Hear and see the six premieres online.
Curtis.edu/Overtones
OVERTONES FALL 2018
17

HIGH
MARKS
The reaccreditation process requires us to study how
we teach and how we learn. Then comes the exam.
BY PAUL BRYAN
PHOTOS BY PETE CHECCHIA
Every ten years, Curtis is put to the test.
The elaborate reaccreditation process of the Middle States Commission on Higher
Education “ensures institutional accountability, self-appraisal, improvement, and innovation
through peer review and the rigorous application of standards within the context of
institutional mission.” If all goes well, it results in a necessary and public stamp of approval,
which Curtis is now on track to receive this fall.
Having played a leadership role in three reaccreditation cycles at Curtis since 2003,
I can attest to the fact that this decennial evaluation—with all that it requires of the Curtis
community—is quite an undertaking. As with most valuable efforts, what we get out of it
is directly proportional to what we put in.
We’re Curtis! Why do we need accreditation?
As a highly respected institution with alumni of equally high regard, why should Curtis
be accountable to the standards of an external commission? Why should we subject ourselves
to its process?
Schools and their students see substantial benefits from accreditation. First and foremost,
a degree from Curtis is recognized by other similarly accredited institutions of higher education.
Our graduates can qualify for master’s and doctoral programs, and credit earned at Curtis
can be transferred to other schools based on their policies.
Perhaps more crucially, our status with Middle States allows Curtis to provide federal
Title IV funding to our students in the form of loans to assist with room, board, and other
qualifying expenses. In 2016–17, Curtis disbursed $340,474 in direct loans and Pell Grants—
a significant number and one that allowed 75 percent of our students to receive some form of
financial assistance, over and above the full-tuition scholarships that all Curtis students receive.
18 OVERTONES FALL 2018

C U R T I S I S F I L L E D W I T H
O V E R A C H I E V E R S—W H E T H E R
S T U D E N T S, F A C U LT Y, O R S T A F F—
A N D T H E C U LT U R E O F T H E
S C H O O L M I R R O R S T H A T Q U A L I T Y.
The heart of the process: self-study
While Curtis’s reaccreditation effort culminated in a four-day evaluation team visit last spring,
the real work began two and a half years earlier, with the creation of an institutional self-study
document. This allowed Curtis to measure itself against the standards Middle States requires
all institutions to meet. Self-study also gave us a chance to look inward, examining all facets
of Curtis and determining how we can better fulfill our mission.
From the beginning, the process was purposely inclusive. I had the pleasure of creating
and chairing a 17-member steering committee comprising faculty, administrative staff,
students, alumni, trustees, and a former member of the Curtis board of overseers. Then
seven subcommittees were formed, each concentrating on a specific Middle States standard
of accreditation; these involved an additional 36 members of the Curtis community. Personally,
I found the steering committee and subcommittee meetings energizing. Each participant
brought a genuine and thoughtful presence to the meetings and a determination to make
the self-study process useful. I was especially struck by the level of engagement exhibited
by the performance faculty members who participated—a benefit the school needs on a
more consistent basis.
Meanwhile, in an effort separate from the Middle States reaccreditation process but running
parallel with it, the Task Force on Curtis’s 21st-Century Education examined the strengths and
weaknesses of the Curtis education across all areas of learning. Led by musical studies faculty
member Mia Chung, this group provided valuable context and findings that further informed
the reaccreditation process and self-study document.
What we discovered about Curtis
The self-study process provided us with a valuable opportunity to assess the institution’s
current strengths and weaknesses, and recommend ways in which the school can be improved.
Our look inward reaffirmed that Curtis is indeed a mission-driven institution. Our
mission—to educate and train exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global
community through the highest level of artistry—helps give the school, as well as its programs
and operations, a distinct focus. The visiting team concurred in its final report, complimenting
Curtis on the clarity of its mission and its integration throughout the curriculum.
Curtis is filled with overachievers—whether students, faculty, or staff—and the culture
of the school mirrors that quality. The administration and faculty want to do everything we
can to send our graduates into the professional world of music fully equipped to deliver on the
school’s mission. As Dr. Chung noted in the final Task Force report, the learning opportunities
Curtis makes available to students have grown rapidly over the last decade. The career studies
department, according to the report, has “given students opportunities to build career-based
skills and to understand music’s social impact through work with individuals and groups that
might not otherwise have exposure to classical music.” The report also credits the musical
OVERTONES FALL 2018
19

W E K E P T E N C O U N T E R I N G T H E N E E D T O B A L A N C E A N D
P R I O R I T I Z E W I T H I N T H E S C H O O L’ S P R O G R A M S , T O I N T E G R A T E
T H E P E R F O R M A N C E A N D A C A D E M I C C U R R I C U L A , A N D T O
I M P R O V E A S S E S S M E N T O F A L L O U R C U R R I C U L A R O F F E R I N G S .
studies and liberal arts departments with building “a robust set of required and elective courses”
and establishing “more consistent attendance and homework requirements to develop essential
abilities in the areas of reading comprehension, critical thinking, analysis, writing, and
public speaking.”
These learning opportunities are critical companions to the lessons, coachings, ensemble
experiences, and performances that lie at the heart of a Curtis education. Because all these
are so important, some constant themes emerged in our self-study meetings and discussions.
We kept encountering the need to balance and prioritize within the school’s programs,
to integrate the performance and academic curricula, and to improve assessment of all our
curricular offerings.
If we consistently apply these themes in conjunction with each other, each student will
realize greater benefits and meaning from each learning opportunity. So we must create clear
goals for each project, assignment, or performance. We must ensure that pertinent faculty and
staff are involved in assigning the right opportunities to the right students at the right times.
We must connect the skills being perfected in lessons with those being built in the classroom
and in communities outside Curtis.
The process has ended! Now what?
The inclusive nature of the self-study process has shown that input from the entire Curtis
community is essential to our improvement as an institution.
The self-study document recommends that every staff member, going forward, play a role
in how the school’s annual strategic priorities are determined and met. These plans and goals
will be set at organizational, departmental, and individual levels.
Representatives of the performance and academic faculties will begin to gather regularly,
as a faculty council. This group will consider, discuss, and advise the administration on relevant
topics that affect the school, its programs, and its students.
Students will continue to have numerous outlets for involvement in shaping Curtis, both
as individuals and as represented by the student council: town hall meetings, administrators’
open doors, regular attendance at board committee meetings, and offering feedback through
anonymous evaluations of all of the school’s programs and activities.
Back in 2015, as we began our self-study process, I spent some time re-reading Curtis’s
2008 Middle States self-study—a document I co-authored with my friend and faculty colleague
Jeanne McGinn. I was amazed at how much Curtis had progressed in seven years and how
many past recommendations had been realized in that time. I look forward to a similar
experience seven years from now.
Paul Bryan is Curtis’s dean, and teaches supplementary conducting. A trombonist, he graduated from
Curtis in 1993.
20 OVERTONES FALL 2018

Teacher, Mentor,
Father, Friend
Curtis celebrates the 90th birthday of its past leader
and beloved piano faculty member, Gary Graffman.
Above: Gary Graffman in 2018
Top: A lesson with current piano student Daniel Hsu.
Mr. Graffman often teaches in his New York apartment,
filled with Asian objets d’art collected during his
travels as a performer, teacher, and adjudicator.
PHOTOS: Charles Grove
Gary Graffman’s rich history with Curtis stretches back more than eight
of his nine decades. He enrolled at age seven as a student of Isabelle Vengerova, graduating
at 17 in 1946. His professional debut the next year, playing with Eugene Ormandy and the
Philadelphia Orchestra, kicked off a whirlwind career that sent him touring continuously
around the world for over thirty years. During this time he performed and recorded the most
demanding works in the literature to critical acclaim.
In 1979, an injury to his right hand limited Mr. Graffman’s concert activity to the small
body of repertoire for left hand alone. But he continued to perform, inspiring several new
works for left hand commissioned for him. And with more time to explore new avenues,
he renewed his connection to Curtis, joining the piano faculty in 1980.
His decision to become a teacher has profoundly affected the lives of dozens of gifted
artists whom he has mentored over the years. Celebrated for his ability to bring out the
unique voice in each student, he kept giving lessons even as he took on the artistic leadership
of Curtis for 20 years between 1986 and 2006, with his beloved wife Naomi at his side.
While heading the school, he drew on deep friendships with major artistic figures like
André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, Isaac Stern, and Galina Vishnevskaya, bringing them
to Curtis to pass along their wisdom to students in all disciplines.
In the following pages, Overtones offers a 90th-birthday tribute to this legendary figure
through images and testimonials from his piano students and colleagues.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
21

A CONCERT TRIBUTE
The first Curtis Symphony Orchestra
concert of the 2018–19 season celebrates
Mr. Graffman’s 90th birthday, as alumnus
Haochen Zhang performs Rachmaninoff’s
Piano Concerto No. 3. For details,
visit Curtis.edu/Performances.
Gary and I have been colleagues for 38 years. I have the utmost
respect for him as a teacher and performer, and I am proud to call
him my friend.
Eleanor Sokoloff (Piano ’36), Curtis piano faculty
Gary is more than just a teacher and mentor to me. He has helped me to see
and believe my talent and strength, and shared with me his extraordinary
wisdom, wit, artistry, and passion for life and music. I’m forever grateful to him.
Below: In the Bok Room with two friends,
Isaac Stern and Mstislav Rostropovich, in 1990.
Both were frequent visitors to Curtis,
and Mr. Rostropovich served on the cello
faculty and conducted tours of the Curtis
Symphony Orchestra. PHOTO: DON TRACY/CURTIS ARCHIVES
Happy birthday, Gary!
Natalie Zhu (Piano ’97)
It goes without saying that Gary Graffman is a world-class
artist. He’s a man of impeccable taste and endless wisdom.
A master craftsman, his attention to the minutest of details
and turns of phrase continues to challenge us as musicians.
His approach and respect for the music serves as inspiration
for us all. And if you’re lucky enough, he’ll sit you down, with
a twinkle in his eye, and tell you stories of the golden days,
brimming with adventure, friendship, and sometimes a hint
of mischief. I have been so privileged to call this man my
mentor and teacher.
Daniel Hsu (Piano), current student
To me, Mr. Graffman’s uniqueness as a teacher is not only about
all the valuable insights he has given me throughout the years.
Even more important is his fundamental belief that an ideal
teacher should never impose his/her own shadow onto the students,
but rather try to make them realize their own artistic selves. Never
departing from this principle of teaching, he always treats us like
independent beings rather than students, and encourages us to be
self-critical rather than relying on what he has to offer. The feeling
of equal respect I received in my lessons was one of the most
pleasant experiences of my time at Curtis. It also inspired me
constantly to look deeper and deeper into how I was personally
relating to music and what I really wanted to pursue for myself.
It would be every child’s dream to receive an immense
amount of knowledge from a teacher while at the same time
an equal amount of freedom, and I am so fortunate to have
experienced this reality.
Haochen Zhang (Piano ’12)
22 OVERTONES FALL 2018

