General
and Artistic Director Andrew M. Kurtz is founder of the Center
City Opera Theater, a professional opera company which performs in the Perelman
Theater in the Kimmel Center, where he has led productions of Don Pasquale,
Lucia di Lammermoor, L’Elisir d’amore, La Boheme (’99,’06),
Tosca, Madama Butterfly, I Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro,
Magic Flute, Cosi fan tutte, Amahl & the Night Visitors, Pirates of
Penzance, La Traviata (’00,’05) and Rigoletto. Kurtz’s
conducting has been called “passionate, expansive, expert, and musical.”
Kurtz’s repertoire encompasses a wide range of music styles from baroque
to contemporary, and multiple genres including opera, symphonic, ballet,
musical theater, jazz, cantorial, and symphonic pops.
Kurtz completes his twelfth season as Music Director and Conductor of the Gulf Coast Symphony in Fort Myers, Florida and is in his fourth season as Music Director of the Florida Jewish Philharmonic Orchestra. Kurtz is the tour conductor for CANTORS: A Faith In Song, featuring three of the world's leading cantors: Alberto Mizrahi, Naftali Herstik and Benzion Miller.
He is Producing Artistic Director of Synergy Productions, a professional musical theater company in Southwest Florida. Kurtz served on the Board of the Conductors Guild, and was editor of their quarterly newsletter, Podium Notes. An avid arts educator, Maestro Kurtz is Resident Music Director of the Jr. Session at the Luzerne Music Center, where he leads the student orchestras and teaches conducting.
Kurtz's 2006-2007 season includes eleven concerts with the Gulf Coast Symphony, a return appearance with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, performance of Puccini's Tosca (October '06) and semi-staged concert performances of Hansel & Gretel, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Of Mice & Men and Little Women with the Center City Opera Theater. In June 2007 he leads the world premiere of the chamber orchestra version of Lowell Liebermann's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Kurtz's 2005-2006 season included nine concerts with the Gulf Coast Symphony, two appearances with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, guest conducting the Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra (Spokane, WA), and leading seven operas with the Center City Opera Theater. Kurtz's 2004-2005 season saw his 10th Anniversary celebrations with the Gulf Coast Symphony, five performances with the Florida Jewish Philharmonic Orchestra, and his debuts with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the International Master Musicians Orchestra. In 2004 Kurtz made his New York City conducting debut with the Metropolitan Repertory Ballet in a Jazz Ballet, “Sinatra & Swing” at the TRIBECA Performing Arts Center. Maestro Kurtz was music director as well as stage director for multiple performances of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; They’re Playing Our Song; and Marry Me A Little with Synergy Productions.
In 1995 Kurtz made his international operatic conducting debut in Tel Aviv while working as staff conductor at the Israel Vocal Arts Institute. In April 1997 he conducted the Metropolitan Opera Guild's Opera Educational tour production of The Best of Puccini. A scholarship conducting student at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival in 1997, Kurtz conducted four concerts, including a concert version of Puccini's La Bohème. Highlights of the various conducting posts to his credit include work with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Pennsylvania Opera Theater, The Pennsylvania Ballet, the Ash Lawn-Highland Opera Festival and the Ocean City Pops.
Kurtz completed his Doctoral studies in conducting at the Peabody Conservatory and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia where he received his Master's degree in Music History and a Bachelor of Arts in music and drama.
Director of Education Joy Kurtz was a teacher and administrator, K-12, in Philadelphia and its suburbs for more than 32 years. As a teacher of English, communications and reading, she was involved with developing the middle school gifted curriculum for the School District of Philadelphia. She was Curriculum Consultant for In Every Way the Arts, the education program of The Pennsylvania Opera Theater. She also served on the education curriculum development committee for productions at the Annenberg Theater. As International Spontaneous Problem Captain for Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem- solving program for students in K-college, Joy Kurtz has traveled internationally to train teachers and parents. She has also written several training videotapes for new coaches. She is responsible for coordinating the Odyssey of the Mind, World Finals Spontaneous competition each year, and was Project Director of the Microsoft Mid Tier Grant for Odyssey of the Mind. Joy was selected Pennsylvania Middle School Principal of the Year for 2003. She is Vice-President of Synergy Educational Consultants, and also serves as a consultant/staff developer for American Reading Company, and as an adjunct instructor at Temple University serving as a university mentor for principal intern program.
Assistant Director of Education, Secondary Education, Ellen Cronan Rose.
Program Director, OPERAtunities in Education, Francine Levine.
Marketing and Development Associate, Joshua Neumann.
Auditions Coordinator, Lindsey Neumann.