b'Guest ArtistA violist of international reputation, ROBERTO DAZ is president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music, following in the footsteps of renowned soloist/directors, such as Rudolf Serkin, Efrem Zimbalist, and Josef Hofmann. As a teacher of viola at Curtis and former principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he has already had a significant impact on American musical life, and continues to do so in his dual roles as performer and educator. An active soloist, Mr. Daz collaborates regularly with leading conductors of our time on stages around the world. He has also worked directly with important 20th- and 21st-century composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Edison Denisov, and Ricardo Lorenz, and has had concertos written for him by Bright Sheng, Jennifer Higdon, and Roberto Sierra. His recording of Higdons Viola Concerto won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2018. A frequent recitalist and chamber musician, Mr. Daz has performed with major string quartets and pianists in chamber music series and festivals worldwide. He has also toured Europe, Asia, and the Americas as a member of the Daz Trio with violinist Andrs Crdenes and cellist AndrsDaz. Prior to his decade-long tenure as principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Roberto Daz served as principal viola of the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich, was a member of the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, and a member of the Minnesota Orchestra under Sir Neville Marriner. He holds a bachelors degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. Among Mr. Dazs numerous recordings are the complete works for viola and piano by Henri Vieuxtemps, a Grammy-nominated disc of viola transcriptions by William Primrose, and the Brahms sonatas with Jeremy Denk, all on the Naxos label. Roberto Daz plays the ex-Primrose Amati viola.robertodiazviola.com'