“Curtis on Tour”
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Roberto Díaz, viola

ABOUT CURTIS

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. Since 1924, Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty of world-class musicians and educators. With admissions based solely on artistic promise, no student is turned away due to financial need. Curtis invests in each admitted student, ensuring no tuition is charged for their studies and they enter the profession free from educational debt.

Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year in addition to collaborative projects within the community to provide arts access and education. This real-world training empowers these extraordinary young artists to become inspiring performers, composers, conductors, creators, and musical leaders, making a profound impact on music onstage and in their communities. To learn more, visit Curtis.edu.

ABOUT CURTIS ON TOUR

Curtis on Tour is the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. Embracing the school’s “learn by doing” philosophy, ensembles are infused with the energy and passion of extraordinary emerging artists performing alongside celebrated alumni and faculty. In addition to performances, musicians engage with local communities through educational and community engagement activities. For 15 years, Curtis on Tour has maintained a presence at top international concert halls, performing more than 450 concerts in over 120 cities, from New York to Berlin and Hong Kong to Santiago.

ABOUT tHE ARTISTS

Jason Vieaux, guitar

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is described by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation”. In appearances from New York’s Lincoln Center to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Seoul Arts Center, Jason Vieaux has cemented his reputation as an artist of brilliance and uncompromised mastery.

Vieaux’s extensive discography includes his “Bach Volume 2: Works for Violin” released on Azica in 2022 to rave reviews for his “eloquent and vibrant performances” (Gramophone). Additional 2022 releases include “Shining Night” featuring his duo with acclaimed violinist Anne Akiko Meyers (Avie Records) and Michael Fine’s “Concierto del Luna” with flutist Alexa Still (Sony Classical), both enjoying strong critical acclaim. Vieaux recorded Pat Metheny’s “Four Paths of Light”, a solo work dedicated to him by Pat, for Metheny’s 2021 album “Road to the Sun”. Jason Vieaux won the 2014 Best Instrumental Classical Solo Grammy Award for Play. The Huffington Post declared Play is “part of the revitalized interest in the classical guitar”.

A busy touring performer, Jason Vieaux enjoys repeated invitations from distinguished series, including San Francisco Performances, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the 92nd Street Y, among others. Festival engagements include Ravinia, Caramoor, Domaine-Forget, Music@Menlo, Round Top, and the Eastern Music Festival. Overseas performance venues include Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai Concert Hall, Sala Sao Paolo, and Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.

In 2011 Vieaux co-founded the guitar department at the Curtis Institute of Music (with David Starobin). He has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music for 25 years. Jason’s online Guitar School for Artistworks Inc. has hundreds of subscribers from all over the world. He plays a guitar by Gernot Wagner, 2013.

Emmalena Huning, violin

Emmalena Huning, from Perth, Australia, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2023 and studies violin with Benjamin Beilman and Erin Keefe. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Huning is the Yvonne Druian Fellow.

Praised for her “distinct voice” (The West Australian) and “emotional delivery” (Radio New Zealand), Ms. Huning earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied with György Pauk and Jack Liebeck.

Over the years, Ms. Huning has had success in many national and international competitions. She was a prize winner and placer holder at the John Curro National Youth Concerto Competition, Kendall National Violin Competition, and Osaka International Music Competition, and was the youngest semi-finalist at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition. In 2022, she was awarded the prize for the Australian Musician of Promise at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition and has since been engaged in multiple concerts at the League.

As an orchestral player, Ms. Huning has been the concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and String Orchestra, Western Australian Youth Orchestra, and most recently, the Tanglewood Music Festival Orchestra. She is currently concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and associate concertmaster of Symphony in C and has worked with internationally acclaimed conductors like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Andris Nelsons, Dima Slobodeniouk, Semyon Bychkov, Alan Gilbert, Trevor Pinnock, John Wilson, and Sir Mark Elder.

Ms. Huning is an awardee supported by the Australian Music Foundation as the AMF Nora Goodridge Developing Artist.

 Roberto Díaz, viola

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 soloist, Mr. Díaz collaborates with leading conductors of our time on stages throughout the world. He has also worked directly with important 20th- and 21st-century composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki—whose viola concerto he has performed numerous 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.

A frequent recitalist, Mr. Díaz enjoys collaborating with young musicians, bringing a fresh approach to the repertoire and providing invaluable opportunities to artists at the beginning of their careers. In addition to performing with major string quartets and pianists in chamber music series and festivals worldwide, he is a member of the Díaz Trio. His recordings include a Grammy-winning performance of the Jennifer Higdon Viola Concerto, a Grammy-nominated disc of viola transcriptions by William Primrose for Naxos, and releases on the Artek, Bridge Records, Dorian, Nimbus, and New World labels.

In addition to his decade-long tenure as principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Díaz was also principal viola of the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich, and was a member of the Boston Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he continues to serve on the faculty, holding the James and Betty Matarese Chair in Viola Studies and the Nina von Maltzahn President’s Chair. Mr. Díaz plays the ex-Primrose Amati viola.

Ania Lewis, cello

Ania Lewis, from Cleveland, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021 and studies cello with Peter Wiley and Gary Hoffman. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Lewis is the Gie and Lisa Liem Fellow.

In 2017, Ms. Lewis made her solo debut with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra and has won several awards and competitions throughout the Cleveland area. As a chamber musician, she was a founding member of the Lumiére String Quartet, who were prizewinners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition. Additionally, she has performed chamber music with many prominent artists such as the Rosamunde Quartet, Steven Tenenbom, Roberto Díaz, and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra.

With a strong love for orchestral playing, Ms. Lewis was the principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in the 23-24 school year, and is currently the associate principal cellist of Symphony in C. She has performed as a substitute with the Cleveland Orchestra, and was awarded a fellowship to the Tanglewood Music Center. Her other festival participation includes the Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Domaine Forget International Music Festival, where she appeared in masterclasses for Yo-Yo Ma, Johannes Moser, and Colin Carr.

Ms. Lewis holds a certificate from the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Young Artists Program where she studied with Stephen Geber and Mark Kosower. Other recent teachers and mentors include Yumi Kendall, Christine Lee, Nick Canellakis, and Martha Baldwin.

“Curtis on Tour” is made possible by The Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music.