Since completing his piano studies at SMU with Maestro Achucarro, and with Jonathan Feldman and the late Samuel Sanders at the Juilliard School, Diego Tornelli has focused his career on being a collaborator and music educator.
As professor of Italian diction at Juilliard, Diego worked with both Undergraduate and Graduate vocal majors. Under the direction of Margo Garrett, he coached and directed Juilliard’s first-ever all-Italian-language Liederabend. He was the long-term collaborative pianist in the performance classes of Jeanne Kopperud and Myra Vassian, and also had a hand in coaching several opera productions.
As a Vocal Department Faculty member at the Music Academy of the West, Diego coached many young vocal artists in Italian diction, including baritone John Brancy. Diego himself had been a Fellow at the Academy in the Collaborative Piano Department in prior years. At the Stamford International Chamber Music Festival in the U.K., Diego has been featured as Faculty for Chamber Ensembles, as well as Artist in Residence.
As member of the Castillon Trio, he has performed in the U.S. and England. As a touring accompanist, he has concertized in the U.S. and South America, working with violinist Stefan Milenkovich, Soprano N’kenge Simpson-Hoffman, and Flutist Jessica Warren. He accompanied Soprano Jae M. Shin for her Finalist performance at the Concert Artists Guild and Joy In Singing competitions, and at the Mary Trueman Art Song Vocal Competition for Audience Award winner Erika Baikoff.
Diego has held the role of Director of Music Preparation in three international productions of Bernstein’s “Mass.” These large-scale productions included performances at the Vatican, in Dallas with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Diego enjoys a robust career in New York City as an accompanist, performance coach and diction teacher. He is most passionate about working with young vocal artists to develop a strong foundation in perfecting the Italian language while maintaining vocal health and storytelling abilities, as well as giving them a competitive edge in their preparations for auditions and performances.
Diego has forged relationships with a number of top New York-based Performing Arts High Schools and youth arts organizations, where he has the opportunity to coach and help shape the performances of young singers in the beginning of their artistic careers. Most recently, he worked with opera director Grethe Barrett Holby to prepare a performance of “Bounce, the basketball Opera” at the Barclay Center. Fostering young musicians into becoming complete artists and performers has become Diego’s newfound passion as he continues his studies as a music educator.
