When the Juilliard Orchestra takes the stage at Alice Tully Hall on May 21, it will give the world premiere of a new work by one of its own, composer Paola Prestini (BM ‘98, MM ‘00), the latest in a series of commissions placing alumni work at the center of one of New York’s most celebrated stages. 

The school has made a practice of commissioning new works from composer alumni, performed by the all-student Juilliard Orchestra: Ascending Creatures by Eunike Tanzil (MM ’23) in October 2025; Two Lives One Body by Molly Joyce (BM‘14) in May 2025; Awakening by Katie Jenkins (BM ‘22, MM ‘24) in September 2024; and Sercy by Hilary Purrington (MM ‘15) in May 2024. 

As a champion of new voices in contemporary music, Prestini sees the program as a model worth celebrating. “They’ve done this with quite a few women alumni to support their career trajectories,” she says. “And it’s been really inspiring to me.”

Prestini’s new work, My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name, is her second tone poem based on the celebrated series of novels by Italian author Elena Ferrante, which are set in Naples and follow two young girls’ lifelong friendship even as their personal lives and professional paths diverge.

Prestini is also composing an opera based on My Brilliant Friend, but she is working her way toward it differently than usual. “Usually, a composer writes the opera, then creates the orchestral pieces based on it,” she explains. “But I’m doing the opposite: I’m writing the tone poems first.” Her first tone poem based on Ferrante’s writings, My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, was premiered in January by the Tucson Symphony. (The opera is scheduled to premiere in Croatia in 2028.)

The composer has a personal connection to Ferrante’s books, since she grew up in Nogales, Arizona, a gritty border town that reminds her of Ferrante’s Naples. “I fell in love with the books when I read them,” Prestini says. “I was inspired by the idea of a friendship between two women—it mirrored my growing up with my best friend, who is still my best friend to this day. That’s what inspired me to write an opera that follows the lives of these women rooted in friendship as children and how they transition to adulthood.” 

Also on the May 21 orchestra program are Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 and Ottorino Respighi’s The Fountains of Rome, conducted by JoAnn Falletta (MM‘83, DMA ‘89), music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Falletta sees a common thread. 

“These works are all about colors and impressionism,” she says. “Fountains, the most superbly written of his tone poems, is a masterpiece. Respighi’s orchestral colors define the colors of Rome.”

“It’s always such a privilege to work with such a good orchestra,” Prestini says. “Orchestral writing is so exciting—that’s where the whole thing comes to life.” 

For Falletta, coming back to work with students reminds her of her time at Juilliard, where she earned her master’s and doctorate degrees. “I’m always very grateful to comeback here, because I’m so filled with gratitude that they took a chance on a woman conductor,” she says, acknowledging the barriers women have historically faced in the conducting world.

“When I meet with students, we discuss what they should be prepared for,” she continues. “They have lots of questions, especially for those who are about to graduate: what’s the next step? Everyone’s blueprint is different. There’s a brilliant future ahead for these musicians—but everyone creates their own.”

The Juilliard Orchestra also performs at Alice Tully Hall on April 24. David Robertson, the school’s director of conducting studies and distinguished visiting faculty, leads a program of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7, and John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony. 

For more information and tickets, visit here.