Curtis Stewart Announces 2024-2025 Season Highlights & Sphinx Medal of Excellence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations 
katy@primoartists.com | 212.837.8466 

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 Curtis Stewart Announces 2024-2025 Season Highlights

JUST ANNOUNCED: Stewart Awarded 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence

Nationwide Premiere Tour by the Sphinx Virtuosi as 
Ensemble’s 2024-2025 Composer-in-Residence

Embrace Performed by the American Composers Orchestra, 
Part of The New Virtuoso: Borders at Carnegie Hall

"M. Bett" from Stewart’s The Famous People 
Performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Performances at Music in the Morning, St. Louis Classical Guitar Concerts, 
and Maryland Symphony Orchestra

Residencies at Boston University Tanglewood Institute,
The Cleveland Institute of Music, and Kaufman Music Center

“Awake to all that is happening around him, he gravitates to the stories of humanity,
and tells them through his music, imbuing them with that sense of love and peace,
experimentation and creativity that are becoming trademarks of his ever-developing style.”
– The Boston Music Intelligencer

www.curtisjstewart.com
 

New York, NY (August 28, 2024) – Praised for “combining omnivory and brilliance” (The New York Times), four-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart translates stories of American self-determination to the concert stage. As a solo violinist, composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, chamber music faculty member at The Juilliard School, and member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail, he realizes a vision to find personal and powerful connections between styles, cultures and musics. He has been awarded a 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, in recognition of extraordinary leaders in the classical music field who are transforming lives while addressing systemic obstacles within Black and Latino communities. 

In the 2024-2025 season, Curtis Stewart’s compositions will be featured on tour nationwide by the Sphinx Virtuosi as its Composer-in-Residence, including the world premiere of Drill, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall; by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, performing Stewart’s The Famous People; and his Embrace, performed by commissioners, the American Composers Orchestra, as part of The New Virtuoso: Borders at Carnegie Hall; and by violin and cello duo Catherine Cho and Amy Sue Barston in a new work commissioned by the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard Pre-College. Stewart appears in performance at the Music in the Morning series in Vancouver, performing his program, The American Recital; at Princeton University alongside masterclasses with students; performing Bernstein's Serenade with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra; and with Mak Grgic at the St. Louis Classical Guitar concert season. He holds residencies at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and serves as one of the 2024-2025 Kaufman Music Center Artists-in-Residence, during which he will perform in the world premieres his own American Caprices and Seasons of Change with the Musicians of the Gateways Music Festival at Merkin Hall.

On August 27, 2024, it was announced that Stewart will be awarded the Sphinx Medal of Excellence. This award is the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, the social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of the arts, and comes with a $50,000 career grant. The medal recognizes extraordinary leaders in the classical music field who are transforming lives while addressing the systemic obstacles within Black and Latino communities.

Of the honor, Stewart writes, “Previous recipients of this medal have been friends, colleagues, and personal musical heroes—I have spoken to them and looked to their output, ideas, career path, personal vibe, and general work ethic to inform and inspire my own. I am incredibly honored to receive this medal; it sparks deep encouragement and new found responsibility to walk forward with assurance, energy, and to sharpen and steady my vision for the short, intermediate, and long term goals of ‘carving space’ in classical music.”

As the Sphinx Virtuosi Composer-in-Residence, Stewart’s compositions will be featured on the nationwide Sphinx Virtuosi: Portraits of the Past, Visions for the Future tour, including the world premiere of Stewart’s work Drill, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall; the piece will see its New York premiere on October 16, 2024 at 7 PM in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. The Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization—the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprised of eighteen accomplished Black and Latino artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement.

On October 30, 2024, American Composers Orchestra will perform Curtis Stewart’s ACO commission, Embrace, as part of The New Virtuoso: Borders at Zankel Hall in Carnegie Hall. Stewart acts as Artistic Director for ACO and will also be playing violin during the concert. With conductor Mei-Ann Chen on the podium, this concert also features guitarist Mak Grgik and cellist Inbal Segev. New work developed via EarShot CoLABoratory will be performed thanks to commissions by ACO from CoLABoratory Fellow Kebra-Seyoun Charles, Paul Novak, whose work, Forest Migrations, is an EarShot Readings commission and World Premiere, Michael Abels’ Borders, and New York Premiere, Victoria Polevá’s The Bell, which was co-commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and ACO. The New Virtuoso is a series of programs featuring works that defy genre expectations for a solo instrument and features works that question the nature and effect of political, gender, and ecological borders.

