Philadelphia International Music Festival
All-Instruments Masterclass
with Tristan Rais-Sherman Guest Conductor
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Mark Livshits, Faculty Pianist
Curtis Institute of Music
Sunday, July 13th, 2025
Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion 7:00 pm Valley Forge Military Academy & College
Tristan Rais-Sherman is rapidly emerging as one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, celebrated for his collaborative spirit, creativity, and joyful music-making. A threetime recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, he is known for his emotional directness and clarity on the podium and is committed to broadening the appeal of classical music by telling human stories in ways that everyone can immediately grasp.
The 2025–2026 season features Rais-Sherman’s debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and multiple returns to the podium of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, where he has cultivated an ongoing artistic relationship since his debut in 2023. These engagements follow a vibrant stretch of international activity, including concerts with the Hohhot Philharmonic Orchestra, a Beethoven piano concerto marathon with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, and assisting Maestro James Gaffigan in a production of Massenet’s Manon at Les Arts Valencia.
Rais-Sherman continues to maintain a close artistic connection with The Philadelphia Orchestra, following his tenure as Assistant Conductor from 2022 to 2024. He remains a trusted collaborator both on and off the podium, having led performances at the Kimmel Center and Mann Center, and contributed significantly to the orchestra’s educational and public-facing programs.
A gifted speaker and storyteller, Rais-Sherman played a central role in launching The Philadelphia Orchestra’s award-winning Orchestra After 5 series, earning praise as an “amiable host” (Philadelphia Inquirer). In 2023, he led The Philadelphia Orchestra to China in celebration of the 50th anniversary of their first tour, debuting at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing with The China National Symphony Orchestra and members of the orchestra. The residency received widespread international attention, including coverage in The New York Times
Other recent highlights include a last-minute step-in to lead Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Billings Symphony, and earlier debuts with the Baltimore Symphony and San Diego Symphony. RaisSherman has also collaborated with the New York Philharmonic, Bamberger Symphoniker, St. Louis Symphony, Dartington Festival Orchestra, Aurora Festival, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, and Berlin Sinfonietta.
Deeply committed to mentorship and accessibility, Rais-Sherman has led the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen, conducted masterclasses at the China Conservatory of Music, the Philadelphia International Music Festival, and led educational programs with The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, New York Youth Symphony, ShanghaiTech University, and others. He brings the same artistic values to these spaces as he does to the concert hall: generosity, curiosity, and a belief in music’s ability to speak directly.
Rais-Sherman is the only conductor to receive an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory and holds degrees from the University of Michigan (MM in Orchestral Conducting) and Ithaca College (BM in Cello Performance). His primary teachers include Hugh Wolff, Kenneth Kiesler, Sian Edwards, and Leif Segerstam.
Reminder:Please silence cell phones and other electronic devices for all performances. PIMF is a program of Sandy Marcucci International Camps, Inc.
Introduction et rondo capriccioso, Op.28
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
Natalia Siqueria Biasotto, violin
Flute Concerto Aram Khachaturian III. Allegro vivace (1903–1978)
Ting-en Ma, flute
Piano Concerto in G Major, M.83
Maurice Ravel I. Allegramente (1875–1937)
Yuze Lee, piano
Cello Concerto, Op.104
Antonín Dvořák I. Allegro (1841–1904)
Charles Sunie, cello
Reminder:Please silence cell phones and other electronic devices for all performances. PIMF is a program of Sandy Marcucci International Camps, Inc.
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL ITALY
July 28 - August 7, 2025 | Cremona, Italy
FACULTY
Kimberly Fisher
Principal Second Violin
The Philadelphia Orchestra
John Koen Cello
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Mark Livshits
Faculty Pianist
Curtis Institute of Music
The Philadelphia International Music Festival – Italy (July 28 – August 7, 2025) is designed for string musicians and pianists 13-19 years of age preparing for upcoming solo performances and competitions. This exciting new program will include: three private lessons, daily 30-minute workout sessions with an assigned faculty accompanist, daily hour-long solo performance classes, five hours of required daily private practice, and a week-ending Grand Finale Recital in one of the stunning performance halls in Cremona.
Students and families will both reside in Cremona, Italy, enjoying authentic Italian-style meals throughout the week-long program. While students are in training, guests attending the “Family & Friends” program will tour the surrounding towns via Luxury Motorcoach. Destinations include Venice, Milan, Verona, Lake Garda, Bologna and Parma! Students will join the traveling adventures at the conclusion of the Grand Finale performance on August 4th, 2025.
Venice
Modena Milan
Lake Garda
Verona
Bologna