Curtis Institute of Music
| Established | 1924 |
|---|---|
| School type | Private |
| President and Director | Gary Graffman |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Enrollment | 162 (fall 2005) |
| Campus | Urban |
| Homepage | www.curtis.edu |
The Curtis Institute of Music is a music school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. Is is considered one of the leading music conservatories in the United States of America.
It was originally established in 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok, to some extent as a training ground for orchestral players to fill the ranks of the Philadelphia Orchestra, much like the Vienna Hochschule fur Musik and the Vienna Philharmonic; although pianists, singers, organists and composers were offered courses of study as well.
All pupils attend on full scholarship. Entrance is highly competitive since Curtis has the No.1 lowest acceptance rate of any college/university in the world. Besides singers, pianists, organists, conductors and composers, only enough students are admitted to fill a single orchestra. Accordingly, enrollment is in the 160-200 students range.
Past directors of Curtis have included pianist Józef Hofmann, composer Randall Thompson, violinist Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. (father of the actor Efrem, Jr., grandfather of the actress Stephanie and second husband of the founder), pianist Rudolph Serkin, John de Lancie, Sr. (principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years), and the current President/Director, Gary Graffman who was appointed in 1995. Mr. Graffman will retire as President/Director at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, continuing on the piano faculty. His successor is Roberto Diaz, principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and member of the Diaz Trio, an alumnus and faculty member.
Many of its alumni have gone on to distinguished careers, Among the many graduates are Harold Bennett (d. 1985), former principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; pianist Richard Goode, tubist of the Chicago Symphony Orhcestra and influential teacher of brass pedagogy Arnold Jacobs, violinist Hilary Hahn, conductor Leonard Bernstein, soprano Benita Valente, soprano Anna Moffo, as well as pianist extraordinaire Lang Lang. The legendary Cuban-American pianist Jorge Bolet also studied there. American composers Samuel Barber, Daron Hagen, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Ned Rorem also graduated here, and more recent composers of note include alumna and faculty member Jennifer Higdon.