Curtis On Tour:
Bernstein, Bruch and Schubert

Described as “an excellent actress with impeccable projection and style” by Le Devoir, French soprano Juliette Tacchino recently won the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 Sumi Jo International Singing Competition and the 2024 French Riviera Masters Competition at Opéra de Nice Côte d’Azur. This season, she performs with the Opera Fuoco Company alongside Laurent Naouri and Elsa Rooke on opera scenes by Massenet in Paris, a recital at the Château d’Écouen, and at the Opéra de Massy as soprano soloist Boyce’s Solomon, conducted by David Stern. She also makes her role debut as Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Curtis Opera Theater in Philadelphia, conducted by Nicholas McGegan and performs in recital at the BachFest in Leipzig, Germany. 

Born to a musical family, Juliette began performing with the Children’s Choir of the Opéra de Nice as a child. A graduate of the pre-college program at Nice Conservatory, she completed her bachelor’s degree studies at the University of Montréal, where she performed the roles of Ilia in Idomeneo, Pauline in La Vie Parisienne, Phani in Les Indes galantes, as well as roles in The Fairy Queen and the new work of Canadian composer Ana Sokolović. She received the Azrieli Foundation scholarship, became the first winner of the Opéra Bouffe de Québec Competition, and won the prestigious Louise Roy scholarship. She also performed in a program of Mozart concert arias with the Monte-Carlo Chamber Music Orchestra.  

Juliette is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under the tutelage of Joan Patenaude-Yarnell. During her time at Curtis, she performed in concert under the baton of Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, as well as the roles of Ginevra in Ariodante, Thérèse in Les Mamelles de Tirésias, and as a featured soloist in a staging of Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato. In concert, Juliette has performed as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Dettingen Te Deum. She was a 2023 participant in the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Voice) in Brussels, won 1st Prize at the Opera Bouffe de Québec Competition, and is a recipient of the Louise Roy scholarship and the Azrieli Foundation. Upcoming performances include appearances at Opéra de Nice, Istanbul State Opera, and the Royal Opera House of Muscat in Oman.  

A violist of international reputation, Roberto Díaz (’84) 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.