Emma Lou Diemer

While visiting Santa Barbara in February this year, I had the awesome privilege of meeting up with composer Emma Lou Diemer. What an amazing woman who has written so much fabulous music.

The Seattle Collaborative Orchestra had the privilege of performing Diemer’s Santa Barbara Overture a couple of years ago. It was a treat to explore the fascinating and innovative musical career of Emma Lou Diemer. Dr. Diemer had a vast and impressive background beginning with her BM (1949) and MM (1950) in composition at the Yale Music School, Ph.D (1960) at the Eastman School of Music (studying with Howard Hanson and Paul Hindemith) and a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Brussels. Emma Lou was a composer-in-residence in Arlington VA under the Ford Foundation Young Composers Project and consultant for the MENC Contemporary Music Project before joining the theory and composition faculty of the University of Maryland (1965 – 1970). In 1971, she moved westward to teach theory and composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she was instrumental in founding the electronic/computer music program.

Growing up, Emma Lou was born in Kansas City, Missouri where her father, George Willis Diemer was an educator and President of what is known today as the University of Central Missouri (1937-1956) and her mom, Myrtle Casebolt Diemer was a church worker and homemaker. When she was about 13 years old, she decided that she was going to major in composition and that she did beginning with her BM (1949) and MM (1950) at Yale Music School and then later her Ph.D (1960) at Eastman School of Music.

As we talked, it was clear that Emma Lou’s first loves were the piano and organ. Though concerning her compositional writing, she said that she loves to write for chorus and orchestra the most.

Several compositions that she loved talking about were her Concerto in One Movement for Piano, Santa Barbara Overture, and her Concerto for Violin.

All three of these compositions would work best with a professional orchestra (as well as professional soloists), however both the Concerto in One Movement for Piano and the Concerto for Violin (Parlour Music, Remembrance of Things Past, Santa Barbara Rag, John Adams Light should definitely be on young super talented music students' radar. The Santa Barbara Overture is fun and it is challenging. I would suggest excellent university programs and up on this one.

Many of Emma Lou Diemer’s compositions need to be recorded by excellent orchestras! She has quite a few compositions that have not been recorded yet and I have no doubt there are some excellent gems in her vast musical catalog. Just sayin’.

I hope you enjoy these works!

Anna Edwards ©