Thank you so much for working with us to host an outreach program given by Curtis On Tour on Friday afternoon, 10-31-2025, at Fleetwood High School.

The audience of music students, grades 9 – 12, participating in orchestra, band and chorus numbered approximately 80 members.  Their attention was immediately engaged when the performers, Lynn Ye, pianist, Tzu-Yi Yu, clarinetist, and Juliette Tacchino, soprano began their program with questions to their audience.

The questions of “how many are pianists?” and even “how many have considered a profession as a pianist?” set the stage for an hour of sharing music with understanding and intrigued students of music.  Juliette, a recent graduate of Curtis and now a professional soprano, added a special layer of sparkle to the ensemble.

Juliette described highlights of Franz Schubert’s “The Shepherd on the Rock”, saying its prose came from 2 poets who musically depicted the human emotions of loneliness, sadness and hope.  The combination of clarinet, piano and soprano was an unusual one for Schubert, but all parts were used effectively.  We were inspired to listen for the shepherd (soprano) singing a lonely song into a valley and hearing its echo (clarinet); then to imagine the shepherd’s sadness as tears flowing into the river carrying it away; and finally hearing the uplift of hope of the shepherd anticipating the return of springtime. Juliette’s voice was heavenly, Tzu-Yi’s clarinet was soulful and lyrical and Lynn’s piano supported the lovely song so well.

The second treat was a performance of the second movement of Leonard Bernstein’s “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano”, his only sonata for wind instruments, said Tzu-Yi, before he wowed us with his sensitive, lyrical interpretation, beginning with introspection, followed by a syncopated and jazzy section, back to quiet reflection before lightheartedness returned with a jazzy, upbeat ending. 

Juliette opened her portrayal of “Whimsical Betrothal” or “engagements of love”, noting it’s a special piece for her, because of her father’s close friendship with its composer, Francis Poulenc. He was a French poet who loved playing with words and his songs of love are emotional but never heavy; instead, graceful, funny and full of life!  The first of three songs, “He Steals – (and he flees!)” – asks the question, does he steal her jewelry or her heart?  The second song,”My Corpse is as Soft as a Glove” has strange lyrics that graphically describe one’s body as an object, but resigned and at peace. The third song, “Violin” describes a loving couple.

All were sung with beauty and grace by Juliette whose body language and movements supported her convincing portrayal of the songs’ messages.

The question and answer session were enjoyed by performers and eager students alike!

A student asked, “What’s your favorite symphony? to which Tzu-Yi replied Bruckner, Juliette claimed Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony, and Lynn said she admired and was fascinated by audience reactions to the music!

“How did you end up at Curtis?” elicited responses from two of the musicians who had to audition in 2022 under the constraints of the Covid epidemic.  Tzu-Yi described his round-about way to Curtis, attending a French school on the way before his “surprise” acceptance to Curtis!

“How much daily practice do you do?”  Juliette’s non-performance days include a 25 minute warm-up with 2-3 hours of practice but on concert days she saves her voice with 1 hour of practice; Lynn practices 3-4 hours per day and Tzu-Yi spends 2.5 hours of “efficient” and “focused” practice.

All perform with the Curtis Orchestra and they have to make time to connect with other artists for concerts.  Juliette has been fortunate to connect with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Music and Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Director of the Metropolitan Opera among other titles.

“Any advice for aspiring musicians?”  Juliette answered this question with sage words, “trust yourself, listen to your body, believe in yourself, work hard, study hard, listen to your teachers, most important – choose what YOU want to do.”  And finally, “If you’ve enjoyed hearing these excerpts, come to the full length concert this evening at the WCR, where we’ll be joined by our colleague, Roberto Diaz, violist and President of The Curtis Institute of Music.”

On behalf of FOCM, thank you again for hosting our Curtis on Tour ensemble and for your part in nurturing attentive, respectful and astute students of music!

Sincerely, 

Ellen Kitagawa Shapiro

Outreach Committee, FOCM

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