Clockwise from top left:
Leading a panel discussion with faculty members Orlando Cole,
Jascha Brodsky, and Eleanor Sokoloff in 1995 PHOTO: DON TRACY/CURTIS ARCHIVES
With Naomi Graffman in 2006 PHOTO: L.C.K. HART/CURTIS ARCHIVES
Yuja Wang in a 2008 lesson with Mr. Graffman
PHOTO: MICHAEL BRYANT/COURTESY PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
It’s hard for me to put into words my huge affection and admiration for Gary. He has
been my teacher, mentor, and friend for the second half of my life, guiding me personally
and professionally through the warmth in his heart. He has made me a better human,
not just a better musician!
Gary and Naomi have shown me such love and encouragement and I will be forever
grateful to them.
Yuja Wang (Piano ’08)
Ever since I started studying music at five years old, I have listened to Mr. Graffman’s
recordings. Like all the kids studying piano in China, I admired him so much as a legend.
When I got to know him in person, I admired him more. He is the most down-to-earth,
loving, and caring person I have ever known. He is also funny, and very responsible: Once
in a lesson, he asked me if I played a wrong note in Mozart’s Concerto No. 17, because he
could remember that when he was seven, he played C sharp instead of C in that passage.
It turned out to be a mistake in the edition, but I was amazed by his attention to detail.
I’ve learned from him that being a great artist is not enough. Being a genuine, loving,
and honest person is what matters.
Wei Luo (Piano), current student
Gary, you are such an inspiration to all of us. You are a teacher,
mentor, friend, father, rabbi, and beyond. You not only taught us
how to play piano but also how to become human beings, artists,
and all-around musicians. Happy 90th birthday to you! May you have
many, many more to come.
Chieh Chang Lee (Piano ’91)
OVERTONES FALL 2018
23

Teaching Lang Lang in 1998
PHOTO: DAVID SWANSON/CURTIS ARCHIVES
Gary is the best person and teacher I’ve ever met, as well as the most
loving. I remember that when I was at Curtis, he treated each of his
students as his children; we were all his kids. His attention to students,
especially to me, is beyond words. His music-making still kindles
my passion.
Studying with him at Curtis was the happiest time in my life, and I’ll
always love him as a father.
Lang Lang (Piano ’02)
Let us be reminded that Gary Graffman is, first and foremost, an extraordinary artist:
this is obvious to anyone who has heard him unfold, with exquisite pacing and immaculate
control, the Bach-Brahms Chaconne or the Ravel Left-Hand Concerto. Those of us not
fortunate enough to have heard Gary in his earlier, “two-handed” years can still go back
and listen to his plethora of recordings, such as of Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy—assured
yet unforced; exuberant yet unhurried: the finest rendition I’ve ever heard of this
misunderstood and treacherous piece.
Gary has profoundly influenced three generations of students through his marvelously
understated method of teaching that can only be described as Socratic: by patiently
weaving question upon question—relentlessly but kindly—Gary guides students to an ever
more cultivated conception of the score, the composer’s likely intent, and the pianist’s
role in bringing it to new life; and, by his consistent focus on voicing, shape, and balance,
Mr. Graffman collaborated with two longtime friends
to premiere a left-hand concerto written for him in
1991 by composition faculty Ned Rorem. André Previn
conducted the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in the 1993
premiere. PHOTO: DON TRACY/CURTIS ARCHIVES
he instills in them a lifelong commitment to real musicianship that far outlasts the brief
shelf-life of superficial flashy pianism.
But it is through Gary’s personal qualities that we can best take his true measure.
With his incomparable Naomi by his side—a perfect match if ever there was one—Gary
has been an invaluable mentor, a generous colleague, and the dearest of friends to
MORE ONLINE
See more photos and hear
recordings of Gary Graffman at
Curtis.edu/Graffman
my family and to me, and, I know, to countless others: a man whose love of life, music,
and fellow human beings reminds us, in the most direct way that, where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.
Ignat Solzhenitsyn (Piano and Conducting ’95), Curtis piano faculty
24 OVERTONES FALL 2018

FIRST PERSON
Ashley Marie Robillard,
a soprano in the opera
program, is also an Emerging
Artist at Opera Philadelphia.
She holds the Arthur Tracy
Fellowship at Curtis.
PHOTO: ANDREW BOGARD
Tools of the Trade
The Curtis Opera Theatre prepares singers
for the professional world.
BY ASHLEY MARIE ROBILLARD
I’ll never forget how beautiful it was on the morning of my first rehearsal with Opera Philadelphia.
The sun was beaming down and a gentle breeze was swirling about—a picture-perfect summer
day. Meanwhile, my entire body was pulsing with nerves, excitement, and a weird feeling that
was either total fear or utter elation. It was hard to believe that I was going to be performing
with a company so dear to me, in a cast filled with friends and colleagues from Curtis, and
while I myself was just a student finishing her undergraduate studies. It all felt like some
wonderful, crazy dream.
Then I entered the rehearsal hall and was promptly overwhelmed. I was struck with
the realization that I had no idea what these rehearsals would be like. This production of
The Magic Flute was my professional debut. I’d never worked in a professional opera house
before and felt like I didn’t know what to expect.
Within the first week my fear totally dissolved. With each rehearsal, each coaching, each
new scenario, I found I was far more prepared and secure than I could have ever imagined.
It all felt surprisingly…familiar. Somehow in the thrill of it all I had forgotten the obvious:
Curtis had spent the last four years preparing me for this moment.
The Curtis Opera Theatre experience is incomparable. When they say “learn by doing,”
they are not joking. By the time I began work with Opera Philadelphia I had already performed
in twelve productions, singing everything from chorus to principal roles. And thanks to that,
I walked into my first professional experience with the experience I needed to succeed.
JUMPING IN
While every moment performing with the Curtis Opera Theatre has allowed me to grow,
three experiences in particular provided me with some of the tools to thrive in my first
professional opera.
I was not supposed to be in the final opera of the 2013–14 season. It was my first year
at Curtis, and little nineteen-year-old me was looking forward to finishing her finals and
watching her older colleagues conquer the stage in Rossini’s La cenerentola. Then suddenly
I was assigned to cover Tisbe, Cinderella’s mezzo-soprano stepsister. It was a shock as I’m
EMERGING ARTIST
PHOTO: KARLI CADEL
As an Emerging Artist at Opera
Philadelphia, Ashley Robillard will sing
the role of Musetta in the company’s
production of Puccini’s La bohème
next spring. She first sang the role
at Curtis in 2016 (above, with Doğukan
Kuran as Marcello). Also featured in
Opera Philadelphia’s cast is recent
Curtis graduate Evan LeRoy Johnson,
who sings Rodolfo.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
25

Working on Manon taught
me that you must create a
compelling interpretation,
no matter the circumstances.
26 OVERTONES FALL 2018

FIRST PERSON
a soprano, used to singing the top line of music, and I had zero experience with Rossini.
Tisbe sang right in the middle of the harmony and had a very active, comedic presence
on stage. Regardless, I jumped into ensemble coachings and learned the role in the month
before stagings began.
I thought I knew what it meant to be prepared for an opera: Know your music, know
the translation (not just for your part but for everyone else on stage as well), know what every
marking in the score means, and above all, be respectful of your coaches’ and colleagues’ time.
But I soon learned that there was even more to consider: the source material for the opera,
performance practices, historical context, and countless further details. Studying a principal
role as such a young singer afforded me the opportunity to learn from my extremely generous
older colleagues. Their guidance and support provided a brilliant example that I do my best
to emulate now that I’m an older singer at Curtis.
The day before stagings began, I found out I’d actually be performing the role of Tisbe.
Thanks to the support and structure my department gave me, I felt over-the-moon excited,
and more than ready to take on the role.
One of my favorite things about the Curtis Opera Theatre is that we do many non-traditional
productions. Our directors and creative teams love to push the envelope of convention and
create some truly provocative and thought-provoking art. It’s essential to know how to
approach productions of all kinds, as I learned performing the role of Pousette in Manon.
The production concept was very futuristic, with a super-cool Hunger Games-meets-Mad
Max vibe. The three actress characters, of whom Pousette is one, wore very restrictive costumes
that made movement difficult. Either we couldn’t bend at the waist, or we couldn’t lift our
arms, or we wore clunky high heels. The set, too, was rather wild: The three of us, along with
two other male characters, spent the first act fooling around on top of a six-foot pedestal.
And finally, this opera also has a huge chorus present for most of the opera. So we had to
stand out amongst many, and truly had to present ourselves with the confidence and vitality
that these actresses embodied.
Working on Manon was a total joy, especially thanks to the lesson it taught me: You must
create a compelling interpretation, no matter the circumstances.
Somehow in the thrill of it
all I had forgotten the obvious:
Curtis had spent the last
four years preparing me
for this moment.
BLENDING IN
Surprise! The final role that prepared me for the professional world was not a principal role
at all. It was singing in the chorus of Doctor Atomic during my fourth year at Curtis. This
modern masterpiece was the hardest thing I’ve done yet, and one of the most satisfying.
Chorus work in general is a humbling experience. You serve as the support and heartbeat
of something far greater than yourself, while very rarely getting to be the center of attention.
Not only must you do all of the things required to prepare a leading role, you must also
focus on blending and being energized in a way that adds to the thrill of the piece without
overpowering the principals. At Curtis you are almost guaranteed to sing in a chorus of at
least one opera. Our Doctor Atomic chorus included singers who had already performed
Manon, Musetta, Susanna, Lucretia, and Anne Trulove; or who would soon sing Pelléas,
Mélisande, Magda, Tatyana, and Lensky.
Whether you’re in the chorus or the main character, you’re there to tell a story. And unless
you’re singing La voix humaine, that story isn’t always going to be about you. There’ll be
moments when you are not the most important thing that’s happening on stage. Sure, sometimes
everyone has equal importance, and moments of brilliant tension can bloom. Sometimes it’s
all about one person or a pair of people. If singing in the chorus has taught me anything, it’s
to keep giving energy to your colleagues while being conscious of your part of the narrative.
But that’s not to say it’s all about giving! In fact, if you’re lucky, you’ll have colleagues who
don’t just take what you’re giving them, but who give that fervor right back to you. They’ll
breathe the same unbridled energy into you as you breathe into them, and then you will have
something truly magical on your hands: art.
Opposite, clockwise from top left:
Ashley sang the role of Papagena in an Opera
Philadelphia production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute,
with baritone Jarrett Ott, an alumnus of the Curtis
opera program, as Papageno. PHOTO: KELLY AND MASSA
PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY OPERA PHILADELPHIA
Ashley’s first role at Curtis was Tisbe (center, at
steps), one of Cinderella’s evil stepsisters, in Rossini’s
La cenerentola. PHOTO: GHENADY MEIRSON
The Curtis Opera Theatre production of Manon
placed singers, including Ashley, on a pedestal.
PHOTO: CORY WEAVER
In the Curtis Opera Theatre’s Doctor Atomic, the
chorus drove much of the drama. PHOTO: KARLI CADEL
Ashley Marie Robillard received her bachelor’s degree in voice from Curtis in 2018, and is studying toward
a master’s degree in opera. She is in her second year as an Emerging Artist at Opera Philadelphia.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
27

