Music Director & Soprano
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The professional life of Diane Burt began at the tender age of seven. Ms. Burt comes from a show biz family and music was the norm around her house. Her mother, Anne Shortt Burt was a singer and her father, Alfred S. Burt, was a composer whose Christmas carols have become famous throughout the world. It is no wonder that Diane's singing career should begin so young.
When Jimmy Joyce, a well-known choral director in Hollywood, needed children to sing for commercials, films and recordings, he called on his friends in the industry and taught their children to sight read, sing in a group and solo under professional conditions. Diane Burt's credits range from dubbing for the children in the motion picture, "The Sound of Music" with Julie Andrews to singing with Lionel Ritchie on his hit single "All Night Long".
One of Diane Burt's earliest recording sessions was for the movie, "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!" Some other memorable moments include meeting The Rat Pack during the recording session for "Robin & The Seven Hoods", singing with Maurice Chevalier for the move "In Search Of The Castaways" and as Bam Bam's baby voice in "The Man Called Flintstone". She dubbed the singing for a Southern belle in the movie "Huckleberry Finn", even though she originally auditioned for the role.
Diane has performed on albums with The Chipmunks, Doris Day, and hit singles with Frank Gorshin & comic Jose Jimenez. She can be heard on dozens of commercials and recordings, both as a soloist and background singer and, in 1984, she was nominated for a Grammy Award while performing with the L.A. Jazz Choir.
The acting bug bit Ms. Burt during high school and she began her formal training at California State University, Northridge where she majored in theatre and minored in music, and studying at the Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Bruce Dern and Gerald O'Loughlin. Diane won the title of "Miss Northridge" which opened a plethora of modeling opportunities. Her college attendance was interrupted for a year when she starred in the musical melodrama, "Curse You, Villain", in Vail, Colorado. Because of her musical background, she appeared in over 50 musicals throughout the Southern California area.
In 1973, Diane Burt was given the position of Music Director for the prestigious Megaw Theatre in Northridge, California and directed music there for 14 years, also served as Company Manager for the theatre (when she wasn't out of town touring). She revived "Curse You, Villain" at the Megaw and would later produce and direct a 1992 production of the show in the town of Idyllwild, California. Her musical direction of "Very Good Eddie" won Diane a Robbie Award and the show was moved to an Equity theatre in Santa Monica for an extended run. Ms. Burt, along with Sydney May Morrison and Elaine Moe, staged a summer theatre festival in Prescott, Arizona receiving rave notices for her work as Allison in "Romantic Comedy" and as April in "Company". Upon her return, she was pressed into service to play April again for a production of "Company" at the Gene Dynarski Theatre. Some of her favorite roles have been in "Roar of the Greasepaint...", "Little Mary Sunshine", "Kiss Me Kate" and "The Fantastiks".
As for film and television work, Diane appeared in an Academy Award winning short, "Double Talk", on the soap opera " Days of Our Lives" and you might remember seeing her on "General Hospital" as nurse Rosemary Petrie during the 80's when Luke and Laura were steaming up the television screen.
Diane joined Chapter Five singing lead and backup in concert and on tour with Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall for 7 years. On tour, the group opened for Jerry Lewis, Dionne Warwick, Buddy Hackett, Sammy Davis Jr, The Mills Brothers, Tex Beneke and Johnny Carson. In 1980, the group performed at Constitution Hall in honor of the U.S. Olympic athletes who could not compete at the Moscow Games.
In 1981, Diane married recording artist Nicola Marcello D'Amico. They have continued working together on creative projects all these years, working in the recording studio and heading their own record label and contracting business, Variety Artists Group, Inc. Diane is the leader of arguably the most successful a cappella Christmas caroling group in all the world. Specializing in her father's wonderful songs, The Caroling Company, based in Hollywood, CA, allows Diane to bring the great harmonies of the season into the world. Her husband and music partner, Nicola Marcello D'Amico, produced The Caroling Company's 2003 Christmas release "A Christmas Present From The Caroling Company" and the 2004 classic "The Alfred Burt Christmas Carols Golden Anniversary Collection". Both of these great recordings are still on the market and available on the recordings page at the Burt family website alfredburtcarols.com.
Ms. Burt joined the theatre faculty of Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California in 1993 and continued teaching classes in voice, music fundamentals, acting and musical theatre, along with music directing for several main stage shows until 2004. She is actively involved with The Idyllwild Actors Theatre as a board member and actor for this professional group also located in Idyllwild. The company has premiered new works, done staged readings and taken shows to other parts of Southern California.
Diane is currently working on a book which is all about her father and mother and how the Alfred Burt Carols came to life. It will be entitled "A Legacy Of Love".
The joy of her life is her husband, Nick, and a furry feline friend that shares their home, Oscar.