Curtis in Nantucket and New England

Hailing from Ngāhinapōuri, Aotearoa New Zealand, mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg is dedicated to exploring the ways music connects with communities and society. Her mission is to make classical music more accessible and create opportunities for audiences to engage deeply and genuinely with her performances.

Ms. Trigg completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Waikato and is currently studying under Julia Faulkner at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. This year, she won the prestigious 2024 Lexus Song Quest, further establishing her as a rising star in the world of classical music.

During her undergraduate studies in New Zealand, Ms. Trigg was a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar, and a student of Stephanie Acraman. After the pandemic delayed Ms. Trigg’s plans to study overseas, she spent 2021 as a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artist with New Zealand Opera.

Upon her arrival at Curtis in 2022, Ms. Trigg featured as a soloist with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra under M° Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and performed with them again in October 2023. She has appeared as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem in D minor for Binghamton Philharmonic under M° Daniel Hege, performed as part of Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23, and collaborated with Warren Jones in recital. Katie attended Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist in 2023, where she covered the roles of Juno/Ino in Handel’s Semele and performed in their “Studio Spotlight” showcase. In March of 2024, Ms. Trigg made her role debut as Anna I in Curtis Opera Theatre’s production of Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins.

For her recent master’s project at Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Trigg pioneered a month-long booster course for high school music students to learn about college-level music programs from current Curtis students. The project focused on equipping students with skills and confidence to pursue musical studies at college level through individual workshopping and mentorship.

In New Zealand, Ms. Trigg has showcased her vocal prowess with various organizations and renowned artists, including Auckland Opera Studio, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, and Bach Musica NZ.

Ms. Trigg’s past awards include the Dame Sister Mary Leo Scholarship, the Sue and Guy Haddleton Emerging Artist Award, the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award, and the Kiwi Music Scholarship to assist with her studies overseas. Katie would like to also acknowledge the essential support of the Fairfield Rotary Club, the Ohaupo/Ngahinapouri and Te Awamutu Lions Clubs, Circle100, and the Adastra Foundation.

Recognized as one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation, Elissa Lee Koljonen has thrilled audiences and critics in over one hundred cities throughout the world. Ms. Koljonen initially received international acclaim when she became the first recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Award and silver medalist of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition. Her playing has been hailed by the Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki) as “sparkling, sensual and personal.” Dan Tucker of the Chicago Tribune has written that “she displayed boundless technique and musicianship.”

Ms. Koljonen’s engagements have included a return to the Philadelphia Orchestra to perform the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1, her debut in Spain with James Judd and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, performances with José-Luis Novo and the orchestras in Annapolis and Binghamton, the Delaware Symphony, Reading Symphony, the Kimmel Center’s Summer Solstice and the Philadelphia premiere of Behzad Ranjbaran’s Violin Concerto with JoAnn Falletta. She has also made appearances with the Boston Pops, Minnesota Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic and the symphonies of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Helsinki and Seoul. Ms. Koljonen has collaborated with such noted conductors as Mattias Bamert, James DePriest, Lawrence Foster, Richard Hickox, Neeme Järvi, Louis Lane, Andrew Litton, Eiji Oue and the late Bryden Thompson.

She has performed in some of the world’s most important venues, including the Musikverein in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre in London, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Seoul Arts Center, the Symphony Hall in Boston, and the Academy of Music and Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Also an avid chamber musician, Ms. Koljonen appears regularly at festivals throughout North America, Europe and Asia. She garnered critical acclaim for her debut at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in London and her appearances with the London Mozart Players and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in a special concert celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Dynasty.

Ms. Koljonen is a protégée of the great Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music. Incorporating his influence, she carries on the legacy and tradition of Leopold Auer and his legendary school of violin playing.

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.

Pianist Hanchien Lee has established herself as a successful soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Since her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age sixteen, she has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, appearing at venues such as Steinway Hall in New York, Academy of Music, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and has given recitals at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Muhlenberg College Piano Series, Hillman Performing Arts Center, Texas International Piano Festival, Basilica San Pietro in Italy, Centro Cultural del Antiguo in Spain and Taipei Convention Center in Taiwan. She has appeared as soloist with the American Elite youth orchestra, Plainfield Symphony, Taiwan National Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Perugia and Poland’s Capella Cracovienses Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Lee is the recipient of the prestigious Chi-Mei Scholarship and Clara Ascherfeld Award. She has won first prize at the Russel C. Wonderlic Piano Competition and top prizes at Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition and Yamaha Piano Competition. As a chamber musician, she has performed in many highly respected music festivals including Sarasota, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Prussia Cove International Music Seminar and Music Academy of the West. She is also a member of the prize-winning quartet that was winner of the Yale School of Music Chamber Music Competition and performed at Stony Brook University, Muhlenberg College and Montana University, where she also conducted a master class.

Ms. Lee was accepted at the Curtis Institute of Music at age eleven where she studied with Claude Frank and Eleanor Sokoloff. Following graduation from Curtis, Ms. Lee continued her studies at Yale University with Claude Frank, earning both a Master’s degree and an Artists’ Diploma. She holds a doctoral degree at the Peabody Conservatory of John Hopkins University where she was under the tutelage of with Boris Slutsky. Ms. Lee has also studied with such esteemed pianists as Gary Graffman, Richard Goode, Meng-Chieh Liu, Jerome Lowenthal and Fou T’song. She currently serves as a piano faculty at the Peabody Preparatory of the Johns Hopkins University.

Soprano Sophia Hunt (Voice ’19, ’22; Opera ’22), clarinetist Sara Han (Clarinet ’22), and pianist Ying Li (Piano ’19) performed alongside Curtis President and violist Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84) in a tour of Nantucket, with stops in Falmouth, MA, New York City, and Montauk, NY, performing works by Schubert, Barber, Mozart, and others.

Elissa Lee Koljonen (Violin ’94), Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84), Christine J. Lee (Cello ’13), and Amy Yang (Piano ’06) toured Nantucket and New England, performing works by Brahms, Fauré, Tartini, and Tchaikovsky, with a special tribute to Ned Rorem, (Composition ’44), who enjoyed summers at his home in Nantucket for over two decades.

Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84), David Shifrin (Clarinet ’71, ’73), Takumi Taguchi (Violin ’22), Eunice Kim (Violin ’14), violist Yizilin Liang and John Lee (Cello ’22) made stops in Nantucket, Falmouth, MA, and Kingston, RI, performing works by Mozart, Ellington, and Mendelssohn.

Artists Mimi Stillman (Flute ’99), Bella Hristova (Violin ’08), Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84), Gabriel Cabezas (Cello ’13), and Michelle Cann (Piano ’13) toured Nantucket, with stops at Nantucket Atheneum, Great Harbor Yacht Club, Siasconset Casino, and more, performing a variety of works.

Jordan Dodson (Guitar ’13), Joshua Smith (Flute ’90), Maria Ioudenitch (Violin ’18), Roberto Díaz (Viola ’84), Albert Seo (Cello ’21), and David Ludwig (Composition ’01) toured Nantucket, making stops at Siasconset Casino, Nantucket Dreamland, Nantucket Atheneum, and more, performing works by Marais, Ludwig, Mozart, and others.