Upcoming events.
Symphony in C: Pictures at an Exhibition
Ben performs with Symphony in C for the following program.
Program:
Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije: Suite, op. 60
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Fei Fei, piano
Mussorgsky / Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Eschenbach Leads Bruckner 3
Ben performs with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for the following program:
A Voyage Through Symphonic Expression.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra launches its 2025–26 series with a dynamic program tracing the evolution of orchestral music. The evening opens with Overture to The School for Scandal, Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber’s witty and fast-paced overture inspired by Sheridan’s 18th-century comedy. Grammy-winning conductor Christoph Eschenbach leads Krzysztof Penderecki’s Concerto Grosso for Three Cellos, featuring Curtis alumni Nicholas Canellakis, Yumi Kendall, and Christine Jeonghyoun Lee—a striking work that blends lyrical beauty with bold dissonance and rhythmic intensity.
The program culminates in Anton Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 3, a sweeping and heroic masterpiece that unfolds in waves of majestic brass chorales, soaring themes, and a staggering sense of scale.
Please note programs and artists are subject to change.
Program
BARBER (’34) Overture to The School for Scandal
PENDERECKI Concerto Grosso No. 1 for Three Cellos
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Symphony in C: Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Ben performs with Symphony in C for the following program.
Program:
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, op. 35
Violinist: TBA
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, op. 56 “Scottish”
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Osmo Conducts Bartók
Ben performs with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for the following program:
Epic Sounds. Boundless Orchestral Brilliance.
Embark on a musical odyssey with renowned Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä. The evening begins with Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), a swirling, celestial work inspired by planetary motion and the roiling drone of the medieval stringed instrument, the hurdy-gurdy. Henry Dorn’s powerful Transitions follows, a deeply personal tone poem reflecting on loss, transformation, and resilience.
The program features the world premiere of a new concerto for woodwinds and orchestra by David Serkin Ludwig, performed by Grammy-winning quintet and Curtis faculty Imani Winds. The concert concludes with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, a virtuosic showcase that transforms each section of the ensemble into dazzling soloists. Charting a bold musical journey across five movements—this masterwork blends folk-inspired melodies, modernist harmonies, and brilliant orchestration, making it one of the most beloved orchestral pieces of the 20th century.
Please note programs and artists are subject to change.
Program
MAZZOLI Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
DORN Transitions
LUDWIG (’01) Concerto for Imani Winds & Orchestra
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
Symphony in C: Strauss and Poulenc
Ben performs Richard Strauss’s Oboe Concerto with Symphony in C, conducted by Noam Aviel.
Program:
Haydn: Symphony No. 95, C minor
R. Strauss: Oboe Concerto, TrV 292
Ben Price, oboe
Poulenc: Sinfonietta
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Yannick Leads Mahler & Dawson
Ben performs with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for the following program:
Echoes of Legacy in Symphony and Song.
Join Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Grammy award winner Yannick Nézet-Séguin for an evening of powerful musical storytelling. The program features William L. Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, a groundbreaking 1934 masterpiece that blends African American spirituals with classical symphonic traditions. Premiered by Leopold Stokowski and The Philadelphia Orchestra, the work is celebrated for its stirring melodies and rhythmic vitality.
Also featured is the sweeping drama of Richard Wagner’s Rienzi Overture, led by Yoann Combémorel, Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow and orchestral songs from Gustav Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magic Horn), performed with rising stars from Curtis Opera Theatre. Drawing from 19th-century German folk poetry, Mahler’s settings transform simple tales into vivid musical portraits—by turns whimsical, poignant, and profound. These evocative songs capture the Romantic spirit in full force, offering a compelling journey through love, loss, and the fantastical.
Please note programs and artists are subject to change.
Program
WAGNER Rienzi Overture
MAHLER Des Knaben Wunderhorn
DAWSON Negro Folk Symphony
Symphony in C: Ode to Joy
Ben performs with Symphony in C for the following program.
Program:
J. Rheinberger: Kyrie from Mass in Eb
F. Mendelssohn: Nunc dimittis, Op. 69
The Mendelssohn Club Chorus of Philadelphia
L. Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, op. 125 “Choral”.
Vocal Soloists from The Academy of Vocal Arts
Il Sogno de Scipione
Ben performs in the opera orchestra for OrpheusPDX’s production of Mozart’s Il Sogno de Scipione.
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Pietro Metastasio
Based on a Story by Cicero
90 minutes, with no intermission
Lincoln Performance Hall
Recommended for ages 16+
“Every role is packed with spectacularly florid showpieces.”
–The New York Times
Scipio’s Dream (Il Sogno di Scipione) is inspired by Cicero’s tale of a Roman general who dreams he has awakened in the heavens. He is greeted by the goddesses Fortuna (Fortune) and Costanza (Constancy), who urge him to follow their path. One promises luck, wealth, and pleasure, and the other champions truth, determination, and virtue. As Mozart’s sublime arias fill the celestial realm, Scipio is visited by the spirit of his grandfather and a chorus of noble heroes. Together, they help him find the strength to shape his destiny.
