Diane Roblin’s dynamic career has earned her a place among Canada’s most respected women in jazz. Known for her powerful compositions and expressive keyboard style, Diane’s performances blend technical agility with a deep commitment to the connective power of music. As a composer, pianist, electric keyboardist, improviser, and bandleader, Diane’s spirited, genre-crossing work has led to collaborations with artists ranging from avant-garde improviser Charles Gayle to the iconic rock band Rough Trade.
A classical pianist by training, Diane pursued a diverse music education at York University in Toronto, immersing herself in jazz improvisation, world music, and electronic composition with David Rosenboom. She has also studied with mridangam master Trichy Sankaran and participated in the Ornette Coleman/Karl Berger workshop in NYC, where she worked with luminaries like Lee Konitz, and in the Dutch Improv Academy with drummer Hans Bennink.
Diane’s collaborations span an impressive range of Canadian jazz and experimental musicians, and she regularly performs in both traditional and experimental contexts, including telematic music with Sarah Weaver’s NowNet Inc. Lab Ensemble. Her performances have reached audiences at major venues and festivals in North America and Europe, from Toronto’s Kensington Market Jazz Festival to Amsterdam’s Bimhuis and New York’s Smalls. Diane is also an active member of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, committed to advancing Canada’s jazz and compositional community.
