Tickets will be on sale starting at 12 noon on Febrary 24th for the upcoming special astronomy-themed jazz concert at Guelph's War Memorial Hall. This will also be a preview concert for a collection of new songs, "Kiss Me Like That", devoted to the magic of the sun, moon and stars. For full details, please visit KissMeLikeThat.com

Jurgen Gothe will devote a whole episode of his national CBC Radio Two show, Farrago, to Diane's music. don't forget to tune in on Sunday, February 1, at 5pm in your local time zone. He'll be playing selections from 'After dusk', 'Tales...', and 'Songs of Sweet Fire.' For more details, visit the website for Farrago.

From Diane:

Hi Everyone! I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has written in, and continues to write in, about my appearance on "The Sunday Edition." I was overwhelmed by all your lovely e-mails, and I'm so glad you liked the piece! I'm trying to write back individually to everyone who writes in, but I've fallen behind a bit because I've been in the studio recording a new album. Please don't let this deter you from writing! I love hearing from everyone, and I hope you'll be patient. I'm so glad that you all liked "Kiss Me Like That." You all have inspired me to record it on my new album, since so many of you demanded it! This new album is devoted to all my fans and fellow star-gazers ... Rest assured, the song will be out there soon. In the meantime, if you want to hear the song and the podcast from CBC, the link is: here

Also, I'm very delighted and honoured that Jurgen Gothe has decided to devote a whole episode of his show, "Farrago", to my music! Follow the link above, and I hope you'll listen on Sunday, February 1st.

This week Diane was interviewed by Michael Enright for The Sunday Edition about the upcoming International Year of Astronomy. She performed two songs live in studio with guitarist Joey Goldstein, "Blue Moon" and a new astronomy-inspired original by Diane, "Kiss me like that." Diane and Michael also discussed the contribtions of Galileo, Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and Newton. The interview and songs will air on Sunday, December 28th on CBC Radio One. Please visit the Sunday Edition website to listen online or for more info.

Thanks to everyone who braved the snow storm in Antigonish to come here us at the beautiful Immaculata Auditorium. A special thanks to Michael Steinitz and the great team in charge of the Antigonish Performing Arts Series. To see our latest newsletter and a picture from that show, please see our new format Newsletter, in English, et en français.

We're delighted to announce the launch of Diane's online merchandise store. Many people over the last year have been asking for cards or post cards of the watercolour paintings Diane made to accompany each of the 15 Shakespeare song lyrics in the liner notes of Songs of Sweet Fire. So we have listened to your requests. The store is hosted by CafePress. There are cards, buttons, t-shirts and other items. We hope you'll find something you like at the shop. And, of course, all the CDs are still available online at CD Baby or at selected stores.

If you missed Diane's debut on national television with Daniel Levitin on The Nature Of Things, you can view highlights on our multimedia page. We've also updated the audio links on that page so you can now hear her national radio interview on The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright, and her recent appearance on MetroMorning with Jane Hawtin.

This week, both CBC Radio and Radio-Canada featured Diane's music. Metro Morning played "Stars fell on Alabama" from After dusk as a preview of her Hamilton concert, and Espace Musique played two tracks from Tales... My Mama told me on their national evening jazz program: "Les feuilles mortes" and "Cheek to cheek."

Diane was very honoured to be invited by the Daniel Pearl Foundation to take part in their World Music Days concert series. For photos from this concert, taken by ace photographer Joe Samuels, as well as more information about this special concert series, please click here.

We had a wonderful time playing the London Music Club. A big thanks to Peter Denomme and his staff, who run a fabulous and intimate music room (actually, 3 of them!) It was our first show in London. After the warm reception we got, we hope to play there again soon.

Diane was honoured to be named one of the Guelph Mercury's "Top 40 Under 40". Read the Guelph Mercury article.

A big thank you to the lovely crowd who showed up to the Hugh's Room concert. We were touched and delighted by your warm and enthusiastic response.

