Faculty Recital: Richard Danielpour on March 15 at Gould Rehearsal Hall

On Saturday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m., in Gould Rehearsal Hall, Curtis Institute of Music will pay tribute to distinguished composition faculty member Richard Danielpour with a special farewell concert as the award-winning composer retires from the school after almost three decades. The afternoon will feature the world premiere of Fiat Lux, a breathtaking new work for solo violin and orchestra, commissioned through the support of Susan De Jong (Flute ’62) and Conrad De Jong, and composed as a love letter to the school. Dedicated to Mr. Danielpour’s dear friend and esteemed colleague, internationally acclaimed violinist and violist Ida Kavafian, who serves as the school’s Nina von Maltzahn Chair in Violin Studies, this stunning new work will be performed by Ms. Kavafian alongside Curtis students, faculty, and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Latin title Fiat Lux, which roughly translates to “Let There Be Light,” was inspired by the idea of music as a light source. “The light,” Mr. Danielpour says, “becomes even more important in times of confusion and disorder and darkness. I wrote this piece, as I’ve written many of my works, knowing that music, in a way, is the last bastion of being able to stay in touch with our humanity. I’ve always felt that it has the potential ability not only to open us up emotionally but also to act as a catalyst for healing.”

The concert will begin with an insightful conversation between Mr. Danielpour and his former student, Nick DiBerardino (Composition ’18)—acclaimed composer, Curtis New Music Ensemble director, chair of composition studies, and provost and dean of the conservatory. They will discuss their time working together at Curtis, Mr. Danielpour’s 28-year tenure at the school, and explore the creation of Fiat Lux, offering audiences an exclusive look inside the score before they experience it live. The afternoon concludes with a movement from Mr. Danielpour’s String Quintet (“A Shattered Vessel”)—an elegant, introspective work featuring Ms. Kavafian and special guests that contemplates life, death, loss, and healing.

TICKETS
Tickets for Faculty Recital: Richard Danielpour are free and available at curtis.edu. Seating is general admission.

Richard Danielpour has been commissioned by many international artists, including soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Frederica von Stade, Thomas Hampson, Anthony McGill, and Gary Graffman; the Guarneri and Emerson string quartets; and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. He has also received commissions from the New York City, Pacific Northwest, and Nashville ballets; the Philadelphia and Stuttgart Radio Symphony orchestras; the Mariinsky and Vienna chamber orchestras; the New York Philharmonic; Orchestre National de France; the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, among others.

Dr. Danielpour and his works have received Grammy awards, two Rockefeller Foundation grants, the Berlin Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Berlin, two awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Joseph H. Bearns Prize in Music from Columbia University.

Recent works include Carnival of the Ancients for piano and orchestra, String Quartet No. 8, and The Passion of Yeshua, a passion oratorio in Hebrew and English. Dr. Danielpour has recorded for the Naxos and Sony Classical labels, and his music is published by Lean Kat Music and Associated Music Publishers. Dr. Danielpour served on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music from 1993 to 2017 and has served as professor of music at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA since 2017. He joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1997.

Faculty Recital: Richard Danielpour
Saturday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m.
Gould Reharsal Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1616 Locust St., Philadelphia

PROGRAM

Fiat Lux was commissioned through the support of Susan and Conrad De Jong.

Photos of Richard Danielpour by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and courtesy of the artist. Photo of Ida Kavafian by Nichole MCH Photography. Photo of Nick DiBerardino by Gene Smirnov.