String Orchestra of Brooklyn

Diana Gatschet

Cello

Diana Gatschet noticed the cello while playing in the woodwind section. In the fifth grade, she played the flute in her small parochial school’s elementary band in Manhattan, Kansas. Behind her, a sole cellist played alongside the trombone section. As the youngest of ten kids, Diana could ask for nearly anything and pretty much would get what she wanted. Not because she was the spoiled baby, but because no one was ever paying close attention! Diana’s mom easily acquiesced when she asked to begin cello lessons and it’s been a part of her life ever since. Of the many memories Diana has playing cello as a kid, the most visceral is that of first playing with a youth string orchestra during a Saturday morning rehearsal; she will never forget the feeling and sound when surrounded by all-strings while warming up in unison with a G major scale. That feeling never went away.

Diana has spent her career in arts and culture equally in front of and behind the stage. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver and a Master of Arts Degree in Arts Administration from New York University. She has worked in fundraising and strategic planning for organizations such as Carnegie Hall, Young Concert Artists, Inc., Chamber Music America, Curious Theatre Company, and the Colorado Symphony. As a cellist, Diana is equally at home performing classical, contemporary, and commercial music. In addition to studio work, she is a founding member of multiple chamber ensembles and played two seasons with the Fort Collins Symphony. A recent transplant from Denver, Colorado, Diana has performed with the Park Slope Chamber Players and The String Orchestra of Brooklyn. She also teaches a graduate course in fundraising and program planning for arts and culture. Diana, her husband, and three children live in Park Slope.