Mozart composed this opera in 1771, when he was only 15 years old. It likely wasn’t performed in his lifetime, and it’s still a rare treat to experience live—partly because the arias are so challenging. Christopher Alden’s production brings the fun, high energy elements of a comedic romp to the story, while giving the masterful music its due. It was originally produced in New York City by Gotham Chamber Opera to rave reviews.
Il Sogno de Scipione
Ben performs in the opera orchestra for OrpheusPDX’s production of Mozart’s Il Sogno de Scipione.
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Pietro Metastasio
Based on a Story by Cicero
90 minutes, with no intermission
Lincoln Performance Hall
Recommended for ages 16+
“Every role is packed with spectacularly florid showpieces.”
–The New York Times
Scipio’s Dream (Il Sogno di Scipione) is inspired by Cicero’s tale of a Roman general who dreams he has awakened in the heavens. He is greeted by the goddesses Fortuna (Fortune) and Costanza (Constancy), who urge him to follow their path. One promises luck, wealth, and pleasure, and the other champions truth, determination, and virtue. As Mozart’s sublime arias fill the celestial realm, Scipio is visited by the spirit of his grandfather and a chorus of noble heroes. Together, they help him find the strength to shape his destiny.
Mozart composed this opera in 1771, when he was only 15 years old. It likely wasn’t performed in his lifetime, and it’s still a rare treat to experience live—partly because the arias are so challenging. Christopher Alden’s production brings the fun, high energy elements of a comedic romp to the story, while giving the masterful music its due. It was originally produced in New York City by Gotham Chamber Opera to rave reviews.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Yuja Wang plays Rautavaara
Ben performs with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for the following program:
Yannick Leads Rautavaara, Boulanger, Ravel, and Debussy
Witness the breathtaking culmination of Curtis Symphony Orchestra’s 2024–25 series as acclaimed pianist and Curtis alumna Yuja Wang takes center stage. Celebrated for her “exceptional power, depth, and dazzle” (Los Angeles Times), Yuja collaborates with award-winning conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin to deliver a tour de force performance of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Piano Concerto No. 1, a stunning work of musical and emotional extremes—raw, primal, and explosively cinematic, yet achingly romantic and quietly ethereal.
This delightful program also features three French masterpieces, including Lili Boulanger’s joyful D’un matin de Printemps (“Of a Spring Morning”), Maurice Ravel’s sumptuous orchestral song cycle Shéhérazade, and Claude Debussy’s evocative childhood recollections of the sea, the atmospheric symphonic sketches, La mer.
Program
BOULANGER D'un matin de printemps
RAUTAVAARA Piano Concerto No. 1
RAVEL Shéhérazade, Three Poems of Tristan Klingsor for Voice and Orchestra
DEBUSSYLa mer, trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre
Symphony in C: American Portraits Masterworks Concert: Festival Mahogany, Presented by Rutgers University-Camden
Ben performs with Symphony in C for the following program:
Rutgers University–Camden presents Festival Mahogany, a weekend of outstanding concerts featuring award-winning conductor Marlon Daniel leading Symphony in C, in two spectacular concerts with renowned artists, virtuoso cellist Ifetayo Ali, and scintillating soprano Karen Slack.
This concert features the esteemed conductor Marlon Daniel and the vocally ravishing soprano Karen Slack in a program that highlights their remarkable artistry and the diversity of the classical music repertoire.
American Portraits Masterworks Concert
Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 2 PM
Walter K. Gordon Theater
Symphony in C
Marlon Daniel, Conductor
Karen Slack, Soprano
Price: Adoration
Grant Still: Symphony No. 5 “Western Hemisphere”
Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder
Dvořák: Symphony No 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”
Symphony in C: Tour de Force: Festival Mahogany, Presented by Rutgers University-Camden
Ben performs with Symphony in C for the following program:
Rutgers University–Camden presents Festival Mahogany, a weekend of outstanding concerts featuring award-winning conductor Marlon Daniel leading Symphony in C, in two spectacular concerts with renowned artists, virtuoso cellist Ifetayo Ali, and scintillating soprano Karen Slack.
Tour de Force
Walter K. Gordon Theater
February 28, 2025 at 7 PM
Symphony in C
Marlon Daniel, Conductor
Ifetayo Ali, Cello
The concert will feature Symphony in C under the baton of conductor Marlon Daniel, alongside the rising star cellist Ifetayo Ali. This program highlights the diversity within the French classical music repertoire, beginning with Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, one of the first known composers of African descent who has experienced a significant resurgence in recent years. It should also be noted that this year, 2025, also marks the 150th year of Maurice Ravel’s birth and the 280th year of the birth Joseph Bologne.
Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Symphony in G Major, Op. 11, No. 1
Bouglanger: D’un matin de printemps
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
Poulenc: Sinfonietta
Symphony in C: Beethoven & Schubert
Ben performs with Symphony in C for the following program;
Beethoven & Schubert
Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Drew Petersen, piano
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 “The Great”
Curtis Symphony Orchestra - Benoit Gauthier, conductor
Ben performs with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for the following program:
Program
POULENC Les Animaux Modèles
VIVIER Lonely Child
Intermission
RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances, Op. 45