Chief Petty Officer Marcia L. Diehl, USN
Clarinetist, Naval Academy Band

Chief Musician Marcia Diehl is a native of Cleburne, Texas and graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor of music history and literature degree in 1983 from Texas Tech University. She earned a master of music in clarinet performance in 1985 from the University of Cincinnati College, Conservatory of Music and was nominated and inducted as a permanent member of Pi Kappa Lambda, an honorary music fraternity for outstanding scholastic achievement.

In 1992, Chief Diehl was selected for assignment to Naval Academy Band as a clarinet instrumentalist. She performs in the concert, ceremonial and marching bands and has been a very active performer on the USNA Band Chamber Music Series. In the past 7 years, she has performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, the International Clarinet Association "ClarFest" Conference, the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, the Music Educators National Conference, the University of Maryland Clarinet Connection, and the Maryland Music Educators Association Convention. She is a frequent guest soloist with the George Mason University Wind Ensemble in Fairfax, VA and performed on numerous chamber music series