Monday, March 16, 2026
7:00 pm
$25 General Admission
$20 Basic Glencairn Museum members
Free for Patron and Gold Glencairn Museum members
$2 for ACCESS Philly Cardholders
Patron members enjoy reserved seating; all other seats are general admission.
Reservations for Patron members must be made by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 13, 2026, to secure this benefit.
Glencairn Museum is honored to welcome the Curtis Chamber Orchestra for a special Curtis on Tour performance, celebrating the historic ties between the two institutions. This dynamic, conductor-less ensemble of Curtis Institute of Music’s most talented students is led from the first chair by Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster and Curtis violin faculty member Erin Keefe. The program features Mozart’s masterful Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola, and orchestra, performed by Ms. Keefe and Curtis President and renowned violist Roberto Díaz, alongside beloved works by Samuel Barber and Ludwig van Beethoven.
For more than a century, Curtis has offered world-class, tuition-free training to an intentionally small student body, pairing young artists with actively performing faculty. Curtis musicians have long been part of Glencairn’s story, from the friendships Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn formed with Philadelphia Orchestra members and Curtis faculty to generations of Pitcairn family support for Curtis students, ensembles, and alumni.
This performance continues a rich musical legacy at Glencairn, including the cherished Glencairn Christmas Sing Concert and decades of concerts curated by cellist and philanthropist Lachlan Pitcairn. Today, Curtis on Tour brings rising stars together with distinguished alumni in acclaimed performances around the world.
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating extraordinary music, history, and a century of artistic friendship.
Tentative Program:
(Final selections subject to change)
Samuel Barber (1910–1981)
Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K. 364
• Allegro maestoso
• Andante
• Presto
Intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
(arr. for string orchestra by Leonard Bernstein)
• Allegretto
• Vivace
• Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
• Grave ma non troppo tratto — Allegro
About the Artists:
Erin Keefe, violin
Violinist Erin Keefe is concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and a frequent artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Pro Musicis International Award, she has performed as soloist with orchestras worldwide, including the Minnesota Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Korean Symphony, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic, Sendai Philharmonic, and Göttingen Symphony. She has given recitals throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
A member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2005, Ms. Keefe has appeared three times on Live from Lincoln Center and collaborated with artists such as the Emerson String Quartet, Edgar Meyer, Gary Hoffman, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, David Finckel, Wu Han, Richard Goode, Roberto and Andrés Díaz, Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, and Leon Fleisher. Her recordings are available on Naxos, CMS Studio Recordings, BIS, Onyx, and Deutsche Grammophon. She has also performed at major festivals including Music@Menlo, La Jolla SummerFest, Mainly Mozart, Music Academy of the West, Ravinia, and Bravo! Vail Valley.
As a guest concertmaster, Ms. Keefe has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, and São Paulo Symphony. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School, studying with Ronald Copes, Ida Kavafian, Arnold Steinhardt, Philip Setzer, Philipp Naegele, Brian Lewis, and Teri Einfeldt. In 2022, she joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Roberto Díaz, viola
Violist Roberto Díaz (Curtis Institute of Music, 1984) is president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music, continuing the legacy of legendary directors including Josef Hofmann, Efrem Zimbalist, and Rudolf Serkin. An internationally acclaimed soloist, Mr. Díaz has performed with leading conductors worldwide and collaborated with prominent composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki—whose viola concerto he has performed multiple times under the composer’s direction—as well as Edison Denisov, Jennifer Higdon, Ricardo Lorenz, Bright Sheng, and Roberto Sierra.
A dedicated chamber musician and recitalist, Mr. Díaz performs with major string quartets, pianists, and the Díaz Trio, and is deeply committed to mentoring young artists. His recordings include a Grammy-winning performance of Higdon’s Viola Concerto, a Grammy-nominated album of William Primrose transcriptions for Naxos, and releases on Artek, Bridge Records, Dorian, Nimbus, and New World.
Mr. Díaz previously served as principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich, and was a member of the Boston Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra. He holds the James and Betty Matarese Chair in Viola Studies and the Nina von Maltzahn President’s Chair at Curtis, where he continues to teach. Mr. Díaz performs on the historic ex-Primrose Amati viola.
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music nurtures the world’s most talented young musicians, helping them become exceptional artists, creators, and innovators. With a tuition-free model and a deliberately small student body, Curtis provides intensive, individualized training with some of the most distinguished faculty in the world.
Guided by a learn-by-doing philosophy, Curtis students perform more than 100 concerts each year, including solo recitals, chamber music, orchestral programs, and opera, many of which are free or affordably priced, giving audiences unique access to the development of emerging artists. Beyond performance, students engage with leading musicians and organizations, explore innovative approaches integrating technology and entrepreneurship, and benefit from a vibrant, collaborative community on Curtis’s historic Philadelphia campus.
For over a century, Curtis has cultivated musicians who inspire, challenge, and lead—shaping the future of classical music with creativity, excellence, and purpose.