Fiddle while you work

VCU is by no means a stranger to hosting musicians
of international prestige.

From the Brentano String Quartet to jazz musician
Wynton Marsalis to notable faculty within the music
department, there have been, and always are, concert
opportunities to whet one’s musical appetite.

The addition of Roberto Díaz only augments the
list of famous musicians for the department and the
W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, which
houses the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall.

Díaz, who recently was named president and CEO
of the Curtis Institute of Music, one of the foremost
conservatories in the nation, has a cornucopia of
awards and accolades. In addition to these honors,
the Chiléan-born violist also has worked with a
number of notable composers and musicians, such
as Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern and Krzysztof Penderecki,
to name a few.

In his forthcoming visit, Díaz will bring both his
performing abilities and teaching capabilities to his
Richmond audience.

Preceding his Saturday concert, Díaz will be leading
a string master class tomorrow. It will provide music
students with the chance for Díaz to critique their
performances.

Attendees who might not be so musically inclined
can witness, firsthand, the creative process that
musicians go through when preparing a piece for
performance. These methods range from effective
practice methods to the performer’s most beneficial
physical placement on stage.

Following is a Q-and-A with Diaz:

Q: For those who might not be well-versed in
modern classical performers, what are people’s
first reactions when you tell them you play
the viola?

A: Do you mean people that don’t know
anything about music?

Q: Sure.

A: There’s always a sense of curiosity. People
have always had an inherent curiosity about
artists, be it poets or painters or musicians.
When you tell them, their reaction is, “How
lucky you are to be doing something you love
for a living.”

Q: When did you first begin playing the
viola? Was it your first choice? When did you
switch?

A: I started out playing the violin. In Chile,
there was no youth orchestra and no real need
for young viola players. I switched to the viola
when I got bigger, at 14. Also, my father is
a violist. I heard the viola around the house
from the very beginning. I’ve always loved
the sound.

Q: How was your early music education in
the viola approached? In my experience, the
viola is often ignored in lower-level orchestral
instruction.

A: I was living in Atlanta, Georgia at the time.
There was a fine youth symphony . I became
principal in my high school years. There were
wonderful opportunities . (such as) master
classes. The string orchestra in high school
was quite good.

Q: What is the best part of being a professional
musician?

A: You get to make a living doing what you
truly love. I can’t imagine anything better. There’s
a certain passion about it. It is hard work, but
you love doing it.

Q: Things you wish you could change?

A: I wish the music we played was more
important to society. We are all fighting hard
to do that.

Q: What is the viola’s role in the orchestra?

A: Not to sound funny, but I would describe it
as the white stuffing in an Oreo cookie. It holds
it all together. It plays a wonderful harmonic
role . the rhythmic aspect is wonderful. Some
people say the bass is the backbone of the
orchestra . I think the viola is the cream that
holds the orchestra together.

Q: Do you think we still need programs such
as “Save the Music?” And do you think there
is a danger of classical music falling to the
wayside, moreso than it already has?

A: Classical music has always been in danger.
It has never been for the masses. The society
that likes classical music, (that is) is associated
with classical music has always been relatively
small. It is easy to talk about doom and gloom,
but there are more symphonies, concert series,
quartets . to be too pessimistic.

Q: Finally, can you tell me a popular, non-classical
musician you are listening to right now?

A: Non-classical?

Q: Yes.

A: (Pause) Santana.

Roberto Díaz will be leading the string master
class on Friday, Feb. 1, from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. in
the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts.
This event is free and open to the public. Saturday
at 8 p.m. Díaz will bring to the stage performances
of Brahms, Hindemith and da Falla among others.
Tickets are available at the Singleton Center box office.
Student rates also are honored. Contact Tiffanie Chan
at tschan@vcu.edu for details.