Curtis Institute of Music

 Curtis in Philly and Juilliard in NYC are two of the country’s top music academies. Curtis is less well-known only because of less media coverage. It is located right by Rittenhouse. Throughout the year, there are free or low-priced student concerts offered by Curtis. Better still, during spring/summer, it is the graduation recital season, where there are 1 or 2 free concerts almost every afternoon/evening for about 3 months. These concerts are truly precious because: 1. small performance hall with intimate seating, so that the audience can more fully embrace the music-making experience; 2. Curtis always knows how to select great masterpieces to play (that are not often heard on larger stages); 3. for some major concertos, the orchestra is substituted by the piano accompaniment, giving the audience the rare opportunity to absorb more details in the solo instruments that could be lost when played with a full orchestra. 4. every year, there are always one or two student performers who stand out from the crowd, and it is exhilarating to discover that they soon become master-level musicians. 5. the enthusiasm, dedication, discipline, and freshness of the student performers are truly inspiring, and will definitely end your day on a high note.