Opening at the Curtis Institute of Music

[Craig Knox]

Announcing an anticipated opening for one tuba student at the Curtis Institute of Music for the fall of 2024. Curtis has a total enrollment of only 155 students, and only one tuba student at any time. The school seeks an exceptionally talented and promising student for this position, which may be filled by either an undergraduate student (Diploma or Bachelor of Music in tuba performance) or a graduate student (Master of Music or Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in tuba performance). Applicants will be assessed with their age in mind, and the most advanced applicant will not necessarily be selected. There is no minimum age requirement (students may be enrolled prior to graduation from high school), and transfer students are also welcome to apply.

The Curtis Institute of Music was established in 1924, and has been fully tuition-free for almost 100 years. In addition, stipends are available for living costs, and the school is committed to a policy that no student will graduate with any student debt. This tuition-free policy has helped the school develop a legacy of attracting the most promising music students for generations, and offers its students the opportunity to learn in a uniquely elite environment. Alumni of Curtis include Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Yefim Bronfman, Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Hillary Hahn, Arnold Jacobs, Joseph Alessi, David Cooper, and many others. There have been 35 tuba students in the history of the school, many of whom have gone on to hold positions in ensembles around the world, including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and U.S Army Band, among many others. The two most recent tuba graduates now hold positions with the Louisville Orchestra and the Phoenix Symphony.

The tuba student at Curtis studies with Craig Knox (Curtis '89), with additional lessons with Paul Krzywicki, who has been on the faculty for over 50 years, and has additional instruction and coachings with the brass faculty, including Nitzan Haroz, Matthew Vaughan, and Blair Bollinger. The tuba student will be assigned to all performance opportunities at the school, including with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, which performs regularly in Verizon Hall and tours nationally and internationally. The orchestra regularly works with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, who is on the faculty, and guest conductors such as Osmo Vanska, Robert Spano, and Stephane Deneve.

Information about the application and audition process, including updated audition repertoire requirements, is available at https://www.curtis.edu/about/. Pre-screening video auditions are due in December; in-person auditions are scheduled in Philadelphia on February 19, 2024. Please note that the status of this opening is subject to change.

[Craig Knox]

It has come to my attention that the audition requirements for this opening may not be correctly listed on the Curtis website when viewing on a mobile device. This is being corrected, but in the meantime, please check for this information via a computer browser. For your information I am posting the complete list of requirements here. Pre-screening materials are due on December 15.


Prescreening

Applicants should prepare video recordings (unaccompanied) of the following repertoire. Each selection may be recorded separately, but there may not be any additional editing or splicing within each selection. Please position the video recorder so that the mouthpiece on the face is visible. Audio may be recorded separately, and synced with video. Create a separate file for each selection, and label each clearly with the last name of the applicant and the name of the selection. Applicants are encouraged to use the best recording equipment available to them, and to carefully select the best microphone placement and recording level to reduce distortion. Experiment with the recording process in advance, so that your recordings represent you as well as possible.

For undergraduate applicants:
Blazhevich, Etude #9
Snedecor, Low Etudes for Tuba, #4
Vaughan Williams, Tuba Concerto, movement 1, beginning to rehearsal 5; cadenza to end
Wagner, Die Meistersinger Overture, measures 1–8; rehearsal J to rehearsal L
Wagner, Ride of the Walküre, standard B-major excerpt

For graduate applicants:
Blazhevich, Etude #17
Snedecor, Low Etudes for Tuba, #18
Vaughan Williams, Tuba Concerto, first movement including cadenza
Wagner, Meistersinger Overture, measures 1-8; rehearsal J to rehearsal L
Wagner, Ride of the Walküre, standard B-major excerpt
Berlioz, Hungarian March, rehearsal 4 to 2 measures after rehearsal 5
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, rehearsal 62 to 2nd measure of rehearsal 65; rehearsal 74 to 2nd measure of rehearsal 75 (do not use mute)



Live Audition (if advanced)

For undergraduate applicants:
Snedecor, Low Etudes for Tuba, #4
J.S. Bach, Bouree 1 and 2 from Cello Suite #3, played 8ba (one octave lower than written), without repeats or da Capo
Vaughan Williams, Tuba Concerto, movement 1, complete; movement 2, rehearsal 1 to rehearsal 3
Wagner, Die Meistersinger Overture, measures 1–8; rehearsal J to rehearsal L
Wagner, Ride of the Walküre, standard B-major excerpt
Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5, first movement, rehearsal 3 to rehearsal 6
Mahler, Symphony No. 1, third movement solo (until rehearsal 4)
Sight reading may be required

For graduate applicants:
Snedecor, Low Etudes for Tuba, #18
J.S. Bach, Bouree 1 and 2 from Cello Suite #3, played 8ba (one octave lower than written), without repeats or da Capo
Vaughan Williams, Tuba Concerto, complete
Wagner, Die Meistersinger Overture, measures 1–8; rehearsal J to rehearsal L
Wagner, Ride of the Walküre, standard B-major excerpt
Berlioz, Hungarian March, rehearsal 4 to 2 measures after rehearsal 5
Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, rehearsal 62 to 2nd measure of rehearsal 65; rehearsal 74 to 2nd measure of rehearsal 75 (do not use mute)
Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5, first movement, rehearsal 3 to rehearsal 6
Respighi, Fountains of Rome, pick-up to rehearsal 11 to downbeat of rehearsal 14
Mahler, Symphony No. 1, third movement solo (until rehearsal 4)
Revueltas, Sensemaya, rehearsal 2 to rehearsal 11
Sight reading may be required