Curtis in Nantucket

Brazilian-American soprano Sophia Hunt’s (Voice ’22) performances have been praised as “trenchant” and “vocally skilled” (Opera News), “exceptionally strong both vocally and dramatically” (Parterre Box), and “vibrant and musically intelligent” (Broad Street Review). Ms. Hunt is a current member of the Dutch National Opera Studio. She is from Brooklyn, NY, and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she most recently held the Rubenstein Fellowship and worked with Carol Vaness. Ms. Hunt was the top prize winner in the 2023 Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition and the 2023 Orpheus Vocal Competition, and a national semifinalist in the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

This season, Ms. Hunt sings Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), the Soprano (The Four-Note Opera), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), and Suor Dolcina (Suor Angelica), as well as covers Violetta (La traviata), with Dutch National Opera. Her past roles include Don Giovanni (Donna Anna and Donna Elvira), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi), La clemenza di Tito (Vitellia), and Rene Orth’s Empty the House (Faith). In 2022, she was a studio artist with Wolf Trap Opera, where she sang in Susannah (Mrs. Gleaton) and covered La traviata (Violetta).

Ms. Hunt is passionate about concert and recital work and has recently sung with Opera Philadelphia, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the City Choir of Washington, Curtis on Tour in Greece, the Main Line Symphony Orchestra, and the Art Song Preservation Society of New York. She was a recipient of grants from the Winston Classical Voice Scholarship and the Pittsburgh Foundation, and a prize winner in the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition, the Dorothy Lincoln Smith Competition in Classical Voice, and the International Collegiate Singing Championship, among others. Ms. Hunt was a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and has participated in the Joyce DiDonato master classes at Carnegie Hall, Houston Grand Opera’s YAVA, and SongFest.

From Seoul, South Korea, Sara Han (’22) is an active clarinetist and performer across stages around the world. Sara is currently a DaCamera Young Artist based in Houston, TX, where she performs chamber music and engages with communities across the city. Additionally, she is an active orchestral performer, having recently performed with The Florida Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and the Houston Ballet Orchestra. Ms. Han recently completed her master’s degree at the Rice University Shepherd School of Music. Prior to her time at Rice, she completed her undergraduate studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, during which she served as acting principal clarinetist of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and a member of Symphony in C. Ms. Han attended the Music Academy of the West in the summer of 2019 and was named winner of the Keston MAX Audition. She also attended the New York String Orchestra Seminar, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. Ms. Han was a winner of the 2018 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, has been featured on the NPR radio show From the Top, and has appeared as soloist with the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra and the Seoul Romance Orchestra. Ms. Han has also previously attended The Juilliard School and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Ms. Han is thankful for the guidance of Richie Hawley, Anthony McGill, and Emil Khudyev.

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.

Twenty-five-year-old Chinese pianist Ying Li (’19) is the First Prize winner of the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, as well as a recipient of The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Prize and the Tri-I Noon Recitals Prize. She has received top awards in numerous national and international competitions, including the inaugural Antonio Mormone International Prize, Sarasota Artist Series Piano Competition, and Brevard Music Festival, and was a finalist at Concours musical international de Montréal.

Ms. Li has performed with many leading orchestras such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Brevard Music Festival Orchestra, L’Accademia Orchestra del La Scala, NWD-Philharmoniker, and the Stuttgart Philharmonic with conductors such as Lina Gonzalez-Granados, Xian Zhang, Dan Ettinger, Eric Jacobsen, and Jonathon Heyward. This season, she makes her debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic and embarks on an 8-city tour of Italy.

Ms. Li made her New York City recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and her Washington, DC debut at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Upcoming and recent recitals also include Sala Verdi in Milan, Hammerklavier International Piano Festival in Barcelona, Musica Insieme Bologna, Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna, Fazioli Pianoforti in Sacile, and the C. Bechstein Series at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Ying was also featured on WQXR’s “Eine-kleine Birthday-musik,” a free, all-Mozart live-streamed concert from The Greene Space in New York City to celebrate Mozart’s 266th birthday.

As an avid chamber musician, Ms. Li has appeared at prestigious festivals around the world, including the Verbier Festival Academy, ClassicheFORME International Chamber Music Festival in Lecce, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, La Jolla Music Society, and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival.