Curtis 100

Step into the heart of our centennial celebration as Curtis Institute of Music unveils a season brimming with passion, energy, and greatness. You’ll experience music-making at its highest level—and the energy and excitement of extraordinary young talent. It will be an unforgettable season, where the young artists of Curtis ignite the stage alongside esteemed alums like Yuja Wang, Ray Chen, Teddy Abrams, Time for Three, and many more.

View the season brochure.

This is Curtis.

Where music is timeless.

Where greatness becomes possible.

Where classical music breaks new ground.

Where you hear talent that will define the future.

October 11–13, 2024

To mark its founding a century ago and to honor the legacy of Mary Louise Curtis Bok, Curtis will launch its milestone season with Founder’s Weekend as generations of alumni and supporters will be invited to campus to reminiscence with one another, interact with current students, attend various concerts and festivities, and celebrate the past, present, and future of the school.

Curtis presents the final works in our multi-year project to commission 100 works for the school’s centennial. 100 for 100 celebrates the music of our time with a showcase of fresh perspectives, featuring original works inspired by and crafted for Curtis. Experience the cutting-edge of music creation as we mark this milestone year.

May 8, 2025 | Penn Museum 

Experience the grandeur of Curtis’ 100-year legacy at our annual Gala. Revel in captivating performances by alumni including J’Nai Bridges (Opera ’12), Amanda Majeski (Opera ’09), and Karen Slack (Opera ’02), savor culinary delights, and commemorate Curtis’ profound influence on the global music landscape. Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and celebration, and honor Curtis’ enduring impact. 

The recording label of Curtis Institute of Music brings the artistry and innovation of the school’s renowned and inspiring alumni, faculty, and students to audiences around the world. During our centennial year, Curtis Studio will debut A Century of New Sounds. The recording celebrates famed alumni composers past and present, recorded from the school’s historic campus, and performed by faculty, alumni, and students. Recording to include chamber works of Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Julius Eastman, Jennifer Higdon, Jonathan Bailey Holland, David Serkin Ludwig, Ned Rorem, Gabriella Smith, and George Walker.

Available in all major music stores October 2024.

Curtis on Tour celebrates Curtis’ centennial with more than 35 concerts across the globe—from chamber music to the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Alumni and faculty performing on tour include Teddy Abrams, Michelle Cann, Ray Chen, Roberto Díaz, the Dover Quartet, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jason Vieaux, and Peter Wiley. Performance venues include New York’s 92nd Street Y, through the Curtis at 92NY collaboration; New York’s David Geffen Hall; the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL; and the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA; as well as performances abroad in Belgium, Germany, Greece, and Spain.

Curtis’ Centennial Season is made possible through the support of Derek and Sissela Bok, the Mary Louise Curtis Bok Foundation, Deborah M. Fretz, Charles C. Freyer and Judith Durkin Freyer, Rita E. Hauser, Lisa and Gie Liem, Mark and Robin Rubenstein, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

These performances were financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development. 

Guest conductor appearances for each Curtis Symphony Orchestra performance are made possible by the Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser Chair in Conducting Studies. Orchestral concerts are supported by the Jack Wolgin Curtis Orchestral Concerts Endowment Fund and the Pennsylvania Tourism Office.   

Curtis Opera Theatre is generously supported by the Ernestine Bacon Cairns Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation. 

Generous support for Curtis New Music Ensemble is provided by the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation. 

Curtis on Tour is part of The Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative.

Curtis Institute of Music received funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.