Emma Lou Diemer is a native of Kansas City, MO. She studied piano from an early age, wrote piano pieces as a child, and began to play organ in church at age 13. She decided to be a composer about that time with a strong interest also in piano, taking lessons at the K.C. Conservatory (with Wiktor Labunski).

Her degrees in composition are from the Yale School of Music (BM,1949; MM, 1950) and the Eastman School of Music (Ph.D.,1960), and she studied composition further in Brussels on a Fulbright Scholarship (1952-53) and at the Berkshire Music Center (summers of 1954, 1955).

From 1954 through 1957, Diemer taught in schools in the Kansas City area (Park College, William Jewell College, the K.C. Conservatory of Music) and was organist in area churches. After receiving the doctorate from Eastman she spent two years (1959-61) as composer-in-residence in the Arlington, VA schools under the Ford Foundation Young Composers Project. She wrote many choral and instrumental works while in Arlington.

From 1962 through 1965 she was a consultant for the Contemporary Music Project of the Music Educators National Conference, taught in the Arlington schools, and in 1962 became organist at Reforma

tion Lutheran Church in Washington, DC. In 1965 she joined the University of Maryland as assistant professor of theory and composition. In 1971 she was appointed to a similar position at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and subsequently became a full professor and, since 1991, professor emerita. Dr. Diemer is also organist emerita at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara.

Dr. Diemer was instrumental in founding the electronic/computer music center at UCSB and helped to develop the Ph.D./DMA degrees in composition as well as other aspects of the curriculum.

She has written many works of varying difficulty, from hymns and songs to concertos and symphonies. Diemer's awards include a Louisville Student Award (for a suite for orchestra), the Arthur Benjamin Award for "Quiet Music" from Eastman (for the second movement of her 2nd symphony/dissertation), a Kennedy Center Friedheim Award in Orchestral Music for her 1991 piano concerto, an award from ASCAP (annually since 1962) for publications and performances. She was composer-in-residence with the Santa Barbara Symphony from 1990-92, and the 1995 Composer of the Year of the American Guild of Organists.

Her music has been published since 1957 (Carl Fischer, Zimbel Press/Subito, Lauren Keiser Publishing Company, Hildegard Publishing Company, Arsis Press, Colla Voce/Plymouth Instrumental Series and others), and recorded on several labels including North/South Consonance, Contemporary Record Society, Master Musicians Recordings, Leonarda, Albany, and others.

Annual Updates

2011

PREMIERES

Quartet for Flute, Violin, Cello, and Piano on Themes by Howard Hanson by Carmen Lemoine, flute, Maria Razka, violin, Mark Bridges, cello, Liu Liu, piano at the Women in Music Festival 2010 at Eastman School of Music at Christ Church in Rochester, NY on 3/10.  Canberra Bells by Lyn Fuller, carillon at the National Carillon at Canberra, Australia on 3/10.  Fantasy for Carillon by Margo Halsten, carillon at University of California, Santa Barbara for the 40th anniversary of the Storke Tower and carillon on 10/09.  Five Limericks for women’s chorus, 2 pianos, percussion by the Women’s Ensemble of Georgia College & State University, directed by Jennifer Flory at the First Baptist Church in Milledgeville, GA on 4/09.  St. Anne (O God Our Help in Ages Past) by the Westmont College Orchestra conducted by Michael Shasberger at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara on 4/10.

PERFORMANCES

Movement for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Piano by Katherine McClure, Melissa Bohl, Kenneth Ellison, Esma Pasic-Filipovic at Westminster College of the Arts of Rider University, Princeton, NJ on 9/09.  Fiesta for Organ by Yasuko Harada at Minato Mirai Concert Hall in Yokohama, Japan on 4/10.  Three Pieces for Piano by John Hord at Fresno City College in Fresno, CA on 7/09.  Variations for Piano, Four Hands by Tachell Gerbert and Bradley Gregory at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Westlake Village, CA on 10/09.  Quartet for Trumpet, Horn, Trombone and Piano by John Harbaugh, Jeffrey Snedeker, Mark Babbitt, Nikolas Caoile at Central Washington University Concert Hall on 2/10.

PUBLICATIONS

Improvisations for Cello and Piano published by Certosa Verlag, D-55270 Klein-Winternheim, Karthause 10, Germany, Isolde Weiermüller-Backes, editor, 2010.   Seven Pieces for Piano, published by Certosa Verlag, 2010.  Bells Over Sydney for Carillon, commissioned by June Catchpoole, NSW, Australia, published by Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, 2010.  Fantasy for Carillon, commissioned by Margo Halsted, published by American Carillon Music Editions, 2010.  Time Pieces for Trumpet and Organ, published by Zimbel Press/Subito, 2010, written for Colby and Carson Cooman. 

RECORDINGS

Summer Day, The Complete Works for Violin and Piano by Emma Lou Diemer.  Philip Ficsor, violin; Emma Lou Diemer, piano.  Aria and Scherzo, Before Spring, Suite for Violin and Piano, Homage to Paderewski, Three Hymns, Catch-A-Turian Toccata.  At amazon.com and on YouTube. Truetone Productions. 11/09.  Sonata No. 3 on album American Journey with Roger McVey, piano, is at CD Baby, etc. 2010.  Serenade/Toccata from Sonata No. 3 on album TOUCH: the toccata project with Philip Amalong, piano. Albany Records. 2010.  
 

