Curtis Welcomes Our New Incoming Students for the 2024–25 Academic Year

The Curtis Institute of Music is delighted to extend a warm welcome to our new incoming students for the school’s historic 100th anniversary season during the 2024–25 academic year. These 41 young musicians, ages 14 to 26, are arriving at Curtis from 11 countries and 15 U.S. states to hone their craft and deepen their remarkable talents as they share their passion for making music with the world.

From August 25 through the first day of classes on September 3, these talented artists attended a New Student Orientation designed to establish a sense of community, enable social connections, and facilitate a smooth transition to the school. In addition, the students have learned about Curtis’s culture, resources, people, and values.

This year’s engaging program featured a keynote address with Curtis alumni and Tacet No More podcast co-hosts Yumi Kendall (Cello ’04) and Joseph Conyers (Double Bass ’04); discussions on managing stress with renowned flutist and movement/mediation instructor Laura Dwyer; a time management workshop; financial planning for student musicians; equity, inclusion, and belonging; student health, wellness, and injury prevention, along with a trip to Citizens Bank Park for a Phillies game. The program also delved into Curtis’ history, artistic legacy, community values, and more. Throughout the week, students have had the opportunity to engage with administrators, staff, and faculty while becoming more comfortable with their new surroundings and the city of Philadelphia as they prepare for the exciting season ahead.

We look forward to welcoming these talented young artists to the Curtis community and hope they have an inspiring and transformative year ahead!

The new Curtis students for 2024–25 are:

VIOLIN
Bade Dastan, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Audrey Goodner, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Kei Saotome, Shaun F. O’Malley Fellow
Niccolo Wu, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Olivia Zhang, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

VIOLA
Kay Ito, Grace Sherman Fellow
Yunji Jang, Dorothy J. del Bueno Fellow
Soohyurn Lee, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Nazeeh Shahid, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

CELLO
Kwanyun Loo, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Wendy Lu, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

DOUBLE BASS
Maggie Carter, William W. Bernheim Fellow
Gavin Hardy, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Devin O’Brien, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

OBOE
Nabeel Ansari, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Fátima Landa Velázquez, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

CLARINET
Chin-I Lee, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

BASSOON
Ella Jackson, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Katelyn Nguyen, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

HORN
Kathryn Jarmulowicz, Abigail Rebecca Zubrow Cohen Memorial Fellow

TRUMPET
Noah Bender, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Jeremy Bryant, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

TROMBONE
Jackson Howard, David H. Springman Memorial Fellow
Henry Price, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

TUBA
Christian Jeon, Dr. Bong S. Lee Fellow

TIMPANI and PERCUSSION
Rubén Acuña González, Edwin B. Garrigues Fellow

HARP
Hannah Chen, L. Daniel Dannenbaum Fellow

CONDUCTING
Yoann Combémorel, Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow
Mariana Corichi Gómez, Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow

COMPOSITION
Isaac Creager, Milton L. Rock Composition Fellow
Sarina Khalili, Edith Evans Braun Composition Fellow
Amane Sakaguchi, Cecilia Segawa Seigle Fellow
Isaiah Saranow, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow

ORGAN
Daniel Colaner, Dr. Mi-Wha Lee Fellow

PIANO
Serena Wang, Dr. Samuel R. and Mrs. Beatrice S. Rossman Fellow
Yenfei Wang, Curtis Institute of Music Fellow
Nathaniel Zhang, Michael and Cecilia Iacovella Capuzzi Memorial Fellow

VOCAL STUDIES
Nikan Ingabire Kanate, Edwin B. Garrigues Fellow
Ross Macatangay, Margaret Aull Wynne and Milly E. Wynne Fellow
Jeysla Rosario Santos, Joseph Cairns Jr. and Ernestine Bacon Cairns Memorial Fellow
Emilio Vasquez, William J. Fenza Fellow