Meet Anna Diemer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Diemer.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been singing since before I can remember. After countless school talent shows, choir performances, and church pageants, my first real gig was performing the National Anthem in high school for my sister’s swim meets back in my hometown of Oak Ridge, NC. I begged my parents to enroll me in voice lessons, and I signed up for every choir class I could. Ultimately, it was my love for choral music that led me to choose vocal performance for my college major. I applied for and received a full scholarship at Furman University in Greenville, SC.

During my idyllic four years at Furman (we regularly win awards for most beautiful college campus!), I was immersed in a world of opportunities in music. I made lifelong friendships, including with the three people with whom I would later found my music nonprofit organization. I studied jazz improvisation and sang with the big band and combo. I was fortunate to be accepted to study singing abroad in Arezzo, Italy, which was a life-altering trip that solidified my choice to become a musician. I sang in my first ever opera—the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni—and I programmed and directed my first ever show, a revue featuring music from the hit TV show Glee. I adored music school, and when it came time to graduate, I did not want to leave!

After graduating from Furman, I felt like my life was missing something, and I had no clear direction. I came to Houston almost by accident—my best friend was moving here for graduate school, and I invited myself along as his roommate. If I hated it, I could move back after our year-long lease was up. That was back in 2011, so you can imagine how that story ended! I worked non-musical jobs for a few years while I saved up to go back to school, and I joined the Houston Symphony Chorus in 2012 to help fulfill my desire to make music. I also helped found a nonprofit organization, Prima Volta, to help create more performing opportunities for myself and for other local young artists and to support music by living composers.

I attended the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston for my master’s degree in voice performance and pedagogy, studying to hopefully one day become a college professor. My love for academia that was cultivated while attending Furman began to grow into a true passion for the voice as an instrument and for sharing that passion with my students. I began performing in more operas and recitals, accepting more local gigs, and getting to know more local musicians, slowly growing my personal network in this sprawling metropolis. I think my time as a Coog is what transformed me into a true Houstonian, and I am now proud to call Houston my home.

After my time at UH, the Houston Symphony hired me to manage their volunteer chorus—yes, the same one with whom I had sung when I first moved to Houston. I filled the rest of my time with other administrative jobs, ignoring the growing feeling in my gut because I was determined to have a “real job.” After months of soul-searching, I finally made the leap to make teaching music my career. I quit my other administrative positions and opened my private voice studio, in addition to teaching at several high schools in the Greater Houston area. I am lucky to continue my work managing the Houston Symphony Chorus alongside my studio of over thirty wonderful students.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As with anything that involves auditions, plenty of rejection comes one’s way when trying to become a musician. After an unsuccessful round of auditions during my senior year of college, I took two years off to practice and hone my skills before finally being accepted to three graduate programs.

Each time I did not get a role, was passed over for a solo or received a rejection letter, I found myself with a renewed passion for practicing and putting myself out there. I quickly learned that the best way to succeed was to make your own opportunities, which is one of the reasons that inspired me to found Prima Volta. My failures are just as much a part of me as my triumphs because they pushed me to become a stronger and more creative person.

Anna Diemer, soprano and voice teacher – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I feel like a true renaissance woman–as a freelance musician, I wear many hats, and I love them all. My main gig is my voice studio, which currently includes high school students and adults. My goal as a teacher is to create a nurturing, positive environment for my students where we tackle physiological issues in order to create beautiful singing. I am delighted that several of my students from the class of 2018 will be attending the University of Houston, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Texas Tech University to study music in the fall. My adult students come from all walks of life and all participate in communal singing with the Houston Symphony Chorus. It is inspiring for me to help my students reach their goals, knowing that music is an important part of their lives no matter their age.

As the Manager of the Houston Symphony Chorus, I am proud to be a part of a long-standing Houston institution.

We have over 200 members who are essentially my clients, and I am responsible for communicating with them and handling all logistics related to the Chorus. Through the Symphony Chorus, I have had the opportunity to be a soloist with the orchestra, travel with a group on tour to Prague, and arrange and coach the National Anthem for the Final Four basketball games in Houston. I love being a part of our choir family, working with our director Betsy Cook Weber, and cultivating a culture where I know everyone by name and make them feel welcome.

I am also a Founding Director of the Houston-based nonprofit, Prima Volta, which means “first time” in Italian. Our main goal is to promote the music of living composers, so that audience members will be hearing that brand-new music for the first time. We also support reaching out to audiences who may never have heard or cared for classical music before. For example, Prima Volta hosted two wildly successful performances at the Saint Arnold Brewing Company entitled Brindisi, Italian for “toast.” Houston-area opera singers performed drinking songs excerpted from operas and musicals while attendees enjoyed unlimited Saint Arnold beer. In addition to introducing opera to a beer-loving audience, I commissioned and performed a world premiere for each show. One such piece was affectionately titled “OkCupid Lieder,” settings of messages received on online dating websites. It is thrilling to be able to share my creativity with other Houstonians while providing them with both a memorable classical music experience and a meaningful way to escape the stresses of daily life.

In the next year, I hope to host a series of art song recitals free to the public, with any donations given benefiting a local charity. The art song is an intimate, often-ignored genre that allows the performer to shine and connect with the audience. I am excited to continue to fulfill my love for performing, while also giving performance opportunities to my colleagues and satisfying a need for free and unique cultural experiences in Houston.

If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
I moved to Houston with only a Ford Taurus full of my material possessions in August of 2011. I knew that I had a passion for music, but I did not know where that passion would lead me. Almost seven years later, I am thriving as a part of the classical music scene in Houston, but if I could do it all over again, I would jump into the music world here sooner than I did. Creativity is fearless and knows no bounds, and Houston is full of wonderful, creative, fearless people, hungry for collaboration. I am lucky to know those people now, and I look forward to what we will bring to this city next.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://annadiemer.com
• Email: annadiemersoprano@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Elizabeth Hoard, Randy Eckman

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