MEET THE ALUMNI
The Ultimate Chamber Musician
The versatile trumpeter Kevin Cobb (’93) is a 20-year member of
the American Brass Quintet and one of New York’s busiest freelancers.
BY IAN VANDERMEULEN
Above: Kevin Cobb leads a master class for the
Young Artist Summer Program at Curtis Summerfest;
and takes a break outside Gould Rehearsal Hall.
PHOTOS: JESSICA GRIFFIN
Halfway through a rehearsal for his second solo CD, Kevin Cobb is conferring with collaborator
and hornist Eric Reed on the articulation of a particular phrase. Mr. Reed suggests that on the
next run-through, Mr. Cobb simply pick one variation to stick with.
“You mean, play like I mean it?” the trumpeter asks, playfully.
“Yeah,” Mr. Reed replies, slamming his fist in the air. “This is a trumpet record!”
Suddenly stone-faced, Mr. Cobb raises his horn to his lips and delivers the phrase with
over-emphasized articulation, a caricature of big-band lead playing. He then turns to a fellow
trumpeter in the room—and winks.
It is a funny exchange in part because Mr. Cobb is arguably one of the least brassy of New
York’s top-shelf trumpet players, routinely shunning acrobatic bombast for disarming lyricism.
This is also a hallmark of the American Brass Quintet, in which he has played for two decades.
While some brass quintets opt for flash, the ABQ, founded in 1960, has maintained its
dedication to serious concert music, including a heavy proportion of commissions and works
by living American composers. Mr. Cobb has now toured three continents, recorded eight
CDs, and commissioned dozens of new works with the group, which also holds long-established
residencies at the Aspen Festival and the Juilliard School.
His playing, like that of the ABQ, is pure substance. Yet, while he doesn’t see himself
as a virtuoso, few would deny his technical prowess. Indeed, aside from the ABQ, Mr. Cobb
28 OVERTONES FALL 2018

MEET THE ALUMNI
Mr. Cobb’s playing, like that
of the American Brass Quintet,
is pure substance. Yet, while
he doesn’t see himself as
a virtuoso, few would deny
his technical prowess.
remains one of New York’s most in-demand freelancers across an impressive range of settings,
including playing in Peter Gabriel’s backup orchestra, recording with jazz trumpet legends
Lew Soloff and Byron Stripling, providing musical accompaniment for the live podcast series
Radiotopia Live, and regularly performing with the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan
Opera. He maintains vibrant teaching studios in Juilliard’s pre-college program and at
SUNY—Stony Brook, on Long Island.
“I see myself as a chamber musician, but I define that as someone who can be flexible
with any style,” Mr. Cobb says. “The ultimate chamber musician is the ultimate chameleon.
No matter where I play, I want people to feel like I fit and that the work is better because
I’m there. That’s really important to me, and I take pride in that.”
Above left: Kevin Cobb, left, with his American
Brass Quintet colleagues: Louis Hanzlik, trumpet;
Michael Powell, trombone; Eric Reed, horn; and
John D. Rojak, bass trombone
Above: Kevin Cobb’s first solo CD, released in 2004
by Summit Records, is a collection of works for
unaccompanied trumpet.
CHOOSING COLLABORATION
Mr. Cobb’s early musical path blended destiny and serendipity. Although he started with
guitar and still loves the instrument, he found it “isolating.” Once he chose the trumpet as
his instrument for school band, however, he progressed quickly; and his first trumpet teacher
soon involved him in a brass quintet. That seed would find further nourishment during his
undergraduate years at Curtis and then as a master’s student at Juilliard.
His arrival at Curtis, Mr. Cobb admits, was “somewhat a leap of faith.” Arriving from
Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy, he knew little about Curtis aside from the renown of
its student orchestra. But he quickly benefitted from the high level of artistry, not just among
faculty, but also fellow students. “I look back on my time at Curtis and I think how much
I learned from the people around me. And I’m still amazed what that orchestra sounded like.”
While Mr. Cobb remembers being “intimidated” by that high level of artistry, the rigors
of the program—along with the challenges of urban living in the years before Curtis had
a residence hall—brought the students together. “I have lifelong friends from Curtis because
of the challenges we had to face,” he says. Meanwhile Frank Kaderabek, Curtis’s trumpet
MORE ONLINE
Hear a track from Kevin Cobb’s upcoming CD at
www.Curtis.edu/Overtones
OVERTONES FALL 2018
29

MEET THE ALUMNI
Mr. Cobb considers
himself part of a
transitional generation
that has found rich and
rewarding experiences
in a variety of genres.
faculty and then-principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra, impressed on him the
importance of preparedness, dedication to craft, and respect for colleagues—fundamentals
that Mr. Cobb says remain crucial to the vibrancy of his freelance career.
After Curtis, he pursued graduate studies at Juilliard, bringing him into contact with his
future ABQ colleague Raymond Mase. Mr. Mase, who officially left the ABQ in 2013 but
still chairs the trumpet department at Juilliard, recalls the group’s excitement when Mr. Cobb
came up as a possible candidate to join the ABQ. During the extended audition and interview
process, Mr. Mase says, “it was very clear that Kevin viewed the American Brass Quintet as
the other members of the group did: as a destination. And it certainly panned out that way.
Playing in the group means everything to him, as it did to all of us.”
That commitment, as well as a dedication to new music, is paralleled in Mr. Cobb’s solo
work. His first CD, One (Summit Records), a collection of works for unaccompanied trumpet.
showcases the trumpeter’s tonal range and deft articulation. His current recording project,
featuring trumpet and mixed chamber accompaniment, took on a unique character after his
father’s untimely death. Now the lineup is “less academic,” he says, with commissions from
fellow Curtis alumni Jonathan Bailey Holland and Eric Sessler, and works like Alan Hovhaness’s
Prayer of St. Gregory—a favorite of his father’s—lending a personal touch.
EXPLORATORY ARTISTRY
Mr. Cobb’s characteristic curiosity and dedication to craft is something he tries to impart
to his students. His teaching style is individually tailored, yet artistically demanding, notes
Curtis alumnus Eric Huckins, a horn player who has played in brass ensembles coached by
Mr. Cobb at Aspen and at Juilliard, where he is now a master’s candidate. He recalls that when
Mr. Cobb coached his Juilliard horn quartet, an ensemble with a limited repertoire and tonal
palette, “Kevin really demanded—in the kindest of ways—that the quartet play in such a way
that really brought to life as much color and contrast as four of the same instrument can.”
He also emphasizes to students that “the pursuit of your art is not necessarily singular.”
Mr. Cobb notes, “I want my students to feel a little bit more open-minded about how music
fits into their life rather than how to fit a life around music.” Indeed, the options for a musical
life are increasingly diverse, as attitudes about acceptable career paths evolve. In this sense,
he considers himself part of a transitional generation that, once laser-focused on an exclusively
orchestral career, has found rich and rewarding experiences in a variety of genres.
“One thing I’ve learned over time is that, as an artist, you want to feel like what you
do matters—above all else—that what you’re saying has some sort of impact on somebody.”
For Mr. Cobb himself, those are not just a lesson to teach, but words he lives by.
Ian VanderMeulen holds degrees in trumpet performance and religious studies from Oberlin College
and Conservatory. A Ph.D. candidate at New York University, he has written for Overtones, Symphony,
and Musical America.
W H Y C H O O S E C U R T I S ?
More Reasons at
—KEVIN COBB
Curtis.edu/WhyChooseCurtis
“There are so many reasons—the sense of tradition, the world-class faculty, the inspiring concerts,
the gift of being able to graduate without amassing student debt—but above all else, for me, it would
have to be the other students whom I was fortunate enough to call my colleagues. I am still continually
amazed at what my friends have gone on to achieve in all facets of the music industry, and I feel
so lucky that I had the chance to make music with them, share growing pains and laughs, and learn
from them. Especially unique to Curtis is the small student body, which fosters growth, creativity,
and unlimited potential. If you want to be around the best musicians before they’re famous, Curtis
is the place to be.”
30 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTATIONS
NOTATIONS
ALUMNI
JAMES VAIL (Organ ’51), professor
emeritus of choral and sacred music
at USC’s Thornton School of Music,
continues to play and conduct on
occasional Sundays at various
churches in the Los Angeles area.
Last November he conducted his
Laudamus Te Singers, with orchestra,
in Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass at
St. Bede’s Church, Mar Vista; and
in June he led the group in Brahms’s
Schicksalslied and Nänie at Pacific
Palisades Presbyterian Church.
WILLIAM WINSTEAD (Bassoon ’64)
has retired from the Cincinnati
Symphony after 30 years as principal
bassoon. In December he celebrated
his 75th birthday with former students
and colleagues from the Cincinnati
Symphony after a concert in his
honor at the University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music.
In April KYUNG SOOK LEE (Piano ’67)
was the piano soloist in Beethoven’s
“Triple” Concerto with the Gang-nam
Symphony Orchestra at Seoul Arts
Center. The first director of the
conservatory of music at the Korean
National University of the Arts, she
was also dean of the college of music
at Yon-Sei University, where she is
now a professor emeritus. She is a
member of the National Academy
of Arts of the Republic of Korea
and a professor in the department
of music of Seoul Cyber University.
Alumni may send news of
recent professional activities and
personal milestones by e-mail
to alumnirelations@curtis.edu
or by post to the Office of
Alumni and Parent Relations,
Curtis Institute of Music, 1726
Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Notes are edited for length,
clarity, and frequency.
BONNIE
WOLFGANG
(Bassoon ’67)
has retired
after 42 years
as principal
bassoon with
Bonnie Wolfgang
the Phoenix
Symphony Orchestra. She resides
in Scottsdale, Arizona.
DAVID
KADARAUCH
(Cello, ’68) is in
his 43rd season
as principal
cello of the San
Francisco Opera
Orchestra, and
will perform
David Kadarauch the Saint-Saëns
Cello Concerto
No. 2 in D minor this season with the
Symphony of the Redwoods, 50 years
after performing the same piece
with the Philadelphia Orchestra
as a Youth Auditions winner.
JERRY
GROSSMAN
(Cello ’71) is in
his 31st season
as principal
cello of the
Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra,
and is now the
Jerry Grossman longest-serving
principal cello
in the Met’s history. And, he writes,
“since the Met is off all summer
I have been teaching and playing
chamber music at Kneisel Hall
in Blue Hill, Maine just as long!”
CHRISTOPHER REX (Cello ’72)
retired as principal cello of the
Atlanta Symphony in February,
after 39 years in the orchestra.
In April JOSEPH FRANK (Opera ’74),
professor of voice and opera at San
Jose State University, sang in a gala
performance titled “A Celebration
of Enrico Caruso and Mario Lanza.”
Joseph plans to retire from the
faculty at the close of the 2018–19
school year.
DAVID CRAMER (Flute ’75) has
retired as associate principal flute
of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
JULIE ROSENFELD (Violin ’76)
and PETER MIYAMOTO (Piano ’92),
colleagues at the University of
Missouri School of Music, toured
the East Coast in 2017 with a recital
program of new works by Kenneth
Fuchs, Katherine Hoover, John Halle,
Laura Kaminsky, Stefan Freund,
and Tamar Muskal, all of which
were commissioned by Julie in 2014.
They’ll perform the same program in
the coming year around the Midwest
and in California.
THOMAS JABER
(Accompanying
’77) has just
completed 30
years as professor
of music at
Rice University’s
Thomas Jaber
Shepherd School
of Music in Houston. During his
tenure he has also served as director
of music and organist at Houston’s
Chapelwood United Methodist Church
and in 2017, moved to a similar post
at St. Anne Catholic Church. He is
the artistic and music director of
the Houston Masterworks Chorus.
MARGARET
BATJER (Violin
’80), concertmaster
of the Los
Angeles Chamber
Orchestra, was
soloist in the
West Coast
premiere of
Margaret Batjer Pierre Jalbert’s
Violin Concerto
in March. Margaret is curator of the
LACO’s new chamber music series,
In Focus, and is a member of the
faculty at USC’s Thornton School
of Music and the Colburn School.
KATHRYN GREENBANK (Oboe ’81),
principal oboe of the Saint Paul
Chamber Orchestra since 1982,
has been named associate principal
oboe of the Minnesota Orchestra
beginning this fall.
KETTY NEZ (Piano ’83) performed
in the premiere of four visions for
two pianos, percussion, and oboe with
colleagues at the Boston University
School of Music in January. The work
was also performed at the University
of Iowa School of Music in April. Ketty
also played in the premiere of her
double images for violin and piano
in March with violinist Aija Reke
at Boston University’s Tsai Center.
Last December DAVID BERNARD
(Clarinet ’84) conducted the Eglevsky
Ballet’s holiday performances of
The Nutcracker at the Tilles Center
for the Performing Arts in Greenvale,
N.Y. David is music director of the
Massapequa Philharmonic, which
has extended his contract to 2020.
DARON HAGEN (Composition ’84)
directs the first staged iteration
of his opera Orson Rehearsed by
the Fifth House Ensemble at the
Studebaker Theater in Chicago
in September.
JUN-CHING LIN ((Violin ’84) has
been appointed concertmaster of
the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.
PAUL BRANTLEY (Composition ’85)
has been commissioned to compose
a concerto for two pianos, to be
premiered in the Great Hall of the
Moscow Conservatory by the
Adventure Piano Duo next spring.
The Knights commissioned Paul
to re-envision and orchestrate
Four Hungarian Dances by Brahms,
performed in Brooklyn and Washington,
D.C. in April. Also in April, Paul
conducted Davidson Fine Arts
Chorus and Orchestra in his from
“The Over-Soul” in Barcelona,
Madrid, and Toledo.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
31

