Welcome to the official website of Diane Thome


​Introducing Diane Thome's memoir,

​Palaces of Memory...
Diane was the first woman to graduate from Princeton University with a PhD in Music and the first woman to compose computer-synthesized music.

Diane Thome’s music has been described as “high modernist … searching, intense, and full of integrity.” Much the same can be said of her life as it unfolds in her memoir, Palaces of Memory.

A word from Diane...

​At a certain time in one’s life, it seems fitting and appropriate to take a larger and longer view of the significant changes and events that have characterized that life. This process also encourages a certain objectivity and detachment not always possible at a younger age. Perhaps an additional goal is to integrate one’s experience, metaphorically painting it on a larger canvas. All these elements are the motivations that led me to undertake the writing of a memoir at this time in my life.
I wrote this memoir for a number of reasons. Most importantly, my life as a composer has spanned a significant period of twentieth century musical history. My electroacoustic music is emblematic of a major technological revolution for composers. My academic life can shed light on the role and significance of the American university in the lives of composers. Finally, the artistic and intellectual worlds I inhabited may serve as an inspiration for younger generations.

Naturally, there is the important and critical component of my personal story. Writing this memoir has only increased my gratitude to family, teachers, and special friends for their invaluable contributions to the privileged and remarkable life I have led. In addition, the factor of timing was immensely fortuitous, particularly in the unfolding opportunities of my professional career. Concurrently, while the influence of gender inequality and sexism was hardly absent from my life, new trails were being blazed. I would like to think that I made some small contribution to this paradigm change for women artists. This topic is explored in some depth in Chapter Four.

I cannot complete this introduction without mentioning the pleasure and satisfaction I received from thirty-two years of teaching and interacting with a variety of students at different levels and from diverse backgrounds. As I write in this memoir, I was exceedingly fortunate to be on the faculty of a large school of music in a major research university at a time when contemporary music and the performance of contemporary repertoire at an outstanding level were so highly valued. The sense of community I experienced with colleagues and students can never be taken for granted.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the many gifts of my family, friends, life partners, colleagues, and students who nourished a magical and fulfilling life.

Diane Thome
January 2016
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