Tenor Josh Diaz to Perform in San Angelo Tonight

From a young boy singing in Mexico to a student studying music at Notre Dame, Josh Diaz is living his family's musical legacy. 

“Everywhere he went and worked he was always involved in music some how and he passed that along to my dad, and I followed,” Josh Diaz said of his grandfather, Francisco Diaz. 

Francisco Diaz, who sang throughout Mexico and performed with different conjunto groups came to the United States and opened the long running restaurant Paco’s Place, 1527 E Harris Ave., San Angelo.

Here is a short, private performance by Diaz at his granfather's restaurant:

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After being in business for 35 years, the restaurant has continued to be operated by the Diaz family. So much so that even after receiving two degrees Josh Diaz returns on his breaks from school to help out at the restaurant. 

But there is something else Josh Diaz has done as long as work at the family restaurant: music. 

“I started singing and playing piano around the age of five. Singing in my dad’s [church] choir and taking piano lessons and kept both going through high school," Diaz said.

He excelled in piano lessons and finally officially joined the choir at the the Scared Heart Cathedral directed by his father Frank Diaz. However, he didn’t realize the role music and performance would play in his life until later. 

“It was through high school, doing the state choir stuff that I figured out singing was something I really enjoyed and was good at,” Diaz said. He was a top voice musician in the State of Texas, earning honors in the All-State Choir.

After taking notice of his talent, Tom and Nancy Gruese, a couple that attends church at the Cathedral encouraged Diaz to apply to college at the University Notre Dame in Indiana. 

“I thought why not? I am filling out all these other applications already,” Diaz said. “I was surprised enough that I got in and also that the financial aid package ended up being more affordable than any of the Texas schools I had applied to.”

Diaz said he knew he wanted to study music but had no clue of what direction he would go with his music. 

“It was my first year there and I really didn’t know what opera was,” he said remembering when he was first enchanted by opera music. 

Diaz was asked to perform at a booth for an art gathering hosted byNotre Dame and chose to sing from a music book he had with him. 

“That day was the exact day that [world-reknowned tenor] Luciano Pavarotti died, it was September 6, 2007. I was singing and some lady came up and told me she liked my singing. She said something of him passing away, which I had no idea of. She continued to say that it was so good to see that people were still doing that,” Diaz said. 

He said as soon as he got home he looked Pavarotti up online and watched hours of Youtube videos that night.

“Since then I have been hooked,” said Diaz. Since then, Diaz has pursued a professional career in opera. 

Coming back to San Angelo after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Notre Dame and a Masters' Degree in Voice from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Diaz said he is excited to give San Angelo music lovers a little taste of what he has learned. 

“We don’t get to hear this much here and me being able to offer what I’ve learned over there and bring it over here is one way for people to be able to see something that isn’t always offered,” he said.

Diaz is expected to finish his Post Graduate Degree in Opera next year and said that being able to perform in San Angelo during his break allows him to, “say thanks to San Angelo.” 

He will be performing an “Opera Night”  at the family’s restaurant Saturday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m.  

“We came up with the idea two years ago to do something, like a dinner theatre type thing. We came up with the format of doing three courses of food, and between the courses singing opera arias from here and there and explaining a little bit about each opera and what is going on in the opera,” Diaz said.

For more information contact Josh Diaz at [email protected]