On December 5, 2024, Stewart’s work "M. Bett" from The Famous People will be performed at concert special, Yo-Yo Ma   Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 and the smoky, South American-groove aria Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Villa-Lobos. Guest conductor Eric Jacobsen, a member of the famous Silk Road Ensemble, serves up a musical variety show, including Stewart’s opener from The Famous People. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will also perform Symphony No. 8 by Dvorák. 

On February 12–15, 2025, Stewart appears on the Music in the Morning series in Vancouver, BC, performing his program, The American Recital with one of Vancouver’s foremost pianists, Amanda Chan. The Wednesday, February 12 and Thursday, February 13 will be at the Vancouver Academy of Music, while the Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15 performances will be at Christ Church Cathedral. Music in the Morning is a distinctive morning concert series that inspires its audiences with masterpieces of the past, while challenging them with music of our time performed by the finest local, national and international talent.

On March 2, 2025, Stewart will work with talented Princeton University students in a free workshop, sponsored by the Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Masterclass Series. The Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Master Class Series offers a number of masterclasses each year, in which world-renowned musicians work with Princeton University students in a workshop format that is open to the public. A concert will follow Stewart’s masterclass, featuring Stewart in an eclectic program of new music for solo violin, along with a world premiere for violin and piano, performed with Donna Weng Friedman.

On March 15 to March 16, 2025, Stewart performs Bernstein & Mozart 40 at the Maryland Symphony Orchestra with conductor Elizabeth Schulze. Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, a modern masterpiece resonating with vibrant energy, sets the stage for an exploration of diverse musical landscapes. Stewart then collaborates with the orchestra for Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium. Stewart’s virtuosity breathes new life into Bernstein’s dialogue, creating a seamless fusion of classical allure and contemporary flair. The concert culminates with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor.

On April 5, 2025, the world premiere for Stewart’s new work, Invention #2: Work Songs, is performed by violinist Catherine Cho and cellist Amy Sue Barston, in a piece commissioned by the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard Pre-College, along with works by Daniel Felsenfeld, John Wineglass, Jessica Meyer, and Alyssa Weinberg. Taking inspiration from Johan Halvorsen, who based his famed virtuosic Passacaglia for violin and cello on a dance movement Handel's harpsichord suite #7 in G minor HWV 432, Invention #2: Work Songs is a rondo moving from blues-inflected theme to historic Prison Hollers, Ring Shouts, and Stomp Claps.

On May 3, 2025, Stewart performs in a violin/guitar duo with Mak Grgic at the St. Louis Classical Guitar concert season as part of the Eclectic Concert Series presented by St. Louis Classical Guitar. Additionally, a master class with the duo will take place on Sunday, May 4th at the Salem United Methodist Church. Area guitar and violin students or ensembles will also perform.

This season, Stewart also holds residencies at Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and serves as a 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence at Kaufman Music Center. As Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-Residence, students from NYC’s Special Music School participate in a performance of Stewart’s Embrace on October 30, 2024; he joins violinist Njioma Grevious in her Merkin Hall debut recital for Double Down on January 10, 2025; and Stewart performs the world premiere of his own American Caprices and is the featured soloist in the New York premiere of his Seasons of Change with Musicians of the Gateways Music Festival at Merkin Hall on April 25, 2024. 

