As a Belgian violinist and violist, and the son of musical parents, Diede grew up in a house filled with music. His very first violin lessons were given by his father. Later, he studied with Eric Sluys and graduated with great distinction from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels in the class of Philippe Graffin. He also took viola lessons with Tony Nys. After his studies, he worked for two years as an assistant to violin professor Naaman Sluchin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Diede won numerous awards for his solo and chamber music performances, including the Supernova competition in 2019 (co-organized by Belgian classical music broadcasters Klara and Musiq3) alongside his duo partner, pianist Claus Vermeulen. This led to numerous concert engagements for the 2019/20 season (with performances at Bozar in Brussels) and a CD recording for the Etcetera label. Diede is also the violinist of Tmesis Ensemble (also laureates of the Supernova competition in 2016). Together, they released their first album, “Echoes”. He also received the 1st prize in the Dexia Classics competition in 2010 and the Mathilde Horlait-Dapsens Prize for his final recital at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. In 2013, he was awarded the Special Prize for hard work and good fellowship during the Hvide Sande International Masterclass in Denmark.
As a violist, Diede became a member of the Karski Quartet. Founded in Belgium in 2018, the Karski Quartet performs in numerous venues across Europe. They quickly gained recognition on the international music scene for their passionate interpretations of works ranging from Haydn to 21st-century repertoire. They received the Grand Prix as well as the Special Prize for alumni of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels at the 4th International Music Competition Triomphe de l’Art in Brussels. The Karski Quartet was also selected for the 12th International String Quartet Competition Premio Paolo Borciani and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition. In 2023, together with cellist Raphaël Feye, they released their first CD album featuring string quintets by Luigi Boccherini under the “Evil Penguin” label. In December 2024, they recorded a second album featuring music by the Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz.
Since the quartet’s inception, their mentors have been David Waterman, Philippe Graffin, and Amy Norrington. In January 2019, the quartet joined the String Quartet Studio program at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, working closely with Donald Grant (Elias Quartet), Petr Prause (Talich Quartet), Pavel Fischer (ex–Škampa Quartet), the Diotima Quartet, and Simon Rowland-Jones (ex–Chilingirian Quartet). In September 2019, the Karski Quartet became Artists in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo/Brussels, where they studied with members of the Artemis Quartet, Jerusalem Quartet, Belcea Quartet, and Miguel da Silva, while also continuing their education at the RNCM under the umbrella of the European Chamber Music Academy as part of the new ECMAster study program.
Diede is also a violist in the St. George Quintet, with whom he recorded their second album, “Bohemia Express”, which received very positive reviews in The Strad. In 2020, Diede was invited by Klara, the classical music broadcaster, as a young talent in the program ‘De Twintigers’, where young musicians are featured for a week on the radio.
Diede shared the stage and collaborated with artists such as Jeff Neve, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Lorenzo Gatto, Alexandra Streliski, Philippe Graffin, Pieter Wispelwey, and Raphael Wallfisch.
Diede has been invited to chamber music festivals both in Belgium and abroad, such as Resonances (BE), Ysaÿe’s Knokke (BE), Traces Festival (BE), Walden Festival (BE), Midis Minimes (BE), Klarafestival (BE), Schiermonnikoog Festival (NL), Delft Chamber Music Festival (NL), Harmos (POR), Iedereen Klassiek (BE), Lake District Music Festival (UK), Concentus Moraviae (CZ), North Norfolk Music Festival (UK), Kirker Music Festival (UK), and Festival 20-21 (BE).
Diede has been inspired by many musicians, including Marc and Guy Danel, Amy Norrington, David Waterman, Donald Grant, Pavel Fischer, and Ursula Smith. In addition to classical repertoire, Diede is strongly drawn to the worlds of folk music, jazz, and free improvisation. He is a member of the folk ensemble Roots, which has toured Flanders and Wallonia and recorded two albums (“Point Blue” and “Rewind”).
Diede plays on an Italian viola (2021) made in Cremona by the late American luthier Francis Kuttner, on loan from Strings for Talent, a fund under the patronage of the King Baudouin Foundation.
Francis Kuttner studied violin making at the Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria in Cremona, Italy, and worked privately with the woodcarver/violinist Francesco Bissolotti, an early proponent of the traditional Cremonese method of construction.
Working with Antonio Stradivari’s original shapes and models from the extensive collection of the Museo Civico di Cremona, Francis Kuttner gained a deep understanding of the working methods of the classical Cremonese violin makers, which served him well on his return to San Francisco in 1978.
Francis Kuttner has received numerous (9) gold and silver medals for his violins, violas and cellos at international competitions in New York (1980) Ottawa (1984) Cremona (1988) Manchester (1991) and Paris (1991, 1999). He was designated “Out of Competition” by the Violin Society of America and subsequently served on juries for three of their competitions. He has also judged at international competitions in Mittenwald (twice), Paris (twice) and Cremona.
He divides his time between workshops in San Francisco and Cremona.