Diane Fedora

M.M. Temple University – performance, music history, B.M. Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music – performance 

Basson

Faculty since 2023

Pittsburgh, PA 

Diane has performed with numerous orchestras and chamber groups in the Northeast including the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Greenwich Symphony and as a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA) for 20 years.   She performed with the summer music festivals in Spoleto (Italy), Grand Teton (WY) and the Chautauqua (NY) Institute.  Diane has taught at Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke Colleges, the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and Westfield State University.  In addition to teaching the bassoon, she has taught courses in instrumental techniques, music theory, history and appreciation.  Her teachers include Bernard Garfield (former principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra) and Otto Eifert (former principal bassoon of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra). Former students include enthusiast amateurs and professional bassoonists that have studied at the Curtis Institue, Oberlin College, New England Conservatory of Music and Rice University. 

Learning to play a musical instrument is a lifelong journey.  Learning to meet challenges both technical and artistic involve problem solving and seeking solutions through careful practice and observation.  I enjoy helping students develop these valuable skills that transcend the study of music.  The bassoon is a beautiful instrument that provides a way to discover music of different times and cultures. It is an instrument that offers the joy of making music with others through band, orchestra and chamber music.