N E W S R E L E A S E

CONTACT: Katherine Blodgett phone: 215.893.1939 e-mail: [email protected]

Jesson Geipel phone: 215.893.3136 e-mail: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2013

The Orchestra Presents 2013 C. Hartman Kuhn Award to Acting Associate Principal Cello Yumi Kendall Volunteer Committees honor pianist Kiyoko Takeuti on her 25th Anniversary; Clarinetist Raoul Querze to retire after 51 years with the Orchestra

(Philadelphia, May 17, 2013)—The presented the C. Hartman Kuhn Award to Acting Associate Principal Cello Yumi Kendall at a special ceremony during its subscription concert on May 4, 2013. Philadelphia Orchestra Association Board Chairman Richard B. Worley presented the Award, which was established in 1941 and named for a charter member of the Board of Directors who served from 1901 to 1933.

The C. Hartman Kuhn Award is given annually to “the member of The Philadelphia Orchestra who has shown ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and the reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.” The awardee is chosen by the music director, and in his remarks Mr. Worley acknowledged the many ways that Yumi provides unwavering support to the organization. A member of the Orchestra since 2004, she “has brought an exuberant spirit to her work with staff, Board Members, fellow musicians, and volunteers. Time and again, she has stepped up to engage with our patrons and donors at concerts and events throughout the community. She has served on the Orchestra’s Education, Communications, and China committees. She has provided inspiration for, and helped organize, our recent Cello Play-In, and is involved in community engagement activities here in Philadelphia, in Vail and Saratoga during the summer, and in our China Residency.”

Also at the May 4 concert, Volunteer Committees President Stephanie Brandow presented Kiyoko Takeuti, the Orchestra’s pianist since 1988, with a watch recognizing 25 years of service. Funded by the Volunteer Committees, this award has been given annually since 1928.

In addition, Raoul QuerzeQuerze, a clarinetist with the Orchestra since 1962, will be retiring at the end of the season. Mr. Querze holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. He was a featured soloist with the U.S. Marine Band, and he has performed with the Goldman Band, Aeolus Woodwind Quintet, and Metropolitan Opera. The Philadelphia Orchestra Announces 2013 Kuhn Award Winner Page 2

Yumi Kendall Ms. Kendall graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with the late David Soyer and Peter Wiley, both of the . She began studying the cello at age five, made her recital debut at age seven, and continued to study for seven years with the National Symphony’s principal cello, David Hardy. At age 17 she made her orchestral solo debut with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, and she also performed as soloist in concert with cellists of the National Symphony in a tribute honoring Mstislav Rostropovich. Since then she has appeared as soloist with the Reading Symphony, Symphony in C (formerly the Haddonfield Symphony), the Williamsburg Sinfonia, and the National Orchestral Institute.

Ms. Kendall is a founding member of the Dryden String Quartet. She has also served on the faculties of the New York State School for Orchestral Studies, the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the University of Pennsylvania chamber music department, the Brevard Music Center, the National Orchestral Institute, and as mentor in the Curtis Institute’s new Community Artist Program. In addition she maintains a regular private teaching studio.

Kiyoko Takeuti Born in Tokyo, Kiyoko Takeuti began playing the piano at the age of three. Among her early teachers in Japan and the United States were Tanya Ury, Max Egger, and Soulima Stravinsky. Her formal training culminated in studies with renowned artists Rudolf Serkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski at the Curtis Institute of Music. At Curtis she also studied chamber music extensively with Mischa Schneider and the members of the Guarneri Quartet.

Ms. Takeuti’s performing career began with solo recitals at the age of 11. At 19 she was a winner of the J.S. Bach International Competition in Washington, D.C., where she played the “Goldberg” Variations. She has been a soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra as a Student Competition winner in addition to appearances with other orchestras. She has also been the pianist of the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble since its inception.

Raoul Querze Raoul Querze, second clarinet and principal saxophone, studied clarinet with Joe Allard in New York and Anthony Gigliotti at the Curtis Institute of Music, from which he received a diploma.

After completing four years of service with the U.S. Marine Band in Washington, D.C, with which he was often the featured soloist, he returned to New York to receive a bachelor of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. While in the New York area he performed with the Goldman Band, the Aeolus Woodwind Quintet, and played saxophone with the Metropolitan Opera. Following the retirement of Jules Serpentini, Mr. Querze joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1962.

The Philadelphia Orchestra Announces 2013 Kuhn Award Winner Page 3

The Philadelphia Orchestra Renowned for its distinctive sound, beloved for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for an unrivaled legacy of “firsts” in music-making, The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin became the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra beginning in the 2012-13 season and brings a vision that extends beyond symphonic music into the vivid world of opera and choral music. He follows an extraordinary history of artistic leaders in the Orchestra’s 112 seasons, including music directors Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, Leopold Stokowski, , Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit, who served as chief conductor from 2008 to 2012.

The Philadelphia Orchestra maintains a strong commitment to collaborations with cultural and community organizations on a regional and national level. Since Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore’s arrival in 2010 The Philadelphia Orchestra has reinvigorated or launched new partnerships with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Live Arts (Fringe Festival), Philadanco, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Marian Anderson Award, the Ridge Theater Company, and stage director James Alexander, among others.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship not only with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center but also those who enjoy the Orchestra’s other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, and other venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association also continues to own the Academy of Music, a National Historic Landmark.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the U.S. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The Orchestra annually performs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center while also enjoying a three-week residency in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail festival.

The ensemble recently joined with SpectiCast to deliver simulcasts of Orchestra concerts into theaters, schools, and performing arts centers. The Orchestra also recently announced a partnership with WRTI (90.1 FM) to broadcast pre-recorded versions of its subscription concerts from February through May 2013. The ensemble maintains an important Philadelphia tradition of presenting educational programs for students of all ages. Today the Orchestra executes a myriad of education and community partnership programs serving nearly 50,000 annually, including its Neighborhood Concert Series, Sound All Around and Family Concerts, and eZseatU. In February 2013 the Orchestra announced a recording project with Deutsche Grammophon, in which Yannick and the ensemble will record Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

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