Curtis on Tour features extraordinary emerging professional artists performing alongside celebrated faculty from the famed Curtis Institute of Music. Renowned violinist Erin Keefe, concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and Curtis faculty member, joins dynamic conductor, clarinetist, and composer Osmo Vänskä and Curtis’s extraordinary emerging professional musicians for a tour of North America. Built around the septet version of Sibelius’s evocative tone poem En Saga, this eclectic program features cherished classics by Mozart and Sibelius, alongside striking early twentieth-century works such as Dohnányi’s string trio, Serenade in C major, and Schulhoff’s fiery, folk-influenced Concertino for flute, viola, and double bass.

ABOUT CURTIS

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. Since 1924, Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty of world-class musicians and educators. With admissions based solely on artistic promise, no student is turned away due to financial need. Curtis invests in each admitted student, ensuring no tuition is charged for their studies and they enter the profession free from educational debt.

Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year in addition to collaborative projects within the community to provide arts access and education. This real-world training empowers these extraordinary young artists to become inspiring performers, composers, conductors, creators, and musical leaders, making a profound impact on music onstage and in their communities. To learn more, visit Curtis.edu.

ABOUT CURTIS ON TOUR

Curtis on Tour is the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. Embracing the school’s “learn by doing” philosophy, ensembles are infused with the energy and passion of extraordinary emerging artists performing alongside celebrated alumni and faculty. In addition to performances, musicians engage with local communities through educational and community engagement activities. For 15 years, Curtis on Tour has maintained a presence at top international concert halls, performing more than 450 concerts in over 120 cities, from New York to Berlin and Hong Kong to Santiago.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Julin Cheung, flute

     Julin Cheung, from Seattle, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020 and studies flute with Jeffrey Khaner. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Mr. Cheung is the Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Fellow.
     Mr. Cheung joined the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra at age nine and has since participated in several music festivals, including the Galway Flute Festival, Curtis Summerfest flute program, and Domaine Forget de Charlevoix. Most recently, he was a guest artist for the 2022 Slovenian Flute Festival and was featured on an episode of NPR’s From The Top. In the summer of 2023, Mr. Cheung toured North America as a part of the tenth anniversary season of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.
     As a soloist, Mr. Cheung has received numerous awards in local and international competitions, notably first prizes in the Severino Gazzelloni International Flute Competition, the National Flute Association’s High School Soloist Competition, and the Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia’s Collegiate Artist Competition. He has also received Young Artist awards from the Seattle Symphony and Seattle’s KING-FM and a gold medal from the Young Artist Competition of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Washington state. Mr. Cheung has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
     Mr. Cheung began playing the flute at age six and previously studied with Demarre McGill, Jeffrey Barker, Zart Dombourian-Eby, and Mary MacRae. He has performed in masterclasses for Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, Jasmine Choi, Emmanuel Pahud, Julien Beaudiment, Marina Piccinini, Patrick Williams, Francesco Loi, Donna Shin, Davide Formisano, Kersten McCall, Chelsea Knox, and Judy Dines.
     Complementary to his flute studies, Mr. Cheung plays violin, and enjoys skiing, hiking, and photography in his spare time. 

Osmo Vänskä, clarinet

     Conductor and clarinetist Osmo Vänskä was born in Finland and began his clarinet studies at the age of 11 at the music school in Kotka. He undertook further studies at the Sibelius Academy as a pupil of Sven Lavela, and spent a short but significant period as a pupil of Karl Leister in Berlin in 1974. He has been the principal clarinetist of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (1971-76) and assistant principal clarinetist of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (1977-82). He was the Artistic Director of the Crusell Festival in Uusikaupunki, Finland, from 1989 until 1993.
     As a conductor, Mr. Vänskä was the Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra from 2003-2022, the Seoul Philharmonic from 2020-2022 and previously spent twenty years as the Music Director of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequent guest conductor of leading orchestras around the world and has enjoyed returning to the clarinet in recent years, performing chamber music regularly in Europe, Asia and the United States.  He has recorded Bernhard Henrik Crusell’s three Clarinet Quartets and Kalevi Aho’s Clarinet Quintet for the BIS label and is in the process of recording several duos for clarinet and violin which he has commissioned with his wife, violinist Erin Keefe.

