After learning violin at a young age alongside his musical siblings, Matthew “Diek” Diekman was convinced to try viola in college by Wayne Crouse, former principal violist of the Houston Symphony. Since then Diek has performed professionally with many orchestras and arts organizations including the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Tulsa Philharmonic, Dallas Opera, Sarasota Opera, San Antonio Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and has served as Principal Violist of the Tucson Symphony, Principal Violist of the Colorado Chamber Orchestra and Principal Violist of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio.
He was a founding member of the Crouse Quartet (Oklahoma), is a member of the Walden Chamber Music Society (Colorado), and has participated in many summer festivals across the country such as the Colorado Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Round Top Music Festival, Brevard Advanced Chamber Music Program, and has been the principal violist of the Utah Festival Opera Company. As a chamber musician he’s been invited to perform with the Cactus Pear Music Festival, Olmos Ensemble, Musical Offerings, Austin Chamber Music Society, and others.
Diek has studied with the principal violists of many of our nation’s top orchestras, and has a Masters of Music in Performance from the University of Oklahoma and an Artist Certificate in Viola from Southern Methodist University. He is an active and enthusiastic music teacher to all ages, and enjoys a healthy freelance career as well. Perhaps his greatest musical honor is to own and perform on the very instrument on which his former teacher (Crouse) built his illustrious career.
Outside of music Diek has a slew of passions: As an outdoor enthusiast he enjoys hiking, climbing, snowshoeing, and anything involving mountains. An avid adventure motorcyclist he explores the back roads and trails of our fantastic country, specifically the Wild West, often carrying along a special “all-terrain” carbon fiber viola on his back to perform for unlikely people in unlikely places. Also a talented and prolific photographer and independent film-maker, his comical “Viola-Matic” series on Youtube has garnered over 100,000 views; his Western film “Upon the Awful Tree” has premiered on the big-screen, and he always has another project up his sleeve! See more at www.thediek.com.