Diane Froomes

Born in Melbourne, and educated at Methodist Ladies’ College, Kew, Diane Froomes was smitten at the age of ten by the rich, low tones of the cello at a state school-sponsored string teaching program. Encouraged by the infectious enthusiasm of her first teacher, Mr Brian Blake, Diane entered several major performance competitions in her early teens, including both the ABC’s television talent show Quest ’78 and the Instrumental and Vocal Competition, precursor to the Young Performer of the Year Awards, reaching the State finals in 1978 and the Commonwealth finals in 1981. After gaining her Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1983, under Mr Henry Wenig, Diane travelled to the USA where she gained a Master of Music Performance at Indiana University, Bloomington, under Mr Gary Hoffman and Professor Janos Starker.

Upon her return to Melbourne in 1986, Diane quickly established herself as a freelance cellist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the then-named State Orchestra of Victoria, and various smaller ensembles. A highlight of that era was the tour to Spoleto, Italy, as principal cello with the Rantos Collegium Chamber Orchestra, for the 1987 Festival of Three Worlds. In 1988, Diane was appointed a Tutti Cellist with the SOV, winning the Associate Principal chair just one year later. Over her thirty-year tenure, she has developed a love for the riches of both the operatic and balletic repertoire: the interplay with the audience between the musical score, story, and performers both on stage and in the pit is a constant source of inspiration for her.