|
|
75th Anniversary Concert
Principle Artists
Robert Spano
Recently appointed music director of the Atlanta Symphony, alumnus Robert Spano (Conducting '85) is now in his fourth season as music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra. He has led nearly every major North American orchestra, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served as assistant conductor from 1991 to 1994. Among Mr. Spano's numerous international activities are guest conducting engagements with the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Orchestra of the Hague, Helsinki Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo, Royal Opera at Covent Garden, Tonhalle Orchester of Zurich and the Welsh National Opera. He has served on the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music since 1989; in 1994, he received the prestigious Seaver/National Endowment of the Arts Conductor Award. Mr. Spano studied conducting with Max Rudolf at The Curtis Institute of Music.
Jaime Laredo
Curtis faculty member and alumnus Jaime Laredo (Violin '59) is a frequent soloist with today's major orchestras. He is also a celebrated chamber musician who performs regularly with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, of which he is a founding member, and in a quartet with Emanuel Ax, Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma. He is artistic director of New York's Chamber Music at the Y series and music director of both the Brandenburg Ensemble and the New York String Orchestra, positions he inherited from Alexander Schneider. Most recently, he was named artistic advisor of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Laredo has recorded over 40 discs, including recent releases on the Sony Classical and Arabesque labels. This season marks the 40th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall recital debut.
Daron Hagen
Curtis alumnus Daron Hagen (Composition '84) has written works in every genre and received commissions from major symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. He studied at The Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, where his principal teachers were Ned Rorem and David Diamond. In addition to receiving numerous awards and fellowships, his works have been premiered by the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic and St. Louis Symphony. Mr. Hagen has composed three major operas as well: Shining Brow for the Madison Opera, Vera of Las Vegas and Bandanna, which was recorded on ARSIS Audio. His discography also includes recordings on the Albany, Sierra Classical, Josara and Mark labels. He taught composition at Bard College for over 10 years, as well as at such institutions as the City College of New York, New York University and Princeton University.
Mr. Hagen also served on the Curtis faculty from 1996 to 1998, at which time he left academia in order to devote his time entirely to composing.
Jennifer Higdon
A Curtis graduate and current faculty member, Jennifer Higdon (Composition '88) is a recipient of numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, NEA grant and awards from such organizations as the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP, Composers Inc., and the International League of Women Composers. A 1999 Pew Fellow in the Arts, Dr. Higdon's recent commissions include works for the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the American Composers Orchestra, the Women's Philharmonic, eighth blackbird and the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, as well as a quintet for Gary Graffman and the Lark String Quartet. Her orchestral composition Shine was chosen by USA Today as Best New Contemporary Classical Work of 1996. Dr. Higdon received a Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Her extensive discography can be heard on such labels as CRI, Crystal, Centaur and I Virtuosi Records, with five new recordings being released in fall of 2000.
|
