Diane Thome papers, 1943-2022

Diane Thome (1942-2024) was a composer of a wide range of musical genres, including solo, chamber, choral, orchestral and computer-synthesized music. Born on January 25, 1942, in Pearl River, New York, she decided to become a composer at the age of eight. She was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in music from Princeton University. Her other degrees include an MFA in composition from Princeton University, MA in Theory and Composition from the University of Pennsylvania and two undergraduate degrees in piano and composition from the Eastman School of Music. She was the former chair of the composition program and faculty member at the University of Washington School of Music from 1977-2006.

Thome created commissioned work for the Seattle Symphony, Orchestra of our Time in New York City, and the Seattle Youth Symphony, among others. She also spent time as the Composer-in-Residence at the École Nationale Claude Debussy (France), Bard College (New York), Bowdoin College (Maine), University of Wisconsin, and the University of Sussex (UK). Several of her works have been professionally recorded, including Palaces of Memory, The Yew Tree, Stepping Inward, and Bright Air/Brilliant Fire.

Sources: https://music.washington.edu/news/2016/09/27/palaces-memory-explores-life-and-art-uw-composer-diane-thome; Biographical notes in Box 1, Folder 1