Venezuelan violinist Diego Diaz is a 2021-22 Chicago Sinfonietta Project Inclusion Freeman Fellow in both the Orchestral and Ensemble programs. He currently serves as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Prior posts include serving as concertmaster of the Youth Lara State Symphony Orchestra in his hometown. Mr. Diaz has performed with several orchestras in his home country and also participated in tours to Europe and Asia. Amongst the renowned conductors he has performed under are Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle, and Diego Matheuz
A recent graduate of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University’s master’s program, where he studied under Mrs. Almita Vamos and Dr. Roland Vamos, Mr. Diaz began his music studies at age 9 as part of the “El Sistema” program founded by Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance at Venezuela’s Lisandro Alvarado Midwestern University. A 1st prize winner in the 2013 Juan Bautista Plaza Competition in the Emil Friedman School in Caracas, Venezuela, Mr. Diaz was also a student of the Latin American School of Violin, where he studied with school founder Maestro Jose Francisco del Castillo. Additionally, he has performed in masterclasses for violinists including Ilya Kaler, Rachel Barton Pine, Alexander Kerr, Jorja Fleezanis, Glenn Dicterow, Uto Ughi and Midori Goto.