World-renowned violist Roberto Díaz played to a full house in Studzinski Recital Hall on Wednesday night, dazzling the crowd with an eclectic program that included works by Brahms and Bloch.
Díaz, a native Chilean, is the president and CEO of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, which is one of the most selective music schools in the world and known for its unique curriculum and talented faculty.
He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including an honorary degree in music from Bowdoin in 2007.
During his concert at Bowdoin, Díaz performed nearly two hours of music and was accompanied by pianist Andrew Tyson. His repertoire covered a range of classical music, including violin pieces transcribed for the viola.
Sam Waterbury '11 was impressed by Díaz's performance.
"I think he's a really talented musician," he said at intermission. "And I think that the piece selection has been great so far."
Díaz opened the concert with "Suite Populaire Espagnole" by Manuel de Falla and captivated his audience with "Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 78 in D Major" by Johannes Brahms, both pieces transcribed for the viola. After intermission, Díaz performed more contemporary works written in the 20th century: "Suite for Viola and Piano" by Ernest Bloch and "Transcriptions for Viola and Piano" by William Primrose.
Alyson Magian, an evening circulation assistant at the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, decided to come to the concert after reading about the Curtis Institute at an earlier Bowdoin concert, Time for Three, which featured three musicians who had studied there.
She appreciated the opportunity to attend a classical music concert available to the Brunswick community.
"It's a fabulous performance," she said. "It's a great opportunity for the community to come and take in a classical music performance," she said.
"I think it shows that Bowdoin is really committed to the arts, which is great," added Waterbury.