Diane will perform live and be interviewed on CBC Radio One's Metro Morning (99.1 FM in Toronto). For more information, or to listen over the internet please go to the Metro Morning website. She will talk about her music and the upcoming concert at Hugh's Room.

Diane will be featured nationally on Wednesday, April 9 on Radio-Canada's Espace Musique. You can listen on 100.7 FM in Montreal, or find the station in your area (or listen online) at Espace Musique. Host Andre Vigeant will play two of Diane's songs around 6pm local time.

Diane will be performing on THURSDAY, APRIL 10th, in a special triple bill concert with singer Vincent Wolfe and guitarist Sean Bray at one of Toronto's premier live music venues, Hugh's Room. Mark Dunn will be on bass, and Ted Warren on drums. Please join us for this evening of jazz, roots, bossa and everything in between. Full details here.

Diane has been invited to perform in the 8th season of the Montreal International Jazz Festival's "Jazz All Year Round" series on Thursday, November 8 at 6pm. If you missed her sell-out concert at the Jazz Fest this summer, come and catch her in the intimate setting of the Savoy, at the Metropolis (59 St. Catherine's St. West). She will be joined by her talented bandmates, guitarist Mike Rud, bassist Tim Nolan, and drummer Camil Belisle. You can buy your tickets online here.

You can now listen to Diane's interview with Bernard St. Laurent on CBC Montreal's 'Homerun' from July 4th, when she was the house guest. Visit the multimedia page.

Recently added: new photos by Greg King from Live@Courthouse in Toronto earlier this week.

Diane will be the "house guest" on July 4 on CBC Montreal's Homerun (88.5 FM) between 3.30pm and 6pm.

Diane will be featured on June 29 on Radio-Canada's Espace Musique to talk about her upcoming show at Upstairs in Montreal. You can listen on 100.7 FM in Montreal, or find the station in your area (or listen online) at Espace Musique.

Diane will be featured on national radio on CBC Radio One's "The Sunday Edition" in hour three (between 11am and 12 noon). She talks with Michael Enright about her music and her research.

Diane was featured on CBC Saskatchewan's "Morning Edition". She talked with host Sheila Coles about "Songs of Sweet Fire" and setting Shakespeare's poetry to music. You can listen to the interview here.

Summer dates... Diane will play Guelph, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and Toronto this summer. See shows for more details.

Diane was featured in Portico, the University of Guelph magazine. Click to read the article.

Diane will be launching "Songs of Sweet Fire" in the UK in February with two shows. The first at the Jacqueline du Pre Music Room in Oxford on Saturday, February 17, 2007. Her band will include the terrific Mike Gorman on piano and Hammond organ. Tickets will go on sale soon at Tickets Oxford. All profits from ticket sales will be donated to Oxfam. Then she'll sing at the 606 Club in London on Thursday, February 22, 2007.

"Songs of Sweet Fire" has been chosen by Jurgen Gothe (host of CBC's Disc Drive) for his Hit List of 2006! This marks the second year in a row when Diane has made it onto the list (in 2005, "Moose The Mooch" from Tales... My Mama Told Me was chosen).

Diane has been invited to participate in a charity reading of "A Christmas Carol" in aide of Wyndham House, a residential program in Guelph for young men and women, aged 16 to 21, who want to finish high school but who cannot live at home. The fundraising event will take place on December 2, 2006. More details will be available soon.

Diane's on iTunes! We're pleased to announce that "Songs of Sweet Fire" is now available for download from iTunes for the bargain price of $9.99 or you can also purchase songs individually. Of course, if you want the deluxe 20-page booklet with full lyrics and 16 of Diane's original watercolour paintings, you can still buy the album in stores or on amazon.com. Follow this link to iTunes

Diane will be performing several songs from "Songs of Sweet Fire" on November 10th, 2006 at the Guelph River Run Center. This will be part of the Guelph Lecture on Being Canadian.

