Bio

Known for her ‘sophisticated sound spectrum’ and ‘enthralling performance’ (Darmstädter Echo) Diane Hunger performs frequently as soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and the United States. Recently, she appeared as soloist with e.g. the Hamburger Symphoniker (Germany), and the Filarmonica Banatul, presenting the Romanian premiere of the saxophone concerto by Kalevi Aho. Furthermore, she gave the world premiere of a new saxophone quartet by Swedish composer Mika Pelo at the World Saxophone Congress in France, and the US-premiere of the quartet concerto by Sally Beamish together with the Lubbock Symphony in Texas at the national conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance. In February 2016 Diane played the world premiere of the chamber concerto for alto saxophone ‘Remembering the Night Sky’ by Stephen Ferre in Syracuse, NY. Past highlights include a solo performance in Carnegie Hall, two residencies at the National Music Festival in Maryland, and tours in America, Colombia, France, Scotland, Holland, Germany, Poland, and Spain, as well as master classes at several universities worldwide.

Diane Hunger comes from a musical family: her Great-Grandfather was concertmaster with the Dresden Philharmonic and her Great-Grandmother a concert pianist, and Diane has made music from a young age. She is founder and panelist of Detmold Saxophone Talk, an online monthly panel discussion, and teaches saxophone at Hochschule für Musik Detmold (GER) and for the International Saxophone Academy. Previously she taught i.e. at Cornell University, Syracuse University, State University of New York at Fredonia, Roberts-Wesleyan College, Canisius College, and as Teaching Assistant at The Eastman School of Music. She was a yearlong member of Duo Klang par2 and Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra. From 2015-21 Diane Hunger held the tenor chair in the critically acclaimed Mana Quartet.

An ambassador for the saxophone she loves to be involved in the music community and worked on the 2019 Grant Application Review Panel for New Music USA, as judge for the woodwind competitions of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association), and is Chair of the NASA Composition Competition (North American Saxophone Alliance).

Not only dedicated to inspiring dynamic new works for saxophones, Diane is also enthusiastic to rediscover music from the past and frequently transcribes music for saxophones. Recent projects include Dvorak’s Terzetto Op. 74 and Libby Larsen’s Yellow Jersey, which was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. Diane is also interested in extending the repertoire for saxophone and frequently works together with composer such as Kalevi Aho, Violeta Dinescu, Marc Mellits, Stephen Ferre, and Mika Pelo on new, exciting works for the saxophone.

Diane was broadcasted nationally through NPR’s Performance Today, interviewed by the Northern German Radio (NDR) and the newspaper Kieler Nachrichten (Germany), and has recorded for the Bavarian Broadcast Station, Carl Fisher Publications, and Mark’s Records, where her Solo CD 'Deviations' with Pianist Dan Sato and the Mana Quartet’s CD ‘Vide Supra’ is published.

Diane studied at the Musikhochschule Hamburg, Musikhochschule Frankfurt/Darmstadt, State University of New York at Fredonia, as well as The Eastman School of Music. She received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance with a Minor in Music Business, as well as an Arts Leadership Certificate from The Eastman School of Music in 2014. While at Eastman Diane was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, and won the 2011 Eastman Concerto Competition playing Frank Martin’s Ballade. In 2012 she was invited to her Carnegie Hall Debut. During her undergraduate degree Diane was the only elected instrumentalist to perform a concerto with the Darmstadt Akademie Orchestra in 2007, and was a national price winner in the German competition Jugend musiziert in 2003.

Diane Hunger is a D’Addario Performing Artist, performing on Reserve Reeds exclusively.