The Canadian pianist Diana Lawton received the Associateship (A.R.C.T.) Diploma with "First Class Honours" from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. She continued her studies with the French Pianist and Pedagogue Yvonne Hubert at L'Ecole de Musique Vincent d'Indy, Université de Montréal, and received both the Bachelor of Music and the Master of Music degrees in performance "avec très grande distinction". She is the recipient of numerous awards, notably the Cécile Léger Scholarship Award of the Ladies' Morning Musical Club of Montreal, First Prize in the Concerto Class resulting in a televised performance with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Orchestra conducted by Wilfred Pelletier, Best Chamber Musician at the Québec Provincial Music Competition, a Full Scholarship to the Banff School of Fine Arts to study with Boris Roubakine, and the "Prix d'Interprétation" at L'Ecole de Musique Vincent d'Indy.
Following her studies in Montreal she pursued two years of postgraduate studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Munich, Germany, and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with the Austrian pianist Friedrich Wührer. Her artistic development has further been influenced by Ivan Moravec and Hans Keller during subsequent study periods in Prague and London.
Upon her return to Canada she was appointed to the Faculty of the Maritime Conservatory of Music in Halifax, where she taught piano interpretation and technique for one year, and performed frequent solo recitals for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), notably with the CBC Halifax Chamber Orchestra. She then joined the Faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto for nine years, gave numerous solo recitals and chamber music performances, served as a Member and Chair of the Faculty Association Committee and the Curriculum Committee, and travelled across Canada as an examiner for the Royal Conservatory Examination System.
Subsequently Ms. Lawton joined the Faculty of the Department of Music at the University of Ottawa. In addition to her University teaching commitments, she maintained a substantial class of private students, many of whom have made careers as professional musicians. At the same time she performed as a soloist and in collaboration with all the first desk players of the National Arts Center Orchestra (concert master, assistant concert master, principal second violin, principal cello, principal trumpet and English horn).
In 1992 she moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where she taught piano and piano accompaniment in the School of Music at the University of Victoria until 2004, while maintaining a large private practice. During this time she continued to give master-classes and performed as a soloist, with chamber ensembles, and in lieder recitals in Canada, Germany, and Italy. She has also been invited to adjudicate at several music festivals and competitions in British Columbia during that period.
Recently she spent three years in Singapore where she was active as an invited lecturer and jury member at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She also served on the Executive Committee of the Chopin Society Singapore and was in charge of International Liason.
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Updated 30 July 2023.
