Curtis Institute of Music to Complete “100 for 100 Project”

Through this season, Curtis will be presenting the final premieres and commissions in celebration of its centennial

As the Curtis Institute of Music celebrates its 100th anniversary season through May 2025, the school will present the final compositions in its multi-year “100 for 100” project. 

Curtis has commissioned more than a hundred new works since 2008 for this project, celebrating new music by alumni composers — including Paul Brantley, Stephen Cabell, Sebastian Chang, Chelsea Komschlies, Riho Esko Maimets, James Ra, Dai Wei, Alyssa Weinberg, Elizabeth Younan, and Tian Zhou.

The school’s 2024/25 season will feature the culmination of this initiative, showcasing more than 30 new commissioned works and over 35 premieres. 

Curtis’ anniversary season continues this spring with the GRAMMY Award-winning conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and pianist Yuja Wang with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. 

Further, the fall release of Curtis Studio’s fifth recording, “A Century of New Sounds,” also marks the school's longstanding history and legacy of new commissions. 

The Curtis New Music Ensemble will also perform faculty member Amy Beth Kirsten’s new world premiere, the Curtis-commissioned Infernal Angel, paired with her theatrical piece, Savior. 

“New music is embedded in the history of this school and has been a part of what Curtis is, and has done for 100 years now, having historically from the very beginning supported some of the greatest American composers of the 20th century,” said Curtis’ President and CEO, Roberto Díaz in the press release. “There is so much new music being written and performed at Curtis, and we have some of the leading [artists] of our time. It is the best place to have new music brought out into the world because the performances are fantastic.”

“Curtis’ 100 for 100 is a project that was designed to make sure that Curtis has commissioned one hundred works by the time it turns 100,” added Nick DiBerardino, Curtis New Music Ensemble director, composition studies chair, and provost and dean of the conservatory. “As we look backward at the impact that Curtis has had on the field, we can also look forward and think about what we want to leave for the next 100 years of music,” he continued. “As we’re thinking about the centennial at Curtis, we’re thinking about the impact the school has had in the past. We also want to think ahead, and commissioning is an important part of how we can contribute to the future of this art form that we all love.”