One of the most respected music schools in the world, Curtis recruits its student body (currently about 165, to a faculty of around 90) from all over the world — and offers each student a full scholarship. This past June, the Institute bid farewell to longtime president Gary Graffman and welcomed new president Roberto D‹az, a renowned musician who was for a decade the principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
One of the highlights of D‹az's first year at the Curtis helm will be his performance at Carnegie Hall as soloist with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in Krzysztof Penderecki's Viola Concerto. The concert, scheduled for next May 2, will also feature Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances From West Side Story; conducting will be Philadelphia Orchestra music director Christoph Eschenbach.