Curtis Stewart 2024-25 Season Calendar

Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall Presents American Composers Orchestra in The New Virtuoso: Borders
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall | New York City, NY
Tickets: Tickets start at $50 ($40 $10 fee). Single tickets available August 12 at 11 AM ET, Subscriber/Member Presale: August 5 at 11 AM ET. Available at CarnegieCharge (212) 247-7800, carnegiehall.org, or at the Box Office on 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. 
Link: www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2024/10/30/American-Composers-Orchestra-0730PM 

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Mak Grgik, guitar
Inbal Segev, cello
Curtis Stewart, violin and electronics

Program:
Michael Abels – Borders 
Kebra-Seyoun Charles – Bass Concerto: Nightlife [ACO Commission, developed via EarShot CoLABoratory/World Premiere]
Curtis Stewart – Embrace [ACO Commission]
Paul Novak – New Work [ACO Commission/World Premiere]
Victoria Polevá – The Bell [NYC Premiere]

Thursday, December 5, 2024, 8:00pm
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Presents Yo-Yo Ma Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Hall
Tickets: TBD
Link: www.aso.org/events/detail/yo-yo-ma-atlanta-symphony-orchestra 

Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 

Program:
Dvorák – Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8
Curtis Stewart – "M. Bett" from The Famous People
Haydn – Cello Concerto No. 1
Villa-Lobos – Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Dvorák – Symphony No. 8

Wednesday, January 10, 2025, 7:30 PM
Kaufman Music Center Presents Njioma Grevious
Kaufman Music Center | New York, NY
Tickets: $30
Link: www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/njioma-grevious/ 

Njioma Grevious, violin

Program:
Njioma Grevious – Double Down

Wednesday, February 12 and Thursday, February 13, 2025, 10:30 AM
Music in the Morning
Vancouver Academy of Music
Tickets: Regular Admission $46 | 55 Admission $43 | Student $23; To purchase tickets by phone, please call the box office at 604-873-4612.
Link: www.musicinthemorning.org/concert/stewart-chan-2025/ 

Curtis Stewart, violin
Amanda Chan, piano

Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15, 2025, 10:30 AM
Music in the Morning
Christ Church Cathedral
Tickets: General Admission $46 | 55 Admission $43 | Student $23; To purchase tickets by phone, please call the box office at 604-873-4612.
Link: www.musicinthemorning.org/concert/stewart-chan-2025/ 

Curtis Stewart, violin
Amanda Chan, piano

Thursday, February 27 2025, 1 pm
Kaufman Music Center Presents Curtis Stewart Mentor Session
Kaufman Music Center | New York, NY
Tickets: $15
Link: www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/curtis-stewart/ 

Saturday, March 15, 2025, 7:30 PM and Sunday, March 16, 2025, 3:00 PM
Maryland Symphony Orchestra Presents Bernstein & Mozart 40
The Maryland Theatre 
Tickets: $37 – $89
Link: www.marylandsymphony.org/event/bernstein-mozart-40-202405080359021/ 

Elizabeth Schulze, conductor
Curtis J. Stewart, violin

Program:
Jessie Montgomery – Strum
Leonard Bernstein – Serenade after Plato’s Symposium
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 40 in G minor

Saturday, April 5, 2025, 6 PM
Juilliard Preparatory Division Faculty Recital 
JuilliardPresents Duo for Violin and Cello by Curtis Stewart, with Catherine Cho and Amy Sue Barston
Commissioned by the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard Pre-College
The Juilliard School: Paul Hall
Tickets: Free, no tickets required
Link: Juilliard.edu/

Catherine Cho, violin
Amy Sue Barston, cello

Program:
Danny Felsenfeld – Quintet for piano and strings [WORLD PREMIERE] 
Curtis Stewart – Invention #2: Work Songs [WORLD PREMIERE] 

Friday, April 25 2025, 7:30 PM
Kaufman Music Center and Musicians of the Gateways Music Festival Co-Present – Seasons of Change
Kaufman Music Center | New York, NY
Tickets: $30
Link: www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/curtis-stewart-seasons-of-change/ 

Musicians of the Gateways Music Festival
Curtis Stewart, violin

Program: 
Curtis Stewart, American Caprices 
Curtis Stewart, Seasons of Change 

Saturday, May 3, 2025, 7:30 PM  
St. Louis Guitar Presents Mak Grgic & Curtis Stewart
560 Music Center
Tickets: General Admission $35 | Senior / Members / Military Admission $28 | Student $20
Link: www.stlclassicalguitar.org/performances/mak-grgic-curtis-stewart 

Curtis J. Stewart, violin
Mak Grgic, guitar 

About Curtis Stewart
Praised for “combining omnivory and brilliance” (The New York Times), four-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart translates stories of American self determination to the concert stage. Tearing down the facade of “classical violinist,” Stewart is in constant pursuit of his musical authenticity, treating art as a battery for realizing citizenship. As a solo violinist, composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, and member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail, he realizes a vision to find personal and powerful connections between styles, cultures and musics. He has been awarded a 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, in recognition of extraordinary leaders in the classical music field who are transforming lives while addressing systemic obstacles within Black and Latino communities. 