2009

PREMIERES

Variations on Old One Hundredth for Piano and Organ, published by Zimbel Press, was premiered by Betty Oberacker and the composer in November at the Santa Barbara Music Club's concert at the Unitarian Society in January, 2009, with subsequent performances by Josephine Brummel and the composer at First United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara and by Ruth Lee and the composer at Valley of the Flowers United Church of Christ in Lompoc, CA.  Creation Songs for Narration and Oboe, commissioned by St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Bloomington, MN, and Joan Devee Dixon, was premiered in December, 2008 at St. Michael's by Jane Horn, the author of the narration, and oboist Kristen Cooper. Premiered by Philip Ficsor and the composer at the Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara, in May, 2008, was Suite for Violin and Piano, written for Philip Ficsor and published by Hildegard Music Publishing in January, 2009.

PUBLICATIONS

Time Pieces for Trumpet and Organ, written in January, 2009, for Colby and Carson Cooman, has been published by Zimbel Press.  Also published by Zimbel Press: Verses on the Birth of Christ for chorus, organ, and bells, commissioned by the Harvard University Choir. 

PERFORMANCES

Bellsong performed by Margo Halsted, carillionneur, on the 61-bell, 5-octave carillon at the University of California, Santa Barbara, March, 2009, and also at the University of Sydney by June Catchpoole, February, 2009. Quartet for Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, and Piano performed by Colin Jones, Amy Black, Susie Scarr, and Juan Chattah, at Agnes Scott College in March, 2008. Homage to Paderewski and Catch-A-Turian Toccata performed by Philip Ficsor and the composer at the Santa Barbara Music Club, Faulkner Gallery, November, 2008. Four Psalms for Percussion and Organ performed by David Gay, organ and Homero Cerón and Barbara Freischlad, percussion, at St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church, Tucson Arizona, November, 2008. Trio for Flute, Cello & Marimba performed by the Poné Ensemble, at Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz, NY. Three psalm settings performed by John Floreen and the Rutgers University Chorus, December, 2008.

RECORDINGS

Recent recordings of Diemer's music are A Requiem for Woodwind Quintet and String Quintet, on the album Reflections, by North/South Consonance Recordings; Poem of Remembrance for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra, on the album St. Petersburg Orchestra, by John Russo and the St. Petersburg Orchestra; Before Spring for Violin and Piano, on the album Feminissimo!, by Laura Kobayashi and Susan Keith Gray.

2008

In March 2007 Emma Lou Diemer was Composer-in-Residence at Meredith College, Raleigh, NC. Concerts of her music were presented by the Capital City Girls Choir, Fran Page, conductor; the Meredith Chorale and the North Carolina State University Varsity Men’s Glee Club, Lisa Fredenburgh, conductor; duo pianists Kent Lyman and Donna Jolly; organists David Lynch, Kathryn Webb, and Miriam Davis; and sopranos Jessica Jernigan and Rebecca Sealey. The Kirk Choir presented a concert of her works May 19 at Pasadena (CA) Presbyterian Church. Gregory Norton conducted, with organist Timothy Howard, trumpeter Marissa  Benedict, and the composer as organist. Her intermediate piano collection, Reaching Out, published by FJH Music (Helen Marlais, editor) was chosen for the 2007 MTAC “Certificate of Merit” Syllabus. Among newly commissioned works, is the piece Verses on the Birth of Christ for choir, organ, and bells (commissioned by Harvard’s Memorial Church Choir, Edward Elwyn Jones, conductor) for the 2007 Christmas carol service, which, according to organist Carson Cooman, is America’s oldest carol service.

Premieres

Variations on Endless Song for organ, commissioned by Marilyn Mason to commemorate 60 years of teaching at the University of Michigan, was introduced by the composer in January 2007 at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Felicity Cashman and the College of Saint Rose Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Robert Hansbrough, presented Concerto in One Movement for Marimba and Wind Ensemble (arranged from the original orchestral work) in March at St. Vincent De Paul Church, Albany, NY. O Beautiful for Spacious Skies, for Symphonic Band, transcribed from the organ solo, was first heard in an April performance by the Tennessee High School Symphonic Band, led by Kevin Hebert, at Ground Zero, NYC. Organist Dudley Oakes presented the commissioned work I Danced in the Morning during the May dedication of the new pipe organ at First Presbyterian Church, Albemarle, NC.

Performances

The Shasta (CA) College Community Chorale, under the direction of Elizabeth Waterbury, performed The Mass, for chorus, percussion, and two pianos, in May 2006. Carillonneur Lyn Fuller presented Bell Song for Carillon in October 2006 at the National Carillon Recital Series, Canberra, Australia. Neighbor, Take This Torch of Peace for chorus and piano (text by Dorothy Diemer Hendry) was heard in a February 2007 performance by the Global Harmony Community Chorus, led by Jennifer Anderson, at North Como Presbyterian Church Third Annual Benefit Concert for Peace in the Holy Land, Roseville, MN. Also in February, pianist Joan DeVee Dixon performed Spirituals for Piano in recital at Frostburg (MD) StateUniversity. Old Black and White Movie was presented in July by the Basso Moderno Duo, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.

Publications

Concerto in One Movement, marimba and wind ensemble; C. Alan Publications. I Danced in the Morning, organ; Zimbel Press. Neighbor, Take This Torch of Peace, chorus and piano (text by Dorothy Diemer Hendry); Neil A. Kjos Music Company.

Recordings

Paul Freeman Introduces Marilyn Mason includes Concerto in One Movement for organ and chamber orchestra, Marilyn Mason and the Prague Radio Symphony under the direction of Paul Freeman; Albany Records.