Diane Katzenberg Braun
Day Lily
from Flower Catalog
Program notes.
Diane and I first met before her performance of my work Among Darkened Peonies, for violin and piano. We instantly got along the moment we began discussing our mutual love for peonies before rehearsal, and Diane went on to tell me of her love of gardening, and of all the different flowers she was cultivating. When she first commissioned Day Lily, she sent me a photo of this flower that was the palest shade of rosey pink, with a bright yellow center. Diane asked for the work to capture its watercolor pastel effervescence, to pay attention to its form that was "pointed, like a star". Diane's parting thought before I got to work was "if it had some cuban rhythms, I wouldn't mind", which has resulted in this particular Day Lily experiencing the brightness and fun and vivid color of day time, balancing and augmenting her soft-hued, more tender moments.
Background.
Flower Catalog is a book of twelve preludes for piano, inspired by Debussy’s Preludes in terms of scope and structure. The idea for this project started with a short work, Lilac, commissioned by Jenny Lin in 2018. The other eleven preludes have been commissioned by other piano soloists, each about her own favorite flower, and are all between 2.5-5 minutes in length so that the entire collection can live and breath as a full concert set but each prelude can also be utilized as a uniquely personal encore.
Flower Catalog is a commission by Lise de la Salle, Marianne Parker, Diane Katzenberg Braun, Eunbi Kim, Holly Roadfeldt, Adrienne Park, Susie Maddocks, Sarah Bob, Marta Aznavoorian, Jenny Lin, and Lucille Chung.
“Braun produces Music Street concerts that vary in content, instrumentation, size, and intention, but do not vary in quality, which is world-class.”
- Martha’s Vineyard Times
About Diane.
Music Street founder Diane Katzenberg Braun grew up in Baltimore, Maryland where she graduated from the Peabody Preparatory program and studied with teachers from the Peabody Conservatory and Goucher College. At the age of 16 she was invited by Argentinian violinist and Yehudi Menuhin protégée Alberto Lysy to study chamber music in Italy for the summer. She is a graduate of Oberlin College where she majored in Sociology, having spent one year in the Oberlin Conservatory. Ms. Braun also did post graduate work in music theory and history at Brandeis University. After 25 years of teaching piano privately and at the Groton School and Indian Hill Arts, she returned to school in 1999 graduating with honors from the New England Conservatory, earning a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano. Her piano teachers there were Irma Vallecillo and Kayo Iwama. Working with numerous singers and instrumentalists, she performed in masterclasses for Warren Jones, Pierre Vallet, Dianne Richardson, Bruce Yeh, Paul Katz, James Buswell, Ben Zander, Karl Paulnak amongst many others. Past teachers have included Renaldo Reyes, Emil Danenberg, Victor Rosenbaum and the Apple Hill Chamber Players.
Ms. Braun was the long time assistant to renowned mezzo soprano D’Anna Fortunato in her studio at the New England Conservatory, coaching and accompanying students in their performances. Collaborating with talented young players at the Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts, at the New England Conservatory, with Project Step in Boston, with Lowell House Opera singers, with Harvard University instrumentalists, she has partnered with a large assortment of instrumentalists. Ms. Braun has premiered works of Boston composers Curtis Hughes, Howard Frazin, Thomas Oboe Lee and Stephanie Ann Boyd. She is a current staff collaborative pianist at the New England Conservatory, performing a wide range of repertoire from winds to brass to strings, as well as accompanying in voice studios.
With Music Street Ms. Braun aims to share the joy and innovation of unique musical programs as a means of connecting to audiences in the many venues where they perform. We especially value our annual visits to the homeless shelter Rosie’s Place and the two Spaulding Rehab Hospitals. All Music Street musicians are award winning graduates of Boston's New England Conservatory and have national and international performing careers.
Read more about Diane on her website here.