NOTATIONS
Darrin Milling PHOTO: ERICA VIGGIANI BICUDO
Divergent Paths
How does Curtis’s unique training resonate in the professional lives of its
alumni? Two trombonists describe their respective journeys after graduation.
“A Great Experience”
BY WILLIAM SHORT (BASSOON ’10)
Jeff Freeman
“She gave me a shellacking like I never believed possible. After that,
I was determined to learn how to play.” DARRIN MILLING (’90), bass
trombonist of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, is not referring
to a trombone lesson.
No, he is describing an equally important Curtis experience: his first
game of table tennis. And learn he did. He and a fellow student would
later make it to the semifinals of a table tennis tournament at Princeton
University. (To get a release request approved, he “had to explain that
Curtis didn’t have any athletic competition or activities to speak of,
so we were the only team that could compete on a national level.”)
JEFF FREEMAN (’91), fellow trombonist and Darrin’s Curtis roommate,
first became enthralled with music when he heard the soundtrack to The
Empire Strikes Back. Later, when his piano teacher said he had to choose
between the piano and the trombone, he “took that as an excuse to quit
playing the piano.”
Both were students of GLENN DODSON (’53), whom Darrin describes
as “a master.” With a laugh, Jeff says, “I must’ve been a terribly difficult
kid for him because I am a fundamentally irrational creature.” But Jeff
appreciated Mr. Dodson’s focus on “getting the output to be at the level
that was required,” not to mention his inventive vocabulary (“punchisivity”).
After graduating, Jeff decided to pursue a physics degree in North
Carolina. Then, weighing competing offers from Northrop Grumman, the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Dolby Laboratories, he decided on
audio and media. He recalls that, as a musician, “I guess I just liked that
better than the idea of building weapons, radar systems, or waste containers.”
Now Dolby’s director of applications engineering and testing, he still finds
his Curtis education relevant; being a musician and having worked in
recording studios at Curtis, he “came into Dolby with a dual background
that enables me to be sensible and authoritative in making decisions about
what’s okay and what’s not.”
After playing in the New World Symphony, Darrin joined the orchestra in
São Paulo, where more than a dozen Curtis alumni have appeared as soloists
during his tenure. “It’s really wonderful to see. It’s a reminder of the great
experience we had there.” With a smile, Darrin recalls being one of the very
few African Americans at Curtis during the 1980s, “coming from one of the
most violent neighborhoods in the U.S.” He describes knowing that “Curtis
was one of those places where it didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, and
it didn’t matter what color you were. I’m pretty proud of that.”
William Short is principal bassoon of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
JAMES HELGESON (Composition ’86)
is teaching music history at the
Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin.
He is continuing work toward his
second Ph.D. at the University of
London (Royal Holloway), and is
writing a chamber opera on Marius
von Mayenberg’s play Feuergesicht.
In April
ELIZABETH
MANUS
(Accompanying
’86) played for
a NATS Greater
Philadelphia
master class
by Metropolitan
Elizabeth Manus
Opera soprano
Sandra Lopez. Last spring Elizabeth
taught voice and piano at Neumann
University and directed the
University’s choir.
In March RICHARD FLEISCHMAN
(Viola ’87) was viola soloist with
Orchestra Miami and conductor
Elaine Rinaldi for three performances
in different Miami venues, playing
Max Bruch’s Romanze and Telemann’s
Viola Concerto in G major.
MARK RUSSELL SMITH (Conducting
’87), music director of the Quad City
Symphony Orchestra, led several performances
involving Curtis-connected
artists in the 2017–18 season. Soprano
ELENA PERRONI (Opera ’18) sang
excerpts from La bohème last October;
and in November, BELLA HRISTOVA
(Violin ’08) played DAVID LUDWIG’s
(Composition ’01) Violin Concerto.
In April, Curtis student DANIEL HSU
(Piano) performed Tchaikovsky’s
First Piano Concerto.
In February RICK STOUT (Trombone
’87) premiered Clint Needham’s Trio
Concerto at Carnegie Hall with fellow
members of the Factory Seconds
Brass Trio JACK SUTTE (’95), trumpet,
and Jesse McCormick, horn. All are
members of the Cleveland Orchestra,
and the trio is in residence at Baldwin
Wallace University.
Emmanuel
Feldman
Duo Cello e
Basso—PASCALE
DELACHE-
FELDMAN
(Double Bass ’88)
and EMMANUEL
FELDMAN (Cello
’88) —made their
Kennedy Center
debut in August
2017, performing
their own transcription of Astor
Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos
Aires with pianist Magdalena Adamek
as part of the VCU Global Summer
Institute, where both are on the
faculty. Pascale has been a substitute
bassist with the New York Philharmonic
for the past year. This fall Emmanuel
will play Elgar’s Cello Concerto
with the Carlisle Chamber Orchestra
(Mass.) and the Dvořak Cello Concerto
with the Falmouth Chamber Players
Orchestra (Mass.).
Last November ANIBAL DOS SANTOS
(Viola ’88) played the Latin American
premiere of Miklós Rósza’s Viola
Concerto with the Bogotá Philharmonic
Orchestra, conducted by Stefan Vladar.
KYUNGHEE KIM-SUTRE (Harp ’89)
taught at the MusicAlp summer
festival in the French Alps in August.
Scott St. John
Miguel
Harth-Bedoya
Beginning this
fall, SCOTT ST.
JOHN (Violin ’90)
is the new
director of
chamber music
at the Colburn
School.
MIGUEL
HARTH-BEDOYA
(Conducting ’91)
launched an
online catalog
providing
comprehensive
information
about orchestral
music from Latin
America and the
Caribbean in 2017. Miguel will step
down as music director of the Fort
Worth Symphony Orchestra at the
end of the 2019–20 season, becoming
the orchestra’s conductor laureate.
JUDITH
INGOLFSSON
(Violin ’92) has
been appointed to
the violin faculty
at the Peabody
Institute of the
Johns Hopkins
Judith Ingolfsson University in
Baltimore,
beginning this fall. In the coming
season she and her duo partner
Vladimir Stoupel will make frequent
appearances at Peabody, and they
32 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTATIONS
Milestones
Births
SHERIDAN
SEYFRIED
(Composition ’07)
and YA-JHU YANG
(Composition ’11)
belatedly
announce the
birth of their
second son, Peter
Britten Seyfried,
on September
Peter Seyfried
23, 2016. He
joins brother Aiden, age 4.
Johnny Teyssier and family
JOHNNY TEYSSIER (Clarinet ’08)
and his wife, Alison Luthmers,
announce the birth of their daughter,
Isabelle, born in Malmö, Sweden on
January 29.
YAO GUANG ZHAI (Clarinet ’09)
and his wife, Shen, welcomed their
son Joseph on December 25.
Marriages
BROOK SPELTZ (Cello ’09) and
MILENA PAJARO-VAN DE STADT
(Viola ’11, Quartet ’14) were married
on June 2 in Idyllwild, Calif.
Stephen Tavani and
Amanda Johnson
Deaths
STEPHEN
TAVANI (Violin
’17) married
Amanda
Johnson on
June 12, 2017
in Grand
Junction, Colo.
PHYLLIS MOSS GRAETZ (Piano ’41)
of West Newton, Mass., died in 2010
at the Newton Wellesley Hospital in
Newton at age 88. Born in Philadelphia,
she had lived in West Newton for
many years. As a concert pianist,
she performed with the Boston Pops
and the Boston Trio, in addition to
many solo concerts in Europe and
the U.S., and was a longtime attendee
at Tanglewood. Curtis only recently
learned of her passing.
ANSHEL
BRUSILOW
(Violin ’43) died
on January 15
at his home in
Texas, in the
company of his
family. Born in
Anshel Brusilow 1928, he entered
Curtis at age 11
and also studied at the Philadelphia
Musical Academy and Pierre Monteux’s
conducting school. Monteux launched
him as a concert violinist, and he
appeared with the Philadelphia
Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic,
and the Boston, Chicago, and San
Francisco symphonies. But he chose
family life over a concertizing career,
without regrets. Anshel served as
associate concertmaster of the
Cleveland Orchestra from 1955 to 1959,
then for seven years as concertmaster
of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Anshel
formed the Chamber Symphony of
Philadelphia in 1962 and conducted
it in more than 200 performances
across the U.S. He was music director
of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
from 1970 to 1973. In the 1970s he
began teaching orchestral music
and conducting at North Texas State
University, which became the
University of North Texas. Over three
decades he shaped the orchestral
and conducting programs there and
at Southern Methodist University.
He was conductor of the Richardson
Symphony Orchestra from 1992 to
2012. His memoir, Shoot the Conductor,
written with Robin Underdahl, was
published in 2015 by the University
of North Texas Press.
CARMINE CAMPIONE (Clarinet ’60)
passed away on January 2 in Forest
Park, Ohio. Born in Elizabeth, N.J.
in 1937, he began playing the clarinet
at age 10, and by age 13 was playing
with professional dance bands.
Carmine transferred to Curtis after
one year at Oberlin Conservatory, to
study with ANTHONY GIGLIOTTI (’47).
He also attended the Tanglewood
Music Center. He was a member of
the Cincinnati Symphony for over
37 years and taught for 47 years at
the University of Cincinnati College-
Conservatory of Music. Carmine’s 2001
book, Campione on Clarinet, is widely
used as a reference by clarinet players
and teachers all over the world.
ALLISON LEE AGRESTI (Piano ’65)
passed away on January 29. After
graduating from Curtis, she received
a Master of Music degree from
the University of Alabama. Allison
taught at Birmingham Southern
and Alabama School of Fine Arts,
and gave private piano lessons.
will also give a recital at Curtis in
November. Judith is professor at
the State University of Music and
Performing Arts in Stuttgart,
Germany and co-artistic director
and founder of the Aigues-Vives
en Musiques Festival in France.
In January KATERINA ENGLICHOVÁ
(Harp ’94) and soprano Katerina
Knezikova received the prestigious
Prague Music Award (the Czech
Grammy) for their concert
performances of Janáček, Britten,
and Martinů.
Last November KAREN SINCLAIR
(Violin ’95) performed Mozart’s
Sinfonia Concertante with her
husband, violist Mark Deatherage,
and the Phoenix Symphony.
This season JONATHAN BAILEY
HOLLAND (Composition ’96) is
composer in residence at the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
LIZA KEROB (Violin ’96) performed
the Stravinsky violin concerto with
Pascal Rophé and the Monte Carlo
Philharmonic in April.
DENNIS KIM (Violin ’96) is the new
concertmaster of Pacific Symphony,
beginning this fall.
Arash “Joey”
Amini
ARASH “JOEY”
AMINI (Cello ’97)
performed a
guest artist
recital in
March 2018
at Vanderbilt
University’s Blair
School of Music
in Nashville
with HEATHER CONNER (Piano ’97),
who is senior artist teacher of piano
and chair of the precollege piano
program at Blair. The program included
works by Huang Ruo, Mendelssohn,
Rachmaninoff, and Popper. Joey and
Heather have performed together
throughout the U.S. since their
student years at Curtis.
Last November
RINAT SHAHAM
(Voice ’95, Opera
’98) sang the
role of Judith
in Bartók’s
Bluebeard’s
Castle with
Rinat Shaham
the Orchestra
of Valencia and
Yaron Traub, and repeated the role
with the National Youth Orchestra
of Great Britain and Mark Elder
in January. Rinat sang Ottavia in
Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di
Poppea in Nantes last October;
the title role in Bizet’s Carmen
with Opera Australia in February
and with Polish National Opera in
June; and Bernstein’s “Jeremiah”
Symphony in Seville in March.
SARAH HICKS (Conducting ’99) made
her Cleveland Orchestra debut at
the Blossom Music Center in August.
Last season she debuted with the
Pittsburgh Symphony in February
and returned to the San Francisco
Symphony and Danish National
Orchestra. This season includes
return engagements in Pittsburgh,
Dallas, Toronto, and the RTE Concert
Orchestra in Dublin.
In July 2017 DANIEL KELLOGG’s
(Composition ’99) String Quartet
No. 1 was premiered at the Aspen
Music Festival. In January he was
OVERTONES FALL 2018
33

