Since making her concerto debut at the age of eight with the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, Keats Dieffenbach has made her mark as a unique artist with infinitely varied interests and abilities. She was recently described as “a poet-musician performing. . . with deep expression and technical mastery” (Classical Voice of North Carolina) and has been soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, North Carolina School of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, and Lake Placid Sinfonietta.
In demand as an interpreter of contemporary music, Ms. Dieffenbach is a founding member of Tetras Quartet, with whom she recently appeared at Carnegie Hall’s Steve Reich at 70 Series performing Reich’s Triple Quartet under the guidance of the composer. With Tetras she gave the world premiere of Donald Martino’s revised String Quartet No. 5 in a performance dedicated to the composer’s memory and completed the world-premiere recording of David Fulmer’s String Quartet No. 2 for Neuma Records. She is also a member of the Second Instrumental Unit and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble with whom she has premiered numerous works by both emerging and established composers.
An avid chamber musician, Ms. Dieffenbach has collaborated with Donald Weilerstein, Paula Robison, Bonnie Hampton, Michael Kannen, and with members of the Mendelssohn Quartet, Peabody Trio, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles Piano Quartet. As recitalist and chamber musician she has performed at BargeMusic, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Yellow Barn Music School and Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Taos School of Music, the FOCUS! Festival at Lincoln Center, Jordan Hall, and Columbia University’s Miller Theatre. Ms. Dieffenbach has served extensively as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, performing solos for the world premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Manhattan Trilogy in Carnegie Hall and solos for Strauss’s Don Juan and Der Rosenkavalier in Avery Fisher Hall. In 2003 she led the Juilliard Symphony in its Carnegie Hall debut. She recently completed a residency as concertmaster of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta and has served as concertmaster under such renowned conductors as David Atherton, Dennis Russell Davies, Sir Roger Norrington, Gerard Schwarz, Andrew Litton, and Ransom Wilson.
Her performances have been broadcast on WGBH Boston, and she has recorded for Neuma Records. Ms. Dieffenbach holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Juilliard School where she studied with Robert Mann. She has served on the faculty of Yellow Barn Young Artist Program and serves as Donald Weilerstein’s teaching assistant at New England Conservatory where she is pursuing a Graduate Diploma. She plays an 1866 J. B. Vuillaume violin generously on loan from Robertson and Sons Violins.
Keats joined A Far Cry as a guest member of the violin sections for the following concerts:
28 January 2008 – St. Paul’s Church (Brookline, MA) 29 January 2008 – First Church in Cambridge (Cambridge, MA) 31 January 2008 – Tavern Club (Cambridge, MA) 1 February 2008 – Cochran Chapel at Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)
