Title
Honoring and congratulating the Curtis Institute of Music on 90 years of music education and commending their directors, officers, faculty, staff and students, both past and present, for making it an institution known nationwide for its excellence.
Body
WHEREAS, Founded in 1924, the Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level; and
WHEREAS, Curtis's disproportionate influence on musical life since its founding in 1924 can be traced to its unique approach to education and training which comprises limited enrollment, high selectivity, personalized attention, a celebrated faculty of active performers, no age requirements and remarkable visiting artists and grand pianos lent to students; and
WHEREAS, Full-tuition scholarships are provided to all of Curtis's 170 students, ensuring admissions are purely merit-based. Students train one-on-one with an esteemed faculty of active performing artists and over the past five years, the student body was made up of students from 29 states and 22 different countries and currently range in age from 9-33; and
WHEREAS, The school has been consistently ranked among the most selective college-level institutions in the country by U.S. News and World Report and the acceptance rate for the current year is a mere 5% for degree-seeking applicants; and
WHEREAS, More than 200 free and low cost performances take place in Philadelphia and on tour each year, which are enjoyed by tens of thousands of audience members in person and through the school's various online platforms, including its online stage, and classes for learners of all ages and abilities through Coursera; and
WHEREAS, Curtis graduates can be found in ensembles worldwide and hold principal and titled chairs in every major American orchestra. Curtis alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships, and Avery Fisher Awards. They are in the front rank of soloists and conductors; and
WHEREAS, Curtis graduates have also sung with the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, and the San Francisco Opera, among many others. Each season, leading orchestras, opera houses, and chamber music series around the world feature Curtis alumni as guest artists; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, that it hereby honors and congratulates the Curtis Institute of Music on 90 years of music education and recognizes and commends their directors, officers, faculty, staff and students, both past and present, for making Curtis Institute of Music an institution known nationwide for its excellence.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to its President, Roberto Diaz, as evidence of the sincere sentiment and high admiration and of this legislative body.
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