NOTATIONS
named Christoffersen Composition
Fellow at the College of Music at
the University of Colorado in Boulder.
In June KATHERINE NEEDLEMAN
(Oboe ’99) premiered Kevin Puts’s
new oboe concerto, Moonlight, with
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
and its music director, Marin Alsop.
In Summer 2017
JOSEPH BOUSSO
(Conducting ’00)
led 14 performances
of Leonard
Bernstein’s West
Side Story with
the Magdeburg
Philharmonic
Joseph Bousso
Orchestra at
the Cathedrale Square in Magdeburg,
Germany.
PAUL JACOBS (Organ ’00) performed
with the Cleveland Orchestra and
Chicago Symphony in April and May,
and joined the Philadelphia Orchestra
on tour in Brussels, Luxembourg, and
Hamburg, performing Wayne Oquin’s
Resilience for organ and orchestra.
JENNIFER KOH (Violin ’02) has
joined the faculty of the Mannes
School of Music.
KARINA CANELLAKIS (Violin ’04)
has been appointed chief conductor
of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.
She will conduct the Curtis Opera
Theatre’s production of Don Giovanni
in March of 2019.
JENNY CHAI (Piano ’04) gave a debut
recital at Wigmore Hall, London in
June, premiering audio-visual works
by Jaroław Kapuscinski alongside
French repertoire.
JOSEPH CONYERS (Double Bass ’04)
received the Philadelphia Orchestra’s
2018 C. Hartman Kuhn Award in May.
STEVE HACKMAN (Conducting ’04)
formed a new orchestra, Stereo
Hideout, at the 3,000-seat Kings
Theatre in Brooklyn. The opening
concert in May featured Brahms v.
Radiohead, an orchestral synthesis
of Brahms’s First Symphony and
Radiohead’s “OK Computer,” along
with original compositions and a
guest appearance by Time for Three:
violinists NICK KENDALL (Violin ’01)
and Charles Yang and double bassist
RANAAN MEYER (Double Bass ’03).
SHARON WEI
(Viola ’04) is
the co-founder
of Ensemble
Made in Canada,
which launched
its Mosaïque
Project in July.
A suite of new
Sharon Wei
piano quartets
commissioned from fourteen awardwinning
Canadian composers will be
heard in every province and territory
throughout the 2018–19 season in
over 30 cities. Audiences will have
a chance to create a unique mosaïque
tile by sketching as they listen.
An interactive website will showcase
artwork inspired by the musical
commission.
ALUMNI OFFICE NOTES
Join the Alumni Network
Executive Committee!
The Alumni Network’s mission is to connect alumni with current students,
connect alumni worldwide with one another, create volunteer opportunities
in Philadelphia—globally and digitally—and to incorporate the voice, knowledge,
and skills of alumni into Curtis’s operating framework. There are so many
ways to participate, and we encourage alumni to step forward to support the
success of the network. In particular, we invite interested alumni to join the
executive committee, which coordinates Curtis storytelling projects, regional
events and ambassadors, annual philanthropy, and the committees for future
reunions, among other efforts.
To find out how you can get involved, please contact Jason Ward,
director of alumni and parent engagement, at jason.ward@curtis.edu or
(215) 717-3128.
ELIZABETH DeSHONG (Opera ’05)
sang her first leading role at the
Metropolitan Opera last spring,
appearing as Arsace in Rossini’s
Semiramide.
In February HOWARD REDDY (Opera
’05) was named vice president of
university advancement at the
University of West Florida.
ZHOU TIAN (Composition ’05) was
nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award
for Best Contemporary Classical
Composition for his Concerto for
Orchestra, played by the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra under Louis
Langrée.
Sara Daneshpour
SARA
DANESHPOUR
(Piano ’07) won a
2018 Washington
Award from the
S&R Foundation.
SHERIDAN SEYFRIED’s (Composition
’07) Violin Concerto was performed
by violinist DENNIS KIM (Violin ’96) in
April with the Lebanese Philharmonic
Orchestra under the direction of
Harout Fazlian.
NATHAN BACHHUBER (Opera ’09)
was appointed director of artistic
planning and administration for the
Cincinnati Symphony in January.
NATHAN LAUBE (Organ ’09) was
organist in residence at the Berlin
Philharmonie in May 2018. His
performances included Hindemith’s
Kammermusik VII with the Karajan
Academy Orchestra of the Berlin
Philharmonic, a concert with the
Berlin Philharmonic Brass, and
an organ promenade concert
in Berlin's Musical Instrument
Museum. Other performances
over the summer included the
Dresden Music Festival, Stuttgart
Organ Festival, and Arnstadt
Bachkirche Festival. Nathan was
co-chair of the 2018 Convention
of the Organ Historical Society
in Rochester, N.Y.
Last spring STANFORD THOMPSON
(Trumpet ’09) appeared on PBS News
Hour in their “Brief But Spectacular”
segment.
In March YAO
GUANG ZHAI
(Clarinet ’09)
gave his first solo
performances
with the Baltimore
Symphony
Orchestra since
Yao Guang Zhai becoming its
principal clarinet,
playing the Weber Clarinet Concerto
No. 2 under Peter Oundjian at Meyerhoff
Symphony Hall and Strathmore
Music Center in Maryland.
ELIZABETH FAYETTE (Violin ’11) is
the first violinist of the Vega Quartet,
currently in residence at Emory
University. In November, the quartet
will perform an all-Beethoven
program at the Concertgebouw
in Amsterdam.
BRANSON YEAST (Cello ’11) has joined
the orchestra of Opera Philadelphia.
In February JESSICA CHANG (Viola
’12) was a featured artist at Festival
Mozaic WinterMezzo in San Luis
Obispo, Calif. and returned to Festival
Mozaic in July. Jessica continues to
manage and perform with Chamber
Music by the Bay, which began as
a Curtis CAP project.
FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG
(Conducting ’12) is the new music
director of the Santa Rosa Symphony,
beginning this fall.
SARAH BOXMEYER (Horn ’14) is
the new associate principal horn
of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.
The DOVER QUARTET (Quartet ’14)
has been named the Kennedy
Center’s new quartet in residence
for a three-year term.
In July LUOSHA FANG (Viola ’14)
was awarded first prize at the Tokyo
International Viola Competition.
In February SARAH SHAFER
(Voice ’10, Opera ’14) made her
Metropolitan Opera debut, singing
Azema in Rossini’s Semiramide. In
May she sang the soprano solos for
Bach’s Mass in B minor at Carnegie
Hall with the New York Choral Society.
In July she was soprano soloist in the
premiere of The Passion of Yeshua,
a new oratorio by Richard Danielpour,
at the Oregon Bach Festival.
34 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTATIONS
PATRICK
WILLIAMS
(Flute ’14) has
been appointed
associate principal
flute of the
Philadelphia
Orchestra,
Patrick Williams effective this fall.
He was previously
principal flute of the Louisiana
Philharmonic Orchestra.
MOONYOUNG YOON (Flute ’14) has
joined the Korea Flute Association
as director.
LIFAN ZHU (Violin ’14) was appointed
associate principal second violin of
the Staatskapelle Berlin.
ANDREW BOGARD (Opera ’15) has
joined the Oper Stuttgart ensemble,
joining JARRETT OTT (Opera ’14)
and MINGJIE LEI (Opera ’15)
DAVID
HERTZBERG’s
(Composition ’15)
Wake World was
named Best New
Opera of 2017 by
the Music Critics
Association of
North America.
David Hertzberg
The work
was premiered last fall by Opera
Philadelphia, where David is
composer in residence.
JIYEON “JIJI” KIM (Guitar ’15) has
joined the faculty of Arizona State
University as assistant professor
of guitar.
The AIZURI QUARTET (String
Quartet ’16) won the grand prize
at the M Prize Competition at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
XAVIER FOLEY (Double Bass ’16)
won a 2018 Avery Fisher Career
Grant. In April he premiered
Hidden Worlds, a new work by
DANIEL TEMKIN (Composition ’13),
at Bucknell University.
In June ERIC HUCKINS (Horn ’16)
was a winner of Astral Artist’s 2018
National Auditions. He will join the
organization’s roster in the 2018–19
season. Other winners included Curtis’s
new string quartet in residence, the
VERA QUARTET (String Quartet).
Changyong Shin
CHANGYONG
SHIN (Piano ’16)
won the gold
medal and a
special jury
prize at the
Gina Bachauer
Competition
in April.
WILLIAM WELTER (Oboe ’16) has
been appointed principal oboe of
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
effective this fall.
Stanislav
Chernyshev
Abigail Kent
STANISLAV
CHERNYSHEV
(Clarinet ’14,
ArtistYear ’17)
has been
appointed
principal
clarinet of
the Fort Worth
Symphony
Orchestra.
Over the summer ABIGAIL KENT
(Harp ’17) was a fellow at Spoleto
Festival USA and the Pacific Music
Festival. In February she was featured
as New Artist of the Month by
Musical America.
TIMOTHEOS PETRIN (Cello ’17)
appeared on the national radio
program Performance Today, and
toured France last spring.
STEPHEN TAVANI (Violin ’17) has been
appointed assistant concertmaster
of the Cleveland Orchestra.
FACULTY
BLAIR BOLLINGER (Trombone ’86),
NITZAN HAROZ, MATTHEW VAUGHN,
and Carol Jantsch premiered
JENNIFER HIGDON’s (Composition
’88) Low Brass Concerto with the
Philadelphia Orchestra in February.
Curtis board members FRANK
MECHURA and BONG S. LEE helped
to fund the commissioned work.
The New Jersey Symphony gave
the world premiere of RICHARD
DANIELPOUR’s Carnival of the
Ancients for Piano and Orchestra
in March. The soloist was SARA
DANESHPOUR (Piano '07).
MICHAEL DJUPSTROM (Composition
’11) was commissioned by the Great
Falls Symphony Orchestra to create a
new work celebrating the ensemble’s
60th anniversary in 2019.
In March CRAIG KNOX (Tuba ’89)
premiered JENNIFER HIGDON’s
(Composition ’88) Tuba Concerto with
the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
under the baton of ROBERT SPANO
(Conducting ’85). The piece, a
co-commission of the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra, Royal National
Scottish Orchestra, and the Curtis
Institute of Music, was performed
by JOHN WHITENER (Tuba ’03)
with the Royal National Scottish
Orchestra in May. Dr. Higdon received
the 2018 Michael Ludwig Nemmers
Prize from Northwestern University
in April.
DAVID LUDWIG’s (Composition ’01)
second violin concerto, Paganiniana,
was commissioned by a consortium
of the Lake George Music Festival
and the Kingston, Lake Champlain,
and Portland chamber music festivals.
The work was premiered in July and
August by soloists SOOVIN KIM
(Violin ’99), BARBORA KOLAVORA
(Violin ’12), JASMINE LIN (Violin ’98),
and David McCarroll. Dr. Ludwig was
awarded a fellowship from the Pew
Center for Arts and Heritage in June.
A musical setting of poems by
Liberal Arts Chair JEANNE M. McGINN
premiered in April as part of the
Student Recital Series. YA-JHU YANG’s
(Composition ’11) Five Minahan
Songs were performed by DENNIS
CHMELENSKY (Voice), JEAN KIM
(Cello), and Ms. Yang at the piano.
DANIELLE ORLANDO taught master
classes at the Shanghai Conservatory
of Music in May. In June she taught
at Curtis Summerfest and in July,
she taught at Oberlin in Italy.
Chas Rader-
Shieber
In July CHAS
RADER-SHIEBER
directed Gluck’s
Orfeo ed Euridice
for Portland
Opera and a new
production of
Dvořak’s Rusalka
for Des Moines
Metro Opera,
featuring EVAN
LeROY JOHNSON (Opera ’18). In
November and December, he directs
Hasse’s Artaserse for Opera Australia
with mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux.
THOMAS WEAVER appeared as piano
soloist with the Boston University
Tanglewood Institute Orchestra in
LEONARD BERNSTEIN’s (Conducting
’41) Symphony No. 2 (“The Age of
Anxiety”) in July.
RICHARD WOODHAMS (Oboe ’64)
has retired as principal oboe of
the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was
honored by the Musical Fund Society
of Philadelphia in May.
OTHER CURTIS FAMILY NEWS
New Trustees
The Curtis board of trustees welcomed new members during the 2017–18 school
year, including ANDREW JACOBS (Composition ’93), Y. S LIU, CONNIE B. McCANN,
and RANJI NAGASWAMI. DAVID LUDWIG (Composition ’01), chair of composition
studies and Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor to the President, joined the
trustees as a representative of the faculty. DAVID MARSHALL and SAMUEL R.
SHIPLEY III were named emeritus trustees.
The board of directors of the Mary Louis Curtis Bok Foundation welcomed
two new members during the past year: TOMAS J. BOK and ROBERT H. ROCK.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
35

