Praised for her interpretations, premieres and virtuosity, Ms. Jennifer Curtis is an artist who navigates with personality and truth into the essence of each piece of music she performs. The New York Times recently recognized Ms. Curtis’ recital in Weill Hall as “one of the gutsiest, most individual recital programs…” and proclaimed her an “artists of keen intelligence and taste, well worth watching out for.” Winner of Artists International Presentations’ 2009 outstanding alumni award, Ms. Curtis is also a winner of Astral’s 2006 National Auditions, as well as the recipient of the inaugural MILKA/ASTRAL VIOLIN PRIZE, designated for a violinist invited to join the Astral Artists roster. Astral presented her Philadelphia recital debut, and her solo debut with Symphony in C in the Kimmel Center, which was praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “a startlingly authoritative performance.”
Ms. Curtis was presented in recital at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, where she gave the New York Premiere of George Enescu’s Suite for solo violin in Romanian Folkstyle. Highlights of past seasons have included a solo appearance with the celebrated Simón Bolívar Orchestra in Venezuela, performances with the International Contemporary Ensemble (with whom she is a member) at Mexico’s Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánes, Muisca Nova in Helsinki, Finland as well a musical exploration in the Amazon Jungle of Peru.
Ms. Curtis is the founder and director of the Tres Americas Project, and was featured with this ensemble as part of the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s Nuevo Latino Festival. Possessing an avid interest in music of all kinds; she has studied West African, Haitian, and Afro-Cuban percussion, and plays the mandolin professionally. Also an accomplished composer, her works have been performed in New York City, at Italy’s Spoleto Festival, the Verbier Festival de Musique in Switzerland and throughout Latin America.
She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mills College in California, where she studied with David Abel and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Robert Mann.