Diane was honoured to be asked to sing and speak as an alumna of Dawson College at a special ceremony of hope and healing at St. James' United Church in Montreal. She was later asked to write an article about her student years at Dawson for 'at Guelph'. The article is available online here.

Thanks to everyone who came out to Manhattan's Jazz Club on September 16th to see Diane perform. The evening was sold out, and we apologize to any fans who wanted a last-minute table and couldn't get one. We hope you'll come out to hear the band next time!

Tickets for Diane's CD launch concert in Guelph go on sale today! "Songs of Sweet Fire", the new CD of Diane's original compositions to lyrics by William Shakespeare will be launched in a special concert at War Memorial Hall in Guelph on Thursday, May 25th at 7.30pm. Diane will be accompanied by the outstanding group she recorded with: Dany Roy on sax, Vanessa Rodrigues on piano, Rhodes and Hammond B-3 organ, Mike Rud and Mike Berard on guitars, Tim Nolan on bass and Camil Belisle on drums. View the poster here.

Tickets are $25 (+s/c) on sale at the Bookshelf, Twelfth Night Music Shoppe, and the University Bookstore in Guelph, which also accepts credit card bookings. Tel: (519) 824-4120 ext. 53715.

Read about the upcoming launch of Diane's newest CD "Songs of Sweet Fire", which will be a fundraiser for the University of Guelph's "Shakespeare - Made In Canada" Festival. See the Guelph Tribune article here.

Diane was featured on CBC radio's Jazzbeat, hosted by Katie Malloch and produced by Claire Lawrence. The 40 minute feature included three of Diane's original compositions to words by William Shakespeare, as well as a couple of jazz standards. The band accompanying her was: Dany Roy on sax, Jeff Johnston on piano, Mike Berard on guitar, Dave Watts on bass, and Camil Belisle on drums.

Diane was honoured to sing with the wonderful David Knopfler (co-founder of Dire Straits) accompanied by Harry Bogdanovs, for the North American launch of his new album, Ship of Dreams, on Justin Time. The launch concert took place at Le Savoy du Metropolis in Montreal.

Diane was featured on national television (CTV Newsnet and CTV Morning, as well as CKCO News - Kitchener). Videographer Jim Troyak profiled her music and teaching at the University of Guelph.

Diane and her trio opened for 3-time Grammy winning songwriter Jimmy Webb at Guelph's River Run Center. Read the review here.

Two newspapers ran profiles of Diane: the Guelph Mercury and At Guelph.

Diane chaired a session at the Guelph International Jazz Festival's Colloquium on "Improvisation: Rights, Risks and Responsibilities.

Diane's group with Joey Goldstein (guitar) and Kieran Overs (bass) performed two shows at the 'Celebrate Toronto' Festival.

CBC radio's Jazzbeat invited Diane and her musicians to record a studio session. The repertoire combined Diane's original compositions to Shakespeare's poems as well as some jazz standards. Diane was delighted to be accompanied by some of the best musicians on the Montreal scene: Dany Roy on sax, Jeff Johnston on piano, Mike Berard on guitar, Dave Watts on bass, and Camil Belisle on drums.

Diane was invited to give a talk at a conference on "Art and democracy" at Concorida University. She spoke about 'Music as an instrument of social change.'

During her six-week stay in England, Diane returned to sing at one of her favourite London jazz spots, the 606 Club in Chelsea, with Mike Gorman on piano and Hammond organ, Simon Thorpe on bass and Matt Home on drums. She also did watercolour and ink paintings for the liner notes of her upcoming Shakespeare album.

Diane has recorded a new album! The yet-to-be-titled project is a collection of 15 songs and sonnets by Shakespeare for which Diane composed and arranged music. The band for this project was absolutely outstanding: Dany Roy on soprano and tenor saxes, Vanessa Rodrigues on Hammond B-3 organ, Rhodes and piano, Mike Rud on electric guitar, Mike Berard on electric, acoustic and 12-string guitars, Tim Nolan on bass, Camil Belisle on drums and Jim Doxas on percussion.