Asha Kline, bassoon

     Asha Kline, from Ellicott City, Md., entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020 and studies bassoon with Daniel Matsukawa. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Kline is the David H. Springman Memorial Fellow.
     She has won first prize in the Boston Woodwind Society’s 2022 Matthew Ruggiero International Bassoon Competition and in the 2023 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. Ms. Kline has appeared as soloist with orchestra as a two-time winner of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition (2020, 2018) and the 2017 Columbia Orchestra Young Artist Competition. She currently serves as assistant principal bassoon in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
     Ms. Kline has been a bassoon fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center for the past two summers and has also participated in festivals, including the National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland (2022), Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra (2020, 2021), and Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute (2018, 2019).
     Ms. Kline started her bassoon studies at age ten, and she studied previously with Fei Xie, Harrison Miller, Schuyler Jackson, and Monica Schwartz. In her free time, she enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles and exploring Philadelphia.

Christine Ott, horn

     Christine Ott, from Rochester, N.Y., entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020 and studies horn with Jeffrey Lang and Jennifer Montone. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Ott is the Bob and Caro Rock Fellow.
     Ms. Ott has appeared as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and has won competitions hosted by both orchestras. She has performed with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, the Eastman Community Music School Honors Wind Quintet and Brass Ensemble, the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and the Hochstein Philharmonia.
     Ms. Ott began her musical studies at age five on the piano and started studying horn at age ten. Her teachers have included Greg Ott and Maura McCune Corvington. Apart from music, her pursuits include art, film, and food.

 Erin Keefe, violín

     Violinist Erin Keefe is the concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra as well as a frequent artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Pro Musicis International Award, as well as numerous international competitions, she has appeared as soloist in recent seasons with the Minnesota Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony, Lahti Symphony, Turku Philharmonic, Sendai Philharmonic, and the Gottingen Symphony and has given recitals throughout the United States, Austria, Italy, Germany, Korea, Poland, Finland, Japan, and Denmark.
     Ms. Keefe has been performing with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2005 and has been featured on “Live from Lincoln Center” three times. She has collaborated with artists such as the Emerson String Quartet, Edgar Meyer, Gary Hoffman, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, David Finckel, Wu Han, Richard Goode, Roberto and Andrés Díaz, Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, and Leon Fleisher, and she has recorded for Naxos, the CMS Studio Recordings label, BIS, Onyx, and Deutsche Grammophon. She has made festival appearances with Music@Menlo, La Jolla SummerFest, Mainly Mozart, Music Academy of the West, Music from Angel Fire, Ravinia, as well as the Seattle, OK Mozart, Mimir, Bravo! Vail Valley, Colorado College, Skaneateles, Salt Bay, Music in the Vineyards and Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festivals.
     As a guest concertmaster, Ms. Keefe has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, and the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra.
     Ms. Keefe earned a Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. Her teachers included Ronald Copes, Ida Kavafian, Arnold Steinhardt, Philip Setzer, Philipp Naegele, Brian Lewis, and Teri Einfeldt.
     Ms. Keefe joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2022.

Jinyoung Yoon, violín

     Jinyoung Yoon, from Seoul, first entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2016 and received a Bachelor of Music degree in 2022. She is now pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, studying violin with Ida Kavafian. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Yoon is the John S. Price Fellow.
     In 2023, Ms. Yoon won the first prize at the Connecticut Symphony Concerto Competition and will be performing the Beethoven Concerto with three different orchestras in the fall of 2023. Ms. Yoon appeared as a soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Myung-Whun Chung. In 2010, she was selected to perform in the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series. Ms. Yoon is the winner of the grand prize in the Music Education Newspaper Competition and first prize in the Baroque Competition in Korea. She has attended the Sejong International Music Festival, Great Mountains Music Festival and School, and the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program.
     Prior to entering Curtis, Ms. Yoon studied in the Juilliard Pre-College Division. Her previous teachers include Bok-soo Kim, Joseph Kim, Hyo Kang, and Elissa Koljonen. Ms. Yoon began violin lessons at age five.