NOTATIONS
STUDENTS
TIANXU AN (Piano) won the senior
division of the Albert M. Greenfield
Student Competition last spring.
Yue Bao
YUE BAO (Conducting) was the
2018 David Effron Conducting Fellow
at the Chautauqua Institution.
Over the summer OMRI BARAK
(Trumpet), ALISON DRESSER (Horn),
LENA GOODSON (Double Bass), and
GABRIEL POLINSKY (Double Bass)
attended the Tanglewood Music Center.
Viet has been selected to participate
in the Minnesota Orchestra’s 16th
annual Composer Institute in January
2019 alongside six other composers,
including Curtis alumni T.J. COLE
(Composition ’16, ArtistYear ’17) and
ALYSSA WEINBERG (Composition ’16).
DAI WEI’s (Composition) Dear Lenny
was premiered by the Chamber
Orchestra of Philadelphia in May.
In March MICHAEL DAVIDMAN (Piano)
performed Mozart’s Concerto No. 21
in C Major, K. 467 with the Monterey
Symphony under the direction
of CONNER GRAY COVINGTON
(Conducting ’17). His appearance was
part of Curtis on Tour, the Nina von
Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative.
ALISON DRESSER (Horn) joins the
Indianapolis Symphony this fall for
a one-year appointment.
DANIEL HSU (Piano) performed
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto with
the Quad City Symphony Orchestra
and conductor MARK RUSSELL SMITH
(Conducting ’87) in April.
Sophia Hunt
SOPHIA HUNT
(Voice) attended
the Aspen
Music Festival
and School in
Summer 2018.
STEPHEN KIM (Violin) won third prize
at the 2018 Paganini International
Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy
in April.
WILLIAM LANGLIE-MILETICH
(Double Bass) attended the Marlboro
Music Festival over the summer.
Triacanthos Quintet
The Triacanthos Quintet—AMIT
MELZER (Horn), MAGGIE O’LEARY
(Bassoon), CASSIE PILGRIM (Oboe ’18),
EMMA RESMINI (Flute ’18), and TANIA
VILLASUSO (Clarinet)—participated
in the Music from Angel Fire Young
Artist Program over the summer.
Music from Angel Fire, under the
artistic direction of Curtis faculty
member IDA KAVAFIAN, celebrated
its 35th season in 2018.
JULIEN
BÉLANGER
(Timpani and
Percussion)
performed
with Montréal’s
Orchestre
Métropolitain
during their
Julien Bélanger
summer season.
He performed a duet recital at the
Conservatoire de musique Montréal
in August.
In April the AYA Trio—ANGELA SIN
YING CHAN (Violin), YING LI (Piano),
and ANDRES SANCHEZ (Cello)—won
the senior division of WDAV’s Young
Chamber Musicians Competition.
They participated in the Shouse
Institute of the Great Lakes Chamber
Music Festival in June and the Norfolk
Chamber Music Festival at Yale
School of Music in July and August.
GRACE CLIFFORD (Violin) appeared
with Selby and Friends in a chamber
music tour through Australia in March.
In July VIET
CUONG (Composition)
participated
in the Mizzou
International
Composers
Festival, where
the contemporary
music ensemble
Viet Cuong
Alarm Will Sound
premiered his new work Electric Aroma.
In April, BRYAN DUNNEWALD (Organ)
conducted the premiere performance
of his Missa Brevis “Saint Mark.”
CLARA GERDES (Organ) accompanied
the performance by the Parish Choir
of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church.
In March ANIA FILOCHOWSKA (Violin)
won first place in the Hudson Valley
Philharmonic String Competition and
received second prize in the Schadt
String Competition; the first prize was
awarded to TIMOTHY CHOOI (Violin ’17).
Over the summer MATTHEW GAJDA
(Trumpet) attended the American
Institute of Musical Studies in
Graz, Austria.
HAE SUE LEE (Viola) won first
prize and the audience prize at the
2018 Primrose International Viola
Competition. ZOË MARTIN-DOIKE
(Violin ’13) won second prize and
the Transcriptions Prize.
In April SARA HAN (Clarinet) was
named a winner in the Yamaha Young
Performing Artists Competition.
Yuhsin Su
ZUBIN HATHI
(Timpani and
Percussion)
and YUHSIN SU
(Clarinet )
attended the
National Orchestral
Institute
over the summer.
SANG-EUN LEE (Cello) performed
Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1
with the Fort Smith Symphony in
January and gave a solo recital
at Pepperdine University in April.
XIAOXUAN LI (Piano) received
first prize in the senior division
of the Cleveland International Piano
Competition in June.
HYUN JAE LIM (Violin) performed
LEONARD BERNSTEIN’s (Conducting
’41), Serenade with the Philadelphia
Orchestra in February, during a
concert titled “Bernstein: 100 Years
Young” under the baton of KENSHO
WATANABE (Conducting ’15). Hyun
Jae won third prize in the senior
division of the Yehudi Menuhin
International Violin Competition
in April and second prize in the
Houston Symphony’s Ima Hogg
Competition in June.
CHELSEA McFARLAND attended the
National Repertory Orchestra festival
over the summer. This fall she joins
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for
a one-year appointment.
ZACHARY MOWITZ (Cello) performed
Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with
the Philadelphia Orchestra at the
Mann Center in July, with KENSHO
WATANABE (’15) on the podium.
Over the summer MAGGIE O’LEARY
(Bassoon) was a member of the
Verbier Festival Orchestra.
In March LINZI PAN (Piano) appeared
in the Belt and Road International
Music Festival in Shenzhen, China.
ELENA PERRONI (Opera) performed
the role of Maria in West Side Story
with the Reno Philharmonic in April.
In March EMILY POGORELC (Voice)
reached the finals of the inaugural
Glyndebourne Opera Cup and received
the Ginette Theano Prize for Most
Promising Talent. In May she won
first place in the Art Song division
of the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition
and made her debut with Washington
National Opera as Cunegonde in
Candide by LEONARD BERNSTEIN
(Conducting ’41).
Cara Pogossian
CARA POGOSSIAN
attended the
Taos School
of Music over
the summer.
ANASTASIIA SIDOROVA (Opera)
performed the roles of Giovanna
(Rigoletto) and Gertrude (Roméo
et Juliette) during Wolf Trap Opera’s
summer season.
36 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTATIONS
RECORDINGS AND PUBLICATIONS
In March Albany Records released
JAMES ADLER’s (Piano ’73,
Composition ’76) A Winter Triptych
for chorus, horn, and harp, with the
choir of Judson Memorial Church
(N.Y.) led by Henco Espag.
JENNY OAKS BAKER’s (Violin ’93)
latest album, The Spirit of God,
was released by Shadow Mountain
Records in March.
DAVID BERNARD (Clarinet ’84)
conducts the Park Avenue Chamber
Symphony’s new recording of
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6
(“Pathétique”), released by
Recursive Classics in January.
LUCILLE CHUNG’s (Piano ’92) Liszt was
released in April by Signum Classics.
It features the Sonata in B minor
and several shorter works by Liszt.
In January Naxos released a CD
of three string quartets by Curtis
composition faculty member
RICHARD DANIELPOUR played by the
Delray String Quartet, whose violist is
RICHARD FLEISCHMAN (’87).
MICHAEL DJUPSTROM’s (Composition
’11) piece for trumpet and piano,
Puck, was released last spring on
the album Imagined Conversations
(MSR Classics).
Cambridge University Press has
published Performance Practice in
the Music of Steve Reich by RUSSELL
HARTENBERGER (Percussion ’66), who
has been a member of Steve Reich and
Musicians since 1971. The book provides
a performer’s perspective on Reich’s
works, from his iconic Drumming to his
masterpiece, Music for 18 Musicians.
The book addresses performance
issues encountered by the musicians
in Reich’s original ensemble and the
techniques they developed to bring
his compositions to life.
In June MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA
(Conducting ’93) and the Fort Worth
Symphony Orchestra released a live
recording of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at
an Exhibition and Prokofiev’s Cinderella.
JUDITH INGOLFSSON (Violin ’92)
and her duo partner, pianist Vladimir
Stoupel, recently released a new
recording of sonatas by Poulenc,
Ferroud, and Ravel on the Accentus
Music label.
GLORIA JUSTEN (Violin ’90) released
a new album called Sonaquifer: Music
for Solo Viola in January. Gloria is
the composer and performer of all
the music on the recording, and she
has also published the scores for
the pieces, which can be played on
viola or cello. Gloria is an independent
publisher of her own work.
LIZA KEROB’s (Violin ’96) second album
with her Trio Goldberg was released
in June by the ARS Produktion label.
Trio Goldberg has also recorded Mozart
quartets with flutist Jean Ferrandis
for future release.
ERIC LU’s (Piano) new CD, Late Works
by Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, was
released by the Genuin label in April.
The Clarion Quartet—JENNIFER
ORCHARD (Violin ’91), Marta
Krechkovsky, TATJANA MEAD CHAMIS
(Viola ’94), and BRONWYN BANERDT
(Cello ’08)—released its debut album,
Breaking the Silence, in February. The
disc features music by Erwin Schulhoff,
Viktor Ullmann, and Erich Korngold—
all composers who were suppressed
by the Nazis. The Clarion Quartet
received a Curtis Alumni Entrepreneur
performance grant in 2016.
JANET PERRY (Voice ’67) has released
a solo CD of French and German
songs—Mozart, R. Strauss, Liszt,
Faurè, Duparc, Debussy and a rare
gem of Meyerbeer—compiled from
studio recordings and recitals and
available on Sony Music/Solomusica.
JULIE ROSENFELD (Violin ’76) and
PETER MIYAMOTO (Piano ’92) have
recorded New Music for Violin and
Piano for the Albany label. The disc
features new works by Kenneth Fuchs,
Katherine Hoover, John Halle, Laura
Kaminsky, Stefan Freund, and Tamar
Muskal, all of which were commissioned
by Julie in 2014.
Faculty member DAVID STAROBIN’s
recording Poul Ruders: Occam’s Razor
was released in July. Alumni AMALIA
HALL (Violin ’12), LIANG WANG (Oboe
’03), and XIAOBO PU (Guitar ’18);
and students YUNXIANG FAN (Guitar)
and HAO YANG (Guitar) also appear
on the recording.
MIMI STILLMAN’s (Flute ’99) Dolce
Suono Ensemble released American
Canvas on Innova Recordings in
February, including premieres by
JENNIFER HIGDON (’88), ZHOU
TIAN (’05), Shulamit Ran, and Andrea
Clearfield. The ensemble includes
soprano Lucy Shelton, pianist
CHARLES ABRAMOVIC (’76) and
cellists GABRIEL CABEZAS (’13)
and NATHAN VICKERY (’13).
ANNA TIFU’s (Violin ’08) latest
recording is Tzigane with pianist
Giuseppe Andaloro, released by
Warner Classics in June 2017.
Pianist THOMAS WEAVER of the
musical studies faculty is among the
performers on a new CD, David Amram:
So In America (Selected Chamber
Music Compositions 1958–2017),
released in March by Affetto Records
and distributed by Naxos.
A Grammy
Coup for Curtis
In January JENNIFER HIGDON
(Composition ’88) was awarded the
Grammy for Best Contemporary
Classical Composition for her
Viola Concerto, performed by
Curtis President ROBERTO DÍAZ
(Viola ’84) with the Nashville
Symphony and conductor Giancarlo
Guerrero and released by Naxos.
Co-commissioned by the Curtis
Institute of Music, the Library
of Congress, the Aspen Music
Festival and School, and the
Nashville Symphony, the concerto
was also featured on the album
that won the Grammy for Best
Classical Compendium.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
37

