Words and Music that make a Difference
Dianne's words and music are a culmination of her many talents, her vast experience, her faith and her commitment to making a difference.
As a teenager she was often drawn to musical theatre, where she began an early music career performing leading roles in community theatre musicals, singing with full orchestras in both dramatic and comedy roles.
Dianne soon realized that she gained the most satisfaction from both writing and performing her own material.
Dianne went on to acquire a widely varied educational background, beginning with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology at York University, and a Bachelor of Education with a Specialist in English and Drama at The University of Toronto.
Dianne's natural energy and love of learning has taken her to exotic places. She studied acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, and later, French at the University of Nice on the French Riviera.
Dianne studied improvisational comedy with The Second City in Toronto, sometimes performing in week-end matinees. She also studied theatre in London, England, while singing on week-ends at The Five Stags, a well-known pub that was frequented by the late Charlie Chaplin.
An avid traveler, Dianne has visited most of Canada and the United States, many countries in Europe, the UK, parts of Africa and South Korea. She even camped across 14 European countries one summer and often combines her music career with her love of travel.
Dianne spent several years singing and playing guitar and piano in clubs, festivals and conventions, but her music career took a dramatic turn when she ran into the late Colleen Peterson at a SOCAN conference. Colleen said to Dianne, “Why don’t you just head down to Nashville and see if you can get something going there?. That's what I did". Dianne took her advice.
A week later, with this advice in mind, Dianne was standing in a line of finalists ready for the final audition for a ballroom dancing role for the film “Return of the Six Million Dollar Man”, to be filmed at Casa Loma in Toronto.
Of this experience, Dianne recollects,
“I was dressed in a gown with my hair up and wearing rhinestone earrings. The make-up department had plastered so much make-up on my face that it took two days to get it off. I kept thinking how superficial all of this was and it struck me that this had no significant value in terms of the overall picture of my life.
She told her partner, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. Who cares about the Six Million Dollar Man? THIS isn’t art!”
Dianne left for Nashville a few days later to pursue a career in songwriting and to promote herself as an artist.
Dianne's life then began to unfold in a new direction…
My Testimony
Nashville changed everything. I began my Christian walk soon after I arrived there, on the eve of a music showcase which promoted me as an artist and songwriter.
Three weeks later, I performed with The Country Chorale, doing back-up vocals for various artists on "Sunday Mornin’ Country" at The Grand Ole Opry House. The SMC gospel show is put on annually by The Music City Christian Fellowship (MCCF) and features artists such as Brenda Lee, Skeeter Davis, George Hamilton IV, Vestal Goodman, Paul Overstreet, Lulu Roman and many others who share their faith through their music.
My many friends in the MCCF helped to ground me in the early stages of my faith. Over the next few years I often worked as Chorale Co-ordinator for the SMC show, alongside directors Joe Babcock (writer of Elvis’ “I Washed my Hands in Muddy Water”) and Louis Nunley (of The Jordanaires). I also went on to serve for several terms on the Board of Directors for the MCCF.
Early in my faith I realized that I had a strong empathy for those who are struggling with life’s challenges, integrating this empathy with my gift for singing and writing music. My music reflects many spiritual truths and is a source of hope and encouragement to others.