Diane Kessel is the Flute Professor at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Diane served as principal flute with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra for several years, performing with Jon Anderson (of Yes), Pat Benetar and Neil Giraldo, Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash) and Styx. Diane has performed at home and abroad, appearing with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, the Savannah Philharmonic, the Illinois Sinfonia da Camera, and the Sichuan Conservatory Orchestra and Chorus (of China) in addition to several highly regarded opera companies like the Ohio Light Opera, the Palmetto Opera, and the Theatro Lirico D’Europa (of Romania). She has since been invited to perform at several notable music festivals throughout the U.S., including the National Music Festival, the Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, the Interlochen Arts Festival, and others. Diane has competed and received awards at regional and national competitions across the U.S. at the Anatomy of Sound Festival, the Central Ohio Flute Festival, the Kentucky Flute Festival, the Western Michigan Flute Festival, the South Carolina Flute Festival, the Northeast Ohio Flute Association Festival, and others.
After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois with Dr. Jonathan Keeble, Diane went on to receive her M.M. at Western Michigan University under the instruction of Dr. Martha Councell-Vargas, and received her doctorate from the University of South Carolina, where she studied with Dr. Jennifer Parker-Harley. An experienced performer, educator, and clinician, Diane has been a featured artist and presenter at regional flute festivals across the U.S. She is an active freelancer and chamber musician and enjoys a versatile and exciting musical career in addition to her teaching at Georgia Southern.