Diaz brothers return to play String Theory

Brothers Roberto and Andres Diaz make a return visit to Chattanooga, joining violinist Soovin Kim and pianist Gloria Chien for the next performance in the String Series concert series on Tuesday, March 6, at Hunter Museum of American Art.

Their performance will include Kodaly’s “Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7” and Faure’s “Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 15.”

Prior to the concert, “Art Connections” will take place at 5:30 p.m. Ellen Simack, former Hunter Museum chief curator, and Robert Bernhardt, conductor emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and artist-in-residence at Lee University, will explore works from the Hunter collection that relate to the music featured in the evening’s concert.

Roberto Díaz is a violist of international reputation. He is former principal viola for the Philadelphia Orchestra and an educator at Curtis Institute of Music, where he is president, chief executive officer and a teacher of viola.

He has toured Europe, Asia and the Americas as a member of the Díaz Trio, a group that has performed at Carnegie Hall, in France and Finland. He has also performed with the Boston Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra and the National Symphony, where he was principal viola.

Andrés Díaz is a grad- uate of the New England Conservatory and continues to play chamber music performances with the conservatory’s faculty. He currently serves as a professor of cello at Southern Methodist University.

Also a member of the Diaz Trio, he won first prize in the 1986 Naumburg International Cello Competition, received the Pierre Mayer Memorial Award for Outstanding String Player, and in 2009, was nominated for a Latin Grammy.

Kim is an internationally renowned violinist and performs as a concert soloist and a recitalist. His international concert career was launched when he received first prize at the Paganini International Competition at the age of 20. He went on to receive the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and the Henryk Szeryng Career Award. He currently serves as a professor of violin at the New England Conservatory.

Chien made her orchestral debut at age 16 with the Boston Symphony Orches- tra and has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras. She currently serves as an artist-in-residence at Lee University.

She is a prize winner of the World Piano Competition, Harvard Musical Association Award, as well as the San Antonio International Piano Competition, where she received the prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work.

She founded String Theory in 2009 to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical music scene and cultivate a future generation of music lovers.

For more information on String Theory or to purchase tickets: 423-4142525.