92NY to Present Curtis On Tour: Trio Zimbalist And Roberto Díaz

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York's leading cultural venues, presents Curtis on Tour: Trio Zimbalist and Roberto Díaz, part of Curtis at 92NY, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 7:30 pm at Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center. Online streaming is also available for 72 hours following the performance. Tickets start at $25 and are available at https://www.92ny.org/event/trio-zimbalist-and-roberto-diaz.

In demand across Europe and the U.S., Trio Zimbalist makes its N.Y.C. debut with this performance. Each member of the piano trio - violinist Josef Špaček, cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin, and pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu - is a distinguished alum of the Curtis Institute of Music and a soloist of stature. Together they form an inimitable ensemble whose repertoire spans Romantic masterworks to today's most lauded composers. The ensemble is joined by Roberto Díaz, President of the Curtis Institute of Music, and viola royalty, with a resume including principal viola of the National Symphony Orchestra under Mstislav Rostropovich and principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, in addition to a brilliant solo career. He joins a trio noted for both their refinement and fire, the musicians bringing their arsenal of talent to Fauré's gorgeous, rarely performed C-Minor Piano Quartet, and Dvořák's "Dumky" Trio.

Dvořák, Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 90, "Dumky"

Fauré, Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15

This concert is under 90 minutes and will be performed without intermission. Join us in the hall's lounge following the performance and meet the artist.

Dvořák's "Dumky" is also featured on Trio Zimbalist's highly-anticipated recording, released on January 12, 2024, titled: Piano Trios of Weinberg, Auerbach, & Dvořák. Dumka is a Ukrainian term meaning "thought," and in classical music, is a type of epic Slavic ballad. Dvořák used that form for his "Dumky" Trio, which was on Trio Zimbalist's first program and maintains a special place in its repertoire. The piece transcends the passage of time, finding renewed depth as ongoing conflicts reverberate today, and reflecting the intensity and strength of the creative human spirit in desperate times, as well as the emotional catharsis in telling one's own story through music.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Trio Zimbalist has garnered critical acclaim for its "precision and feverish intensity" (Greece's EfSyn). The group was lauded for its "liveliness and vigor of playing" and performances that were "pure enjoyment!" (Athinorama) at the Nights of Classical Music at the Gennadius Library festival in Athens, where it served as ensemble in residence during a Fall 2021 tour of Greece, Germany, and France. Alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the members of the trio-violinist Josef Špaček, cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin, and pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu-are all in demand across Europe and the U.S. as soloists, chamber musicians, and recitalists, and together form an inimitable ensemble with repertoire spanning Romantic masterworks to today's most lauded composers.

The trio takes its name from famed violin virtuoso Efrem Zimbalist, a towering presence at the Curtis Institute of Music as faculty and director for a combined forty years. Trio Zimbalist carries on the violinist's storied legacy through its commitment to artistic excellence. The group draws upon the lineage of previous world-class ensembles formed at Curtis. Its members have studied with faculty representing the Guarneri Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Chicago Chamber Musicians. With regular appearances at the La Jolla Music Society, ChamberFest Cleveland, Marlboro, and Moritzburg music festivals, they are active composers, adventurous and multidisciplinary collaborators, and passionate advocates for the impact of music on communities across the globe.

A violist of international reputation, Roberto Díaz is president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music, following in the footsteps of renowned soloist/directors such as Josef Hofmann, Efrem Zimbalist, and Rudolf Serkin. As a teacher of viola at Curtis and former principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Díaz has already had a significant impact on American musical life and continues to do so in his dual roles as performer and educator.

As a soloist, Mr. Díaz collaborates with leading conductors of our time on stages throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He has also worked directly with important 20th- and 21st-century composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki-whose viola concerto he has performed many times with the composer on the podium and whose double concerto he premiered in the United States-as well as Edison Denisov, Jennifer Higdon, Ricardo Lorenz, and Roberto Sierra. His recording of Jennifer Higdon's Viola Concerto won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2018.

Since founding Curtis on Tour in 2007, Mr. Díaz has taken this successful initiative to North and South America, Europe, and Asia, performing chamber music side-by-side with Curtis students and other faculty and alumni of the school. His tenure as president of Curtis has also seen the construction of a significant new building which doubled the size of the school's campus; the introduction of a classical guitar department and new conducting and string quartet programs; and the launch of Curtis Summerfest, summer courses open to the public. In the fall of 2013 Curtis became the first classical music conservatory to offer free online classes through Coursera.

Mr. Díaz received an honorary doctorate from Bowdoin College and was awarded an honorary membership by the National Board of the American Viola Society. In 2013 he became a member of the prestigious American Philosophical Society founded by Benjamin Franklin. As a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he was selected by then-music director Christoph Eschenbach to receive the C. Hartman Kuhn Award, given annually to "the member of the Philadelphia Orchestra who has shown ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and the reputation of the Philadelphia Orchestra." He received a bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Burton Fine; and a diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where his teacher was his predecessor at the Philadelphia Orchestra, Joseph de Pasquale. Mr. Díaz also holds a degree in industrial design.

In addition to his decade-long tenure as principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he performed the entire standard viola concerto repertoire and gave a number of Philadelphia Orchestra premieres, Mr. Díaz was principal viola of the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich, a member of the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, and a member of the Minnesota Orchestra under Sir Neville Marriner. He plays the ex-Primrose Amati viola.

For more information, please visit 92NY.org/Concerts.