Curtis on Tour Announces Seven-City Guitar Quartet U.S. Spring Tour
Grammy Award-winning guitarist and Curtis faculty member Jason Vieaux, internationally renowned violist and Curtis president and CEO Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84), and emerging professional artists from Curtis present a thrilling program for
guitar and strings
Press Contacts:
Patricia K. Johnson | patricia.johnson@curtis.edu | (215) 717-3190
Ryan Scott Lathan | ryan.lathan@curtis.edu | (215) 717-3145
PHILADELPHIA, PA February 26, 2025—As Curtis Institute of Music’s historic centennial season continues, the school is pleased to announce a seven-city spring tour across the United States. Guitar Quartet features Grammy Award-winning guitarist and esteemed Curtis faculty member Jason Vieaux, internationally acclaimed violist and Curtis president and CEO Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84), and emerging professional artists, violinist Emmalena Huning, and cellist Ania Lewis.
The Guitar Quartet tour will kick off on Saturday, March 8, at First Presbyterian Church in Morehead City, North Carolina, and conclude on Wednesday, March 26, in New York City, at 92nd Street Y’s Buttenwieser Hall, with additional performances in Wilmington, North Carolina; Fort Myers, Florida; Charlottesville, Virginia; Livermore, California; and in Philadelphia on the Curtis campus at the historic Field Concert Hall. These exciting performances are part of Curtis on Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music, an embodiment of the school’s “learn by doing” philosophy that offers students real-world, professional touring experience alongside celebrated alumni and faculty.
A vibrant collision of global sounds, cultures, and sonic textures, this exciting program opens with Spanish composer and pianist Manuel de Falla’s Suite populaire espagnole, followed by a fiery, crowd-pleasing set featuring two selections by Argentinian legend Ástor Piazzolla, Histoire du Tango and an arrangement of Oblivion, by Piazzolla specialist and bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro. The concert continues with acclaimed Curtis alumnus Zhou Tian’s (Composition ’05) 10-minute musical journey inspired by classical Chinese landscape paintings, Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs, and closes with Niccolò Paganini’s masterful Guitar Quartet in A minor, No. 15, M.S. 42, itself inspired by the expressive Romantic lyricism and jaw-dropping virtuosity of 18th century Italian opera.
CURTIS ON TOUR
Guitar Quartet
March 8–26, 2025
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Emmalena Huning, violin
Roberto Díaz, viola
Ania Lewis, cello
PROGRAM
| MANUEL DE FALLA | Suite Populaire Espagnole | |||
| ASTOR PIAZZOLLA | Histoire du Tango | |||
| ASTOR PIAZZOLLA | Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro | |||
| ZHOU TIAN | Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs | |||
| NICCOLÒ PAGANINI | Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42 |
Saturday, March 8
Morehead City, NC
First Presbyterian Church (Morehead City, N.C.)
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
J.S. Bach: Prelude, BWV 998
José Luis Merlín: Suite del Recuerdo
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by American Music Festival. For tickets and information, visit americanmusicfestival.org
Sunday, March 9
Wilmington, N.C.
Beckwith Recital Hall—University of North Carolina, Wilmington
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
J.S. Bach: Prelude, BWV 998
José Luis Merlín: Suite del Recuerdo
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by Chamber Music Wilmington. For tickets and information, visit uncwarts.universitytickets.com
Sunday, March 16
Ft. Myers, FL
Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. https://www.sbdac.com/curtis-on-tour/.
Tuesday, March 18
Charlottesville, VA
Cabell Hall Auditorium
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by Tuesday Evening Concert Series. For tickets and information, visit https://tecs.org/concert_season/curtis-institute-of-music-on-tour/.
Saturday, March 22
Livermore, CA
Bankhead Theatre
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by Del Valle Fine Arts Concert Series. For tickets and information, visit livermorearts.org.
Tuesday, March 25 – SOLD OUT
Philadelphia, PA
Curtis Institute of Music: Field Concert Hall
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by Curtis Institute of Music. To join the waiting list, visit curtis.edu.
Wednesday, March 26
New York, NY
92nd Street Y, Buttenwieser Hall
De Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango
Piazzolla: Oblivion, transcr. Julien Labro
Zhou Tian: Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
Paganini: Quartet in A minor, M.S. 42
Presented by 92nd Street Y. For tickets and information, visit 92ny.org.
About Curtis on Tour
Curtis on Tour is the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. Embracing the school’s “learn by doing” philosophy, ensembles are infused with the energy and passion of extraordinary emerging artists performing alongside celebrated alumni and faculty. In addition to performances, musicians engage with local communities through educational and community engagement activities. For more than 15 years, Curtis on Tour has maintained a presence at top international concert halls, performing more than 450 concerts in over 120 cities, from New York to Berlin and Hong Kong to Santiago.
About the Curtis Institute of Music
At Curtis, the world’s great young musicians develop into exceptional artists, creators, and innovators. With a tuition-free foundation, Curtis is a unique environment for teaching and learning. A small school by design, students realize their artistic potential through intensive, individualized study with the most renowned, sought-after faculty. Animated by a learn-by-doing philosophy, Curtis students share their music with audiences through more than 100 performances each year, including solo and chamber recitals, orchestral concerts, and opera—all free or at an affordable cost—offering audiences unique opportunities to participate in pivotal moments in these young musicians’ careers. Curtis students experience a close connection to the most renowned artists and organizations in classical music, as well as innovative initiatives that integrate new technologies and encourage entrepreneurship—all within a historic campus in the heart of culturally rich Philadelphia. In this diverse, collaborative community, Curtis’s extraordinary artists challenge, support, and inspire one another—continuing an unparalleled 100-year legacy of musicians who have led, and will lead, classical music into a thriving, equitable, and multidimensional future. Learn more at curtis.edu.
Philanthropic Support for Curtis’ 2024–25 Season
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, Mignon and Jim Groch, Rita E. Hauser, Lisa and Gie Liem, Bob and Guna Mundheim, Judith and James Ritchings, Bob and Caro Rock, and Mark and Robin Rubenstein.
Curtis Institute of Music receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Photos of Jason Vieaux, Roberto Díaz, Emmalena Huning, and Ania Lewis in Gould Rehearsal Hall courtesy of Sumin Kim.
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