Curtis New Music Ensemble Launches 2025–26 Series with “We the Artists,” a Celebration of America’s Diverse Musical Voices
PHILADELPHIA, PA—November 13, 2025—Curtis New Music Ensemble launches its 2025–26 series on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in Gould Rehearsal Hall with “We the Artists,” a vibrant program celebrating America’s rich and diverse culture ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday. The evening features works inspired by Indigenous, African American, and South American heritage by acclaimed American composers Clarice Assad, Carlos Simon, Valerie Coleman, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Joan Tower.
A celebration of the nation’s diverse musical tapestry, this multi-faceted program illuminates the contemporary voices shaping America’s ever-evolving soundscape.
On Friday, November 21, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., the ensemble will also perform at 92NY’s Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center in New York City as part of Curtis on Tour, the school’s Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative.
It is also part of Curtis’ annual All-School Project, which aligns classroom learning and thinking with performance activities, inviting students to examine one common theme from multiple angles. This year’s theme is “Bold Experiments: Reflections on Music and Democracy,” inviting students to consider democracy’s successes and failures along with its promises and dreams deferred.
“‘We the Artists’ embodies this year’s All-School Project theme, Bold Experiments: Reflections on Music and Democracy,” says Nick DiBerardino (Composition ’18), Curtis New Music Ensemble director, acclaimed composer, Rock Chair of Composition Studies, and provost and dean of the conservatory at Curtis. “Democracy, like art, depends on a multitude of voices coming together in dialogue—and in pursuit of something larger than oneself. This program celebrates that spirit through works that give voice to a wide range of perspectives, identities, and traditions. In today’s world, where the idea of democracy feels both urgent and fragile, I can’t think of a more vital reminder of art’s power to help us listen, connect, and imagine new possibilities together.”
The concert opens with Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 3, a series of six short compositions dedicated to adventurous, risk-taking women. Written as a feminist counterpart to American composer Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, the work celebrates women who succeed despite the obstacles they face.
It continues with Carlos Simon’s Giants, a Woodwind piece inspired by five influential Black Americans: Bessie Smith, Maya Angelou, Ronald E. McNair, Cornel West, and Herbie Hancock. The 13-minute work embodies their respective works and personalities, paying homage to their strong characters.
After presenting Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 6, the ensemble concludes the first half of the program with Sofia Gubaidulina’s Letter to the Poetess Rimma Dalos. This haunting work is a musical tribute to the Russian poet Rimma Dalos, expressing deep admiration and gratitude. The composition is a musical reply to a short, poetic letter Dalos wrote Gubaidulina.
The program also includes Clarice Assad’s Canções da America, as well as Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 5. A collection of song-like movements inspired by motifs associated with South American music, Canções da America explores the music of Brazil—Assad’s original homeland—as well as Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.
The program concludes with Valerie Coleman’s Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, which honors the legacy of Native Americans and former African slaves who traversed the Trail of Tears.
TICKETS
The Thursday, November 20 performance at Curtis’ Gould Rehearsal Hall is currently sold out. Join the waitlist to be notified when additional tickets become available. In-person tickets for the Friday, November 21 performance at 92NY are $45; tickets for the live-streamed performance are $25. Purchase both through 92NY.
PROGRAM
| Joan Tower | Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 3* | |||
| Carlos Simon | Giants | |||
| Joan Tower | Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 6 | |||
| Sofia Gubaidulina | Letter to the Poetess Rimma Dalos | |||
| INTERMISSION | ||||
| Clarice Assad | Canções da America | |||
| Joan Tower | Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 5 | |||
| Valerie Coleman | Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes |
*Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 3 will be performed only on the November 20 Philadelphia concert.
Generous support for Curtis New Music Ensemble is provided by the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation.
About Curtis New Music Ensemble
Curtis New Music Ensemble features compelling repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries. With bold collaborations and striking productions, Curtis New Music Ensemble embraces the cutting edge of contemporary classical music through the highest level of artistry.
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 greatest artists and organizations in classical music, and innovative initiatives that integrate new technologies and encourage entrepreneurship—all within an historic campus in the heart of culturally rich Philadelphia. In this diverse, collaborative community, Curtis’ extraordinary artists challenge, support, and inspire one another—continuing an unparalleled legacy of musicians who have led, and will lead, classical music into a thriving, equitable, and multidimensional future. Learn more at curtis.edu.
