About Diane Whitacre
Education:
- Bachelor of Music Education 1984, with Distinction, IU School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana
- Studied composition with Thomas Beversdorf and Bernard Heiden and Jazz Arranging with Dominic Spera
- Studied Oboe and English Horn with Jerry Sirucek at IU
- Composition Major, University of Illinois, Urbana, 1979-80
Experience
--Established full-time arranging and composing business, Maple Grove Publishing, in 2006
- Private Instructor, oboe, piano, composition, 1988-present. Two tenures as band director at Riverview Middle School, Huntington, IN and South Newton Jr-Sr. High School, Kentland, IN
2011 Heartland Overture and Through A Glass Darkly published through BRS Music, Inc.
2012-present - Diane begins writing commissions for flute, piano and narrator and later flute quartets and choirs published by Blocki Flute Method, LLC
2012 TRN Music Publisher published Rumor Mill , premiered that previous February by IPFW Wind Ensemble, Dr. Chad Nicholson, conductor.
2013 The Genevans commission Psalm 98 for the 75th Anniversary of the Genevans, Dr. David Kenneth Smith, Conductor. Jaenicke Consort commissions and premieres Chautauqua Suite for Woodwind Quintet
2014 Diane has commissions from the Stowers Family for band work in memory of C. Joy Stoyers, and asked by Old Crown Band to write new work. Kathy Blocki commissions Diane to write The Dayton Dream for flute quartet for the August 2015 NFA Convention, Washington, D.C.
2015 Manchester University Band premieres Casey At The Bat for Wind Ensemble. Diane Whitacre conducted the ensemble for the piece.
2016 The Manchester Symphony premieres Casey At The Bat for Orchestra and Narrator at the Honeywell Center, Wabash, IN. Bruce Haines narrated and Prof. Scott Humphries conducted.
The Old Crown Brass Band, Ft. Wayne, IN premieres The Old Crown Rag, Tony Alessandrini, Conductor.
2017 The Concordia Lutheran High School, Adam Friederich, conductor, performed Celebration of Joy at their May concert at IPFW. Diane Whitacre guest conducted her piece.
The IPFW Wind Ensemble, Dr. Dan Tembras, conductor, did recordings of 2 of Diane's new band works.
Diane is commissioned by the Genevans, Geneva College, Dr. David Smith, conductor, to do a choral setting of a Psalm for their 80th Anniversary. It will be premiered this coming March.
Diane has written for both instrumental and vocal mediums throughout her life, either for her own students and ensembles, for others, or at church, when needed. As a high school junior her piece, A Reflection won the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic Student Composer's Competition and was performed by their chamber orchestra in April 1978. At the request of her high school band director, Thomas Snider, Diane composed and directed her work for band , Equestrienne.
She has written numerous vocal songs, often when asked to write for a special celebration. One such event was the dedication of their home church's building in 1995, for which she wrote a brass introit, and she and her husband Chris collaborated to write May We Always Be Faithful.
After a move to Huntington County in 2002, she began composing and arranging full time. In 2006, Diane was commissioned by Kathy and Martin Blocki to write two works for flute and guitar with narration. The resulting works were Casey At The Bat and The Shoemaker's Dream.
In 2007 Diane was hired by the Huntington North Varsity Singers to arrange a ballad for their competition show. The success of this venture led to Diane acquiring several arranging contracts around Indiana and Iowa.
Diane and her husband Chris have 3 children.