In the 2024-2025 season, Curtis Stewart’s compositions will be featured on tour nationwide by the Sphinx Virtuosi as its Composer-in-Residence, including the world premiere of Drill, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall; by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, performing his The Famous People; and his Embrace, performed by commissioners, the American Composers Orchestra, as part of The New Virtuoso: Borders at Carnegie Hall; and by violin and cello duo Catherine Cho and Amy Sue Barston in a new work commissioned by Juilliard Prep. Stewart appears in performance at the Music in the Morning series in Vancouver, performing his program, The American Recital, at Princeton University alongside masterclasses with students; performing Bernstein's Serenade with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra; and with Mak Grgic at the St. Louis Guitar Festival. He holds residencies at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and serves as Resident Artist at Kaufman Music Center, during which he will perform in the world premieres his own American Caprices and Seasons of Change with the Musicians of the Gateways Music Festival at Merkin Hall.

As a soloist, Curtis Stewart has been presented by Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cal Performances, Washington Performing Arts, Virginia Arts Festival, The Juilliard School, and the 2022 GRAMMY® Awards, among many others. He has made special appearances with Los Angeles Opera and singer-songwriter Tamar Kali; as curator and guest soloist with Anthony Roth Costanzo and the New York Philharmonic “Bandwagon,” touring performance installations from NYC’s Whitney Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and Museum of Modern Art; to MTV specials with Wyclef Jean; and sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden with Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, and Seal. Both Stewart’s 2021 album of quarantined song cycles and art videos, Of Power (Bright Shiny Things), and his 2023 album, of Love.—a tribute to his late mother Elektra Kurtis-Stewart—were nominated for GRAMMY® Awards for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.

Stewart has been commissioned to compose new solo, chamber, and orchestral works by the Seattle Symphony, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall’s Play/USA, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and members of the New York Philharmonic, The Knights, La Jolla Music Society, Sybarite5, the New York Festival of Song, Newport Classical Festival, the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Eastman Cello Institute, Orlando Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and more. In 2022, he was named Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, a national organization dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by diverse and innovative American composers. Among his recent commissions, he composed The Famous People, five recompositions of Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances, for a premiere by violinist Gil Shaham with the Virginia Symphony in March 2023.

Curtis Stewart is a member of award-winning ensembles, PUBLIQuartet (Chamber Music America Visionary award, winner Concert Artist Guild, 2023 GRAMMY® Award Nomination) and The Mighty Third Rail (Best Music, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Comic Book Theater Festival). PUBLIQuartet’s album What Is American (Bright Shiny Things) was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY® Award. He has held chamber music residencies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Sawdust, and made return appearances at the Newport, Detroit, Vision, NYC Winter Jazz Festivals. Curtis Stewart has worked with many of today's forward-thinking musicians, including Henry Threadgill, SilkRoad Ensemble, Jessie Montgomery, Alicia Hall-Moran and Jason Moran, Mark O’Connor, Julia Bullock, members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Billy Childs, Alarm Will Sound, Linda Oh, JACK Quartet, members of Snarky Puppy, Don Byron, Matt Wilson, among many others.

An enthusiastic educator, Curtis Stewart teaches Chamber Music, Improvised Chamber Music, and “Cultural Equity and Performance Practice” at The Juilliard School; directs the Contemporary Chamber Music program at the Perlman Music Program; served on the board of Concert Artist Guild; conducted several orchestras and opera pit orchestras; and for ten years led all levels of music theory and string orchestra at the LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City. 

Stewart was born into a musical family—his father is avant-jazz tuba pioneer Bob Stewart and his mother Elektra Kurtis, a soulful Greek jazz violinist—who formed the framework of his sound world through daring improvisation, rigorous western classical training, and conceptual composition. Learn more at www.curtisjstewart.com. 

*Photo Credit: Steven Pisano

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