Robert Fitzpatrick
Dean, The Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Alumini (Clarinet, ’68)
In 1941, a 60 year association with our school began when Daniel Bonade invited Anthony Gigliotti to become his student at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. At the end of that year, because of the war and extreme economic pressures, many departments were closed at Curtis until after 1945. In 1947, Bonade recommended Anthony for a Curtis diploma.
In 1951, Anthony Gigliotti began teaching at Curtis. The forty clarinetists who studied with him from 1951 until 1980 include the current principal clarinetists of many orchestras, noted teachers, and even one dean. Anthony returned to the Curtis faculty in 1985 as a coach of woodwind chamber music, especially woodwind quintets, drawing on his wealth of experience with the Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet of which he was a founding member. 85 musicians (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn) worked with Anthony from 1985 until his death in December, 2001. His last coaching took place in October, 2001. The Philadelphia Sound and the style of the American School of woodwind playing were perpetuated by his teaching of this repertoire to graduates who now populate most of the major orchestras in this country and abroad. His legacy will be secure as his students teach their students the great traditions of Tabuteau, Bonade, Kincaid and Gigliotti!
Everyone at Curtis will miss his gregarious personality and musical expertise. We are sad that he is no longer physically present at 1726 Locust Street, but everyone at The Curtis Institute of Music, from our President/Director, Gary Graffman, to the newest first-year student will forever feel the effect of his musical mastery.