Faculty Recital: Richard Danielpour
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Curtis Institute of Music pays 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 features the world premiere of Fiat Lux, a breathtaking new work for solo violin and orchestra dedicated to Ida Kavafian and written as a love letter to the school.
The performance begins 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. 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.
Please note: Performance programs are subject to last-minute changes and cancellations.
Program
| Richard Danielpour | "Fiat Lux" |
|---|---|
|
String Quintet, "A Shattered Vessel"
IV. Homeward. Molto adagio |
Artists
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Ida Kavafian Violin
Internationally acclaimed as a violist as well as a violinist, the versatile Ida Kavafian is an artist-member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio. For 34 years she has been artistic director of Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico, where some 200 Curtis students have participated in the Young Artist Program to date. She was a founder of the Bravo! Colorado festival, serving as its artistic director for ten years; and co-founded the chamber ensembles Opus One, Tashi, and Trio Valtorna. She also performs as a soloist and in recital with her sister, violinist Ani Kavafian.
Ms. Kavafian has premiered numerous works, including concertos by Toru Takemitsu and Michael Daugherty, whose Fire and Blood she recorded with the Detroit Symphony. She has toured and recorded with jazz artists Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, and with fiddler/composer Mark O’Connor.
Born in Istanbul of Armenian parentage, Ms. Kavafian is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Oscar Shumsky. She made her debut through Young Concert Artists with the pianist Peter Serkin, and also received the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. She resides with her husband, violist Steven Tenenbom, in Philadelphia and Connecticut, where they breed and train prizewinning Hungarian vizsla show dogs.
Since 1998 Ms. Kavafian has served on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received the 2013 Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. She also teaches at the Juilliard School and the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Special Thanks
Fiat Lux is generously underwritten by Susan De Jong (Flute ’62) and Conrad De Jong.
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- Date Mar 15, 2025
- Time 3:00 p.m.
- Location Curtis Institute of Music, Gould Rehearsal Hall
