Chamber ensemble of alumni and students perform around the country with a program of works by famed alumnus Leonard Bernstein, as well as Copland and Gershwin

PHILADELPHIA—February 6, 2018—The Curtis Institute of Music celebrates the centenary of notable alumnus Leonard Bernstein (Conducting ’41) with a concert as part of the Curtis Presents series on Saturday, February 10 at 8 p.m. in Field Concert Hall. This performance kicks off a nationwide tour to venues in Arizona, California, Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., from February 11 through March 18.

Each performance features the Zorá String Quartet, Curtis’s string quartet in residence; renowned alumni Dominic Armstrong, tenor and David Shifrin, clarinet; and the exciting young pianist Jiacheng Xiong. The ensemble offers chamber music and songs from the prodigiously gifted composer and conductor who traversed styles and genres with ease, alongside works from Aaron Copland and George Gershwin.

Single tickets for the February 10 concert in Philadelphia cost $25 and are available from the Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Performances. Ticket information for Curtis on Tour performances is available through each concert venue or at Curtis.edu/BernsteinTour.

Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and George Gershwin composed some of America’s most iconic and beloved music. Each told a distinctly American story: the Tin Pan Alley songs of Gershwin, the open spaces of the frontier as expressed by Copland, and the bustling jazz-flavored urbanity of Bernstein. With this program Curtis joins the worldwide centenary celebrations of Leonard Bernstein, a 1941 conducting graduate, who studied at the school in his early twenties just before launching his meteoric career. In addition to Curtis on Tour performances, the Curtis Opera Theatre presents Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, in the American premiere of the chamber arrangement by Garth Edwin Sunderland, with performances in New York and Philadelphia. And the Curtis archives open their collection to the public with photos, letters, programs, and more available online. Learn more at www.curtis.edu/Bernstein..

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. One of the most selective schools in the United States, Curtis accepts four percent of applicants each year on average. A tuition-free policy ensures that talent and artistic promise are the only considerations for admission. With a small student body of about 175, Curtis provides each young musician with an education of unparalleled quality, distinguished by personalized attention from a celebrated faculty and a “learn by doing” philosophy. Curtis students hone their craft through than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year in Philadelphia and around the world.

For more information, get in touch with

Jennifer Kallend | jennifer.kallend@curtis.edu | (215) 717-3190

Diana Wensley | diana.wensley@curtis.edu | (215) 717-3129

Curtis Institute of Music,

1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Curtis.edu