Soyoung Cho, viola

     Soyoung Cho, from Seoul, first entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2017 and received her Bachelor of Music degree in 2022, studying with Roberto Díaz, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Edward Gazouleas. She is now pursuing her Master of Music degree, studying viola with Edward Gazouleas and Misha Amory. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Cho is the Mimi Lane and Robert Durham Fellow.
     Ms. Cho has won prizes at the 2015 Johansen International String Competition and the Junior Strings Division of the 2011 Osaka International Music Competition. She was a semifinalist in the 2022 Young Concert Artists auditions and appeared in the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition. She has served as the principal viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and regularly plays in string quartets and other chamber ensembles.
     Ms. Cho has participated in music festivals such as Morningside Music Bridge, Heifetz International Music Institute, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Yale University’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Verbier Festival Academy. She has also performed recitals in Beijing; Calgary; Toronto; Dubai; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; and Seoul.
     Ms. Cho began studying the violin at age five and viola at age eight.

Hun Choi, cello

     Hun Choi, from Seoul, first entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2017 and received a Bachelor of Music degree in 2023. He is now pursuing a master’s degree, studying cello with Peter Wiley and Gary Hoffman. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Mr. Choi is the Jacqueline du Pré Memorial Fellow.
     Mr. Choi made his U.S. debut as a soloist with the Penn Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Thomas Hong in 2022. He has performed solo and chamber recitals in such prestigious venues as Curtis’s Field Concert Hall, Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory, M. Steinert & Sons in Boston, Irvine Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania, and the studio at WRTI Radio in Philadelphia.
     Mr. Choi was invited to perform at the 9th Korean American Day at Philadelphia City Hall. Mr. Choi has given recitals in venues throughout South Korea, including Kumho Art Hall, Daejeon Arts Center, and the Kukje Art Hall. He has performed as a soloist in his home country with the PyeongChang Festival Orchestra, Namyangju Symphony Orchestra, and Yewon Orchestra.
     He received first prize at the Seoul Youth Chamber Music Competition in 2015 and won the PyeongChang Music Festival Concerto Competition in 2017. Additionally, he was a prizewinner at the 2019 Morningside Music Bridge Concerto Competition and participated in the 2018 Prague Spring International Music Competition and the 2022 ISANGYUN Competition.
     Mr. Choi has attended renowned festivals such as the PyeongChang Music Festival and School, Morningside Music Bridge, Seoul Art Center Music Academy, and the Heifetz International Music Institute as a string scholar fellow.
     Prior to studying at Curtis, he attended Korea National University of Arts, where he studied with Myung-Wha Chung.

Dimitrios Mattas, double bass

     Dimitrios Mattas, from Fruit Heights, Utah, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2022 and studies double bass with Harold Hall Robinson and Edgar Meyer. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Mr. Mattas is the Florence and Milton Levy Fellow.
     Since 2019, he has been a substitute musician for the Philadelphia Orchestra and was previously a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, the Gifted Music School Orchestra, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra.
     Mr. Mattas recently received his Bachelor of Music degree in double bass performance from the Juilliard School and studied at the prestigious Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City. He has also participated in the Interlochen Arts Camp and received a New Horizons Fellowship from the Aspen Music School. His previous teachers include Ben Henderson, Timothy Pitts, and Rex Surany.
     Mr. Mattas enjoys the outdoors, hiking, and camping outside of his musical performances and studies. He is passionate about cooking and loves trying new recipes while spending time with family and friends.

The presentation of Curtis on Tour is with the support of the
Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music.

Saturday, February 17, 2024
7:30 pm .... Doors Open at 7pm
Wolfe Recital Hall at Del Mar College

Curtis on Tour
Winds and Strings

Julin Cheung, flute
Osmo Vänskä, clarinet
Asha Kline, bassoon
Christine Ott, horn
Erin Keefe, violin
Jinyoung Yoon, violin
Soyoung Cho, viola
Hun Choi, cello
Dimitrios Mattas, double bass

MOZART    
Flute Quartet in D Major, K. 285
   Allegro
   Adagio
   Rondo

VON DOHNÁNYI          
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 10 
   Marcia:  Allegro
   Romanza:  Adagio non troppo, quasi andante
   Scherzo:  Vivace
   Tema con variazioni: Andante con moto
   Rondo:  Allegro vivace  

SCHULHOFF
Concertina for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass
   Andante con moto
   Furiant: Allegro furioso
   Andante
   Rondino: Allegro gaio  

SIBELIUS  Arr. Kuusisto
En Saga

Program Sponsor:
The City of Corpus Christi Arts & Cultural Commission