Curtis Institute receives $10 million gift to fund its ensemble-in-residence program

A $10 million donation to the Curtis Institute of Music will be used to fund the school’s ensemble-in-residence program in perpetuity.

The gift, announced Thursday, is from Penelope P. Watkins, a longtime Curtis board member who had previously given seed money to launch the ensemble-in-residence spot, currently held by the Dover Quartet.

Now, investment income generated by Watkins’ gift will fund the program at the conservatory on Rittenhouse Square on an ongoing basis.

Watkins, a Curtis board member since 2002, grew up in the United Kingdom, attended university in Switzerland, worked for the United Nations, and moved to Pennsylvania in 1965. She is a supporter of the Natural Lands Trust, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

At Curtis, the new funds for the ensemble-in-residence program will support performing, touring, and teaching, as well as the potential for recording.

Curtis is well along on a campaign to raise $250 million: $200 for endowment, $30 million to upgrade facilities and infrastructure, and $20 million for the annual fund — all by its centenary in the 2024-25 school year. The school has so far raised “just shy” of $200 million, a Curtis spokesperson said.

The school received a $20 million gift in 2021 from an anonymous donor family. Last year, Curtis lost one of the most generous donors in its history when Nina Baroness von Maltzahn died in May at age 81. She and her husband gave a total of about $70 million to the school.