NOTATIONS
COMMENCEMENT
MAY 12, 2018
PHOTOS BY DAVID SWANSON
AWARDS AND PRIZES
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Joseph W. Polisi, D.M.A., president,
The Juilliard School, in recognition
of his extraordinary influence on the
lives and development of actors, dancers,
and musicians as performers, creators,
and artist-citizens
PRESIDENT’S ALUMNI AWARD
George Walker (Piano and Composition ’45),
in recognition of his trailblazing career
as both composer and performer
JOAN HUTTON LANDIS AWARD
FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS
Stephen Franklin (Trumpet)
EDWARD ALDWELL AWARD
FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUSICAL STUDIES
Bryan Christopher Dunnewald (Organ)
Stephen Franklin (Trumpet)
CHARLES MILLER PRIZE:
THE ALBERTO CASELLA AWARD
Chelsea Komschlies (Composition)
MILKA VIOLIN ARTIST PRIZE
Stephen Kim (Violin)
ANGELO SYLVESTRO
FESTORAZZI SCHOLARSHIP
Elena Perroni (Opera)
PAUL G. MEHLIN SCHOLARSHIP
Linzi Pan (Piano)
RICHARD F. GOLD CAREER GRANT
Evan LeRoy Johnson (Opera)
THE PRESSER FOUNDATION
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARD
William Langlie-Miletich (Double Bass)
53 GRADUATES
3 | DIPLOMA
17 | POST-BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA
26 | BACHELOR OF MUSIC
6 | MASTER OF MUSIC IN OPERA
1 | CERTIFICATE OF
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
38 OVERTONES FALL 2018

