Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music has today announced the launch of its own label, Curtis Studio. Focusing on the discovery of both new and traditional works performed by inspiring artists of our time, the label will give Curtis students the opportunity to learn about the process of making a recording. The first release on Curtis Studio will be Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Finnish Maestro Osmo Vänskä and released on 6 December 2022.

Curtis Studio will be distributed by Platoon, which having first found success supporting singer-songwriter Billie Eilish’s rise to fame now also works with a number of classical artists, such as Johannes Moser, Xuefei Yang, Oliver Zeffman, Rosey Chan, and Daniel Pioro. Curtis Studio will focus on performances from the school’s community of alumni, faculty, and students and the label hopes to play a part in ‘ensuring that the Curtis Institute of Music leads the digital helm towards classical music’s dynamic future’.

Executive producer of Curtis Studio Vince Ford said: ‘These musicians represent a very bright future for classical music. We are thrilled to share their performances through Curtis Studio.’ The label will also support the presentation and commissioning of new works, continuing Curtis Institute of Music’s work with composers such as Bright Sheng, Jennifer Higdon, Richard Danielpour, Gabriella Smith and David Serkin Ludwig.

Future releases on Curtis Studio will include a solo piano recording with Michelle Cann, featuring works such as Florence Price’s Piano Sonata in E minor and Margaret Bonds’s Spiritual Suite. Curtis Studio’s future commissions include the recording premiere of Trio Zimbalist, and recordings of the Dover Quartet and other Curtis ensembles.