March 15, 2005
Violist Roberto Díaz, Regents’ Lecturer in the UCSB Department of Music, to perform a free recital at Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West
Summary Facts:
- Roberto Díaz, viola
- Díaz is Principal Violist with the internationally renowned Philadelphia Orchestra
- Regents’ Lecturer in the UCSB Department of Music
- Free Recital
- Tuesday, April 19 / 8 pm / Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara
- Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535
Internationally acclaimed violist Roberto Díaz will give a free recital on Tuesday, April 19 at 8 pm at Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara. Díaz is visiting UCSB as a Regents’ Lecturer in the Department of Music. He will be accompanied by pianist Robert Koenig and violist Helen Callus in a program that includes Manuel De Falla, Suite Populaire Espagnole; Juan Orrego-Salas, Mobili Op. 63; Duo for Two Violas by Jean Marie Leclair; and Virtuoso Viola Transcriptions by William Primrose.
Roberto Díaz collaborates with the world’s most important conductors and composers and reaches wide audiences with both his solo and chamber music performances. Díaz also inspires new talent through his many teaching and master class appointments. Currently the Principal Violist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, he has also performed with National Symphony, Boston Pops, Nashville Symphony, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Saarbrücken Radio Orchestra, Russian State Symphony, Orquesta Simón Bolivar and the Orquesta Nacional de España.
An active chamber musician, Díaz has performed with artists such as Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern. His festival appearances include Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center, Marlboro, Spoleto, Verbier, Kuhmo, West Cork, Naantali and Angel Fire. As a member of the Díaz Trio, with violinst Andrés Cárdenes and cellist Andrés Díaz, he has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico and Chile. The trio has been in residence at the Brevard Music Center since 2001.
New World Records has recently released a critically acclaimed live recording of the Jacob Druckman Viola Concerto with Díaz and The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch. On the Naxos label, Díaz has recorded works for viola and piano by Henri Vieuxtemps with Robert Koenig.
After a 2003 performance of Berlioz’s Symphony, Harold in Italy (Op. 16) the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: “Díaz went far beyond mere technical mastery and full-bodied tone and entered the rarer realm of artistry with some exquisitely shaped phrasing. This is the big piece of the viola repertoire, of course, but Díaz didn’t utter a single routine statement. He is an especially deft colorist, shading his sound...to serve emotional ends.”
As a Regents’ Lecturer in the UCSB Department of Music, Díaz will engage with students and faculty from various academic departments. Instituted in 1962 to encourage rare and invaluable interaction between gifted non-academics and the university community, the Regents’ Lectureship program of the University of California has continued to provide campus residencies in sponsoring departments for people with distinguished achievement in the arts, sciences, humanities, business, politics and international affairs.
Roberto Díaz is presented by UCSB Department of Music and UCSB Arts & Lectures.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.