NOTATIONS
“With your profoundly powerful
communicative abilities as musicians,
you enter a world that is currently short on
empathy, nuance, and civility. ... Realizing
that these challenges exist, we remain
hopeful because we believe that you will
use your persuasive power as artists to
realize positive change in the time ahead
and that our global population will
embrace your humanity in all its forms.”
—Joseph W. Polisi, D.M.A.
President (1984–2018),
The Juilliard School
Opposite: A proud pose by Pablo Muñoz Salido of the Zorá String Quartet, Héloïse Carlean-Jones, and Edward
Francis-Smith; Top left: Doğukan Koran; Top right: Zizai Ning of the Zorá String Quartet; Above: Awardees
Joseph W. Polisi and George Walker with President Roberto Díaz and Board Chair Mark Rubenstein
IN MEMORIAM
GEORGE WALKER (Piano and Composition ’45),
who was honored with the President’s Alumni
Award at Commencement, passed away on
August 23 at age 96. An appreciation of
Dr. Walker is online at Curtis.edu/Overtones,
and an obituary will appear in the Spring 2018
edition of Overtones. Curtis extends its
deepest condolences to Dr. Walker’s family
and friends.
CLASS OF 2018 NOTATIONS
CARLOS ÁGREDA (Conducting)
has been appointed music
director of the Empire State
Youth Orchestra.
ROBIN BRAWLEY (Double Bass)
is freelancing and auditioning.
Over the summer KENDRA BROOM
(Opera) performed with West Edge
Opera Company as Mélisande in
Pelléas et Mélisande and in concert
with Amici Strings.
CHEN CAO (Cello) is pursuing
a master’s degree at the
Juilliard School.
HÉLOÏSE CARLEAN-JONES (Harp)
is studying toward a master’s
degree at the Yale School of Music.
MICHAEL CASIMIR (Viola) is a
member of the viola section of the
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra,
and is performing in the London
Philharmonic Orchestra.
DENNIS CHMELENSKY (Voice)
returns to Curtis this fall to pursue a
master’s degree in opera performance.
Over the summer he performed with
Curtis on Tour.
EMILY COOLEY (Composition ’17,
Community Artist Fellow) is teaching
and freelancing in Philadelphia.
NICHOLAS DiBERARDINO
(Composition) returns to Curtis this
fall as a Community Artist Fellow.
BRYAN DUNNEWALD (Organ) is
pursuing a master’s degree in
orchestral conducting at the Mannes
School of Music.
TESSA ELLIS (Trumpet ’17, Community
Artist Fellow) is performing in the
Philadelphia area with her new music
ensemble and brass quintet.
YUNXIANG FAN (Guitar) is pursuing
a master’s degree at the Manhattan
School of Music.
MORE ONLINE
See more Commencement photos at Curtis.edu/Overtones
ANIA FILOCHOWSKA (Violin)
is performing with the Berlin
Philharmonic’s Karajan Academy.
EDWARD FRANCIS-SMITH (Double
Bass) has joined the Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra.
STEVEN FRANKLIN (Trumpet)
joined the New World Symphony.
BRANDON GARBOT (Violin) is
studying toward a master’s degree
at the Yale School of Music.
HELEN GERHOLD (Harp) is performing
as a substitute with the Philadelphia
Orchestra and is director of education
for the Lyra Society.
RAY SEONG JIN HAN (Horn) is fulfilling
required military service in Korea.
NOZOMI IMAMURA (Trumpet ’15,
Community Artist Fellow) has
extended his Community Artist
Fellowship through the next
school year.
MARIA IOUDENITCH (Violin) is
pursuing a master’s degree at New
England Conservatory, studying
with Miriam Fried. Over the summer
she performed with Curtis on Tour.
In the coming season EVAN LeROY
JOHNSON (Opera) debuts at Frankfurt
Opera, the Bavarian State Opera,
and the Glyndebourne Festival;
and sings Rodolfo in La bohème
with Opera Philadelphia.
BRAIZAHN JONES (Double Bass)
has joined the Oregon Symphony
as assistant principal.
JEAN KIM (Cello) is living in
Philadelphia, auditioning and
participating in competitions.
STEPHEN KIM (Violin) is studying
toward a master’s degree at the
Juilliard School.
ADAM KISS (Opera) returns
to Curtis this fall to pursue a
Certificate of Professional Studies.
OVERTONES FALL 2018
39

NOTATIONS
CHELSEA KOMSCHLIES (Composition)
is working on composition projects
in Philadelphia and exploring Ph.D.
programs.
DOĞUKAN KURAN (Opera) attended
the American Institute of Musical
Studies in Graz, Austria over
the summer.
SANG-EUN LEE (Cello) is performing
and competing in Korea.
SEULA LEE (Violin) returns to Curtis
this fall as a Community Artist Fellow.
CHRISTINE LIM (Violin) is pursuing
a master’s degree at New England
Conservatory.
Over the summer LYMAN McBRIDE
(Trombone) participated in the
National Repertory Orchestra.
This fall he is attending the Yale
School of Music, studying toward
a master’s degree.
MICAH McLAURIN (Piano) performed
with the Philadelphia Orchestra
in July at the Mann Center and
is pursuing a master’s degree at
the Juilliard School.
ASHLEY MILANESE (Opera) will
join Teatro Reggio Torino in Torinao,
Italy as a resident artist for the
2018–19 season.
LINZI PAN (Piano) is pursuing a
master’s degree at the Juilliard School,
studying with Robert McDonald.
HANUL PARK (Bassoon) has joined
the Sarasota Orchestra.
ELENA PERRONI (Opera) performed
with the Philadelphia Orchestra at
the Mann Center in July, singing the
role of Tatyana in Eugene Onegin.
CASSIE PILGRIM (Oboe) is attending
Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
EMILY POGORELC (Voice) has joined
the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric
Opera of Chicago. Over the summer she
participated in the Mozart Academie
of the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
XIAOBO PU (Guitar) is pursuing
a master’s degree at the Yale School
of Music.
In June EMMA RESMINI (Flute)
performed with the Shenandoah
Valley Bach Festival. She is attending
the Juilliard School this fall, studying
toward a master’s degree.
ASHLEY ROBILLARD (Voice) returns
to Curtis this fall to pursue a master’s
degree in opera.
LYDIA ROTH (Flute) is pursuing
a master’s degree at Lynn University’s
Conservatory of Music.
MATTHEW SINNO (Viola) joins the
Kansas City Symphony this fall
as associate principal viola.
JAHLEEL SMITH (Bass Trombone) is
pursuing a master’s degree at Indiana
University’s Jacobs School of Music.
Over the summer JULIAN TELLO JR.
(Viola) participated in the American
Institute of Musical Studies in Graz,
Austria; Music from Angel Fire; and
the Artosphere 2018 Music Festival.
YIBING WANG (Percussion and Timpani)
is studying toward a master’s degree
at the Juilliard School.
HENRY WOOLF (Flute) is freelancing
in the San Francisco Bay Area.
REX YAPE (Oboe) is pursuing a master’s
degree at Temple University, studying
with Jonathan Blumenfeld (Oboe ’81)
and Peter Smith (Oboe ’91).
NINA YANG ZHANG (Piano) is
attending Berklee College of Music.
TYLER ZIMMERMAN (Opera) has
joined Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident
Artist Program, where he will sing
the role of Colline in La bohème.
The ZORÁ QUARTET (Quartet in
Residence) performed in Europe with
Curtis on Tour in May and at several
festivals over the summer.
Top left, clockwise: Long-serving piano faculty Eleanor Sokoloff and alumna Bobbi
Moskow served coffee before the ceremony; Carlos Ágreda entering Field Concert
Hall; Maria Ioudenitch and Héloise Carlean-Jones; Lyman McBride with his wife
and daughter
Lower left, clockwise: student speaker Xiaobo Pu; Ania Filochowska with her
mother and her brother, alumnus Piotr Filochowski; Braizahn Jones; Cassie Pilgrim
40 OVERTONES FALL 2018

—— 2018–19 SEASON ——
This Fall & Winter at Curtis
O C T O B E R
4–7 CURTIS OPERA THEATRE
Prince Theater
Lisa Keller, music director
Chas Rader-Shieber, director
BERNSTEIN
Trouble in Tahiti
PURCELL
Dido and Aeneas
1 3 CURTIS PRESENTS
Field Concert Hall
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Nigel Armstrong (’13), violin
1 9 STUDENT RECITAL SERIES BEGINS
Field Concert Hall
Program information at Curtis.edu/Calendar
2 8 CURTIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Haochen Zhang (’12), piano
AUGUSTA READ THOMAS Brio
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
STRAVINSKY
Petrushka
N O V E M B E R
4 CURTIS PRESENTS
Field Concert Hall
Judith Ingolfssohn (’92), violin
Vladimir Stoupel, piano
1 0 CURTIS 20/21 ENSEMBLE: A Mad King
Gould Rehearsal Hall
JULIUS EASTMAN Joy Boy
PETER MAXWELL DAVIES Eight Songs for a Mad King
1 4 – 1 8 CURTIS OPERA THEATRE
Prince Theater
Geoffrey McDonald, conductor
Emma Griffin, director
STEPHEN SONDHEIM Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
J A N U A R Y
2 7 CURTIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Mark Russell Smith (’87), conductor
Craig Knox (’89), tuba
COPLAND Appalachian Spring Suite (1945)
JENNIFER HIGDON Tuba Concerto
IVES
The Unanswered Question
DVOŘÁK
Symphony No. 7 in D minor
F E B R U A R Y
2 CURTIS 20/21 ENSEMBLE: Ode to Napoleon
Gould Rehearsal Hall
LANG
HOLLAND
YOUNG
LUDWIG
SCHOENBERG
M A R C H
3 CURTIS PRESENTS
Illumination Rounds
Synchrony
Spero Lucem
Flowers in the Desert
Ode to Napoleon
Field Concert Hall
Mikael Eliasen, piano
Danielle Orlando, piano
Members of the Curtis Opera Theatre
BRAHMS
Liebeslieder Walzer
7–1 0 CURTIS OPERA THEATRE
Perelman Theatre at the Kimmel Center
MORE ONLINE
Curtis.edu/Performances
PHOTOS: DAVID DeBALKO, CORY WEAVER
Karina Canellakis (Violin ’04), conductor
R. B. Schlather, director
MOZART
Don Giovanni

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Gary Graffman and
Isabelle Vengerova,
1938
Gary Graffman (Piano ’46) enrolled in
Curtis at the tender age of seven, as a
student of Isabelle Vengerova. Though
this legendary pedagogue commuted
to Curtis from New York, she taught
her youngest virtuoso at home on
the Upper West Side, where she lived
around the corner from the Graffman
family. But on the day that a LIFE
magazine photographer came to Curtis,
young Gary happened to be visiting
Philadelphia, and this lesson photo
ultimately dominated the LIFE feature.
After a robust performing career,
Mr. Graffman joined the Curtis piano
faculty in 1980, and later headed
the school for 20 years. This fall he
celebrates his 90th birthday—still
teaching young pianists both in
Philadelphia and in his own Manhattan
apartment. Read tributes by his
students past and present, as well
as fellow piano faculty members,
beginning on page 21. PHOTO: CURTIS
ARCHIVES/FRITZ HENLE