Curtis Institute of Music

and a graduation fee. As of fall 2023, the comprehensive fee for Curtis is $3,500, and the health insurance fee, which can be waived if a parental health insurance plan provides adequate protection, of $2,500. With the new endowment, the school purchased several Steinway pianos and enough instruments for an orchestra so that students would not have to pay for instruments.
The school faced financial difficulties in the 1930s, decreased enrollment, and had to remove some departments and reduce salaries. Josef Hoffman resigned in 1938 and was succeeded by Randall Thompson, who became director in 1939 and held the post for two years. Thompson introduced mandatory weekly lectures providing an overview of music history. Violinist Efrem Zimbalist, who had become the head of the violin department in 1930 at Curtis, replaced Thompson as director in 1941. Under Zimbalist, the institute focused more on training soloists and cutting down on costs, which became especially necessary during the war years. This focus caused …