As the Curtis Institute of Music prepares to transfer its top leadership post from pianist Gary Graffman to violist Roberto Diaz, Graffman says that all he ever tried to do was maintain an already outstanding level of musical achievement. He also feels that his whatever legacy he may have as longtime leader of one of the world’s most prestigious conservatories is wrapped up in the quality of the school’s students. “We try to adjust to the students, that they should not fit into a preset mold. We have to rein them in once in a while… The technical level of incoming students is obscenely high. It’s scary in some cases.”