Curtis Symphony Orchestra at Verizon Hall
On Tuesday, October 27, the esteemed Curtis Symphony Orchestra will perform its first concert of the season in Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall. The program features three vibrant orchestral works: Strauss’s Don Juan, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, and the Philadelphia premiere of Iranian composer Behzad Ranjbaran’s violin concerto. The work will be performed by Curtis alumna Elissa Lee Koljonen, having received its world premiere just a few days before this concert, on October 24 in Allentown, PA.
Composer Behzad Ranjbaran was born in Tehran in 1955 and moved to the United States in 1974. His music has been performed by Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, and Joshua Bell, among many others. He is currently on the faculty of the Juilliard School.
Violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen has performed with many of the leading orchestras of the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Britain’s Royal Philharmonic. Also an avid chamber musician, Ms. Koljonen appears regularly at festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. She is a protégé of Aaron Rosand at Curtis.
One of the world’s leading conservatories, Curtis is highly selective, with an enrollment of 160. In this intimate environment, students receive personalized attention from a celebrated faculty. A busy schedule of performances is at the heart of Curtis’s distinctive “learn by doing” approach. Since the school’s founding in 1924, this philosophy has produced an impressive number of notable artists, from such legends as Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber to current stars Juan Diego Flórez, Alan Gilbert, Hilary Hahn, Jennifer Higdon, Lang Lang, and Time For Three.
October 27, 2009, at 8 p.m.
Philadelphia, PA
Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center
Curtis Symphony Orchestra
Jack Wolgin Orchestral Concerts
R. Strauss: Don Juan
Behzad Ranjbaran: Violin Concerto
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin (’94)
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© 21C Media Group, October 2009