A native of Washington, DC, Diane was performing by age four and directing choirs by age nine; she was arranging and composing by eleven. During her high school years she wrote, directed, and choreographed musical dramas at the church where her father, Rev. Leamon W. White, pastored. Her youth was filled with much recognition for her academic and musical achievements. In 1986, Diane graduated with honors from the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music with emphasis in composition, voice, and piano. Following graduation, while still in St. Louis, she was Assistant Director of African and African-American Studies at Washington University, and directed the university's Black Repertory Gospel Choir, a position she began her junior year. She was Musical Director and Vocal Arranger for the St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre Company, which premiered some of her works in their 1986 season...