"a deep-flowing river of a voice" (Sing Out! magazine)
Diane Taraz writes songs and breathes new life into traditional ones. Her elegant voice brings out the essence of whatever style she presents, be it folk, jazz, blues, or standards. She plays Taylor and Santa Cruz guitars, and keeps stretching the limits of her lap dulcimer, taking it to unexpected places where its quirky charm shines.
Steeped in history, Diane creates programs that use the music of an era to show the inner lives of people who lived long ago. Women, especially, left behind few records of their existence, but the songs they used to speed their work, sing a child to sleep, or ease an aching heart show us their minds and hearts. Diane is on the Scholarly Advisory Board of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, based in New York City, and brings her programs to museums, universities, libraries, and historic houses throughout New England.
Robert A. Perry, Executive Director of the Charles River Museum of Industry in Waltham, Mass., says, "Diane does an extraordinary job weaving together history and performing arts through storytelling and beautiful song. Her meticulous research, musicianship, engaging presence, sense of humor, period costumes, and professionalism allow her audience to lose themselves in a delightful experience that transports them to another time. New England historical sites and history buffs are incredibly fortunate to have Diane Taraz in our midst to bring our past to life!"
Diane directed the Lexington Historical Society's Colonial Singers from 2010 to 2024. For more about her activities over the years with this group, click on LHS Colonial Singers in the green box.
Featured in Film
Diane's rendition of "Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabella" is part of the film A Little Prayer, which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. It's a lovely, compelling movie that received glowing reviews, and Sony Pictures Classics has purchased world-wide rights.
Diane's Books
My two books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other outlets.Daughter of the Waves, the Victorian Life of Celia Laighton Thaxter, looks at life before all the conveniences we take for granted, such as hot and cold running water!
To watch a video about it, click here.
To order a copy, click here.
Candace -- Imagining the Life of a Woman Enslaved in 18th-Century New England, is set a century earlier, before the American Revolution.
To watch a video about it, click here.
To order a copy, click here.
For more information about these books, click on the links in the green box.
