Artist Statement

I'm a pianist who grew up in Cleveland in a musical household where my father was a cellist with The Cleveland Orchestra, my mother a composer/educator and my brother a professional violinist who played with The Boston Pops Orchestra. I’ve always been surrounded by tremendous music, musicians and their energy. I have known and been encouraged by some of the leading African-American musicians and composers of the past century including Natalie Hinderas, George Walker, Donald White, Frances Walker and Hale Smith. Two memories that stand out in particular are hearing a recording of pianist Natalie Hinderas playing George Walker’s Piano Sonata No.1 and seeing Andre Watts in Carnegie Hall playing the Liszt Totentanz. I was completely transfixed and mesmerized by both performers. I remember thinking that I wanted to play like that. In addition, I have been greatly influenced by The Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition (now The Cleveland International Piano Competition) held in Cleveland every two years. I still get excited as the event approaches anticipating the marathon of tremendous young pianists. So much so that I traveled to study with Gaby Casadesus at L’Ecole de Fontainebleau for a summer while in college at Oberlin and I studied with Margarita Shevchenko the winner of the Cleveland competition in 1995. I was very impressed with her sensitive and refined playing.

I am passionate about music that has melody and speaks to the element of refined beauty as well as music that is rhythmic and exciting. My first love is Romantic and Impressionistic music such as Chopin, Ravel, Scriabin, Strauss and Rachmaninoff, but as late I have developed an interest in bringing to light the music of African-American composers. Currently my work whether as solo pianist or as collaborative pianist expresses the values I’ve outlined above. My growth process has been continually challenged by new opportunities that emerge from musicians and organizations I work with such as The Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus, or working with violist Eliesha Nelson or performing several Cleveland area composers’ works. I feel alive and exhilarated when I am performing.

Long Bio

Dianna White-Gould, is an accompanist, soloist and educator. She was born into a musical family. She began her early piano studies with her mother, then went on to study with Betty Belkin and Andrius Kuprevicius. While in high school, she was an active performing member of The Fortnightly Music Club and in that group a Gold Cup recipient for outstanding piano performances. In 1983, she was the winner in The Cleveland Orchestra’s piano competition. She attended Oberlin College Conservatory where she studied with Miles Mauney and Frances Walker. She received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Music Education. She later received a Master’s in Piano Performance from Cleveland State University.

Dianna attended L’Ecole de Fontainebleau in France studying with Gaby Casadesus. She has toured Germany performing as accompanist and soloist at The Odenwald Summer Music Festival as well as The Chautauqua Summer Institute. Her piano teachers have included Margarita Shevchenko and Sergei Babayan.

Dianna has appeared as the featured soloist with The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra playing Saint Saens, Piano Concerto Number 2 in g minor, and twice with the Heights Civic Orchestra playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 23 in A major and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto Number 2 in B flat major. Other performing appearances include solo and collaborative performances at Severance Hall, Oberlin College, Ursuline College, Cuyahoga Community College, The Music Settlement, Plymouth Church, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Public Library, Wooster College and The South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago. She has a strong interest in music of African-American composers and has given world premiers by composers Dolores White, H. Leslie Adams, Hale Smith and George Walker.

As a teacher, she directs the Dike School of the Arts Choir and Keyboard Program. Her choir earned an invitation to perform in New York City at Carnegie Hall. The choir was the only choir in Ohio selected to attend the premier choir festival. She headed the fundraising campaign and raised a total of $40,000.00.

Dianna is the past accompanist for The Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus and the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Preparatory Chorus. She served as their accompanist for 24 years. As accompanist for these choirs, she has been part of the preparation for conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph Von Dohnanyi, James Feddeck, Robert Porco, and Franz Welser Most. She has prepared orchestral scores for Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Hector Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust, Humperdincks’ Hansel and Gretel and Gustav Mahler’s 3rd Symphony. Dianna has been invited to accompany the OMEA All-State Children’s Chorus for the past three years as part of their National Professional Development Conference. Conductors have included Dr Rollo Dilworth from Temple University, Dr. Ann Usher from Akron University and Dr. Judy Bowers from Florida State University. Dianna resides in Shaker Heights, Ohio with her husband Eric.

Short Bio

Dianna White- Gould, is an active soloist, accompanist and educator. She was born into a musical family. Her father was a cellist with The Cleveland Orchestra and her mother a composer and pianist. She began her early piano studies with her mother, then went on to high school where she was an active performing member of The Fortknightly Music Club and in that group a Gold Cup recipient for outstanding piano performances. She graduated from Oberlin College Conservatory. She later received a Master’s in Piano Performance from Cleveland State University.

She attended L’Ecole de Fontainebleau in France studying with Gaby Casadesus. Years later she toured Germany performing as accompanist and soloist at The Odenwald Summer Music Festival She has also attended The Chautauqua Summer Institute.

Dianna has appeared as the featured soloist with The Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, and twice as soloist with the Heights Civic Orchestra. Other performing appearances include solo and collaborative performances at Severance Hall, Oberlin College, Ursuline College, Cuyahoga Community College, The Music Settlement, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Public Library, Wooster College and The South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago.

She has a strong interest in new music and music of African-American composers and has given world premiers by composers Dolores White, H. Leslie Adams, Hale Smith and George Walker.
As a teacher, she directs the Dike School of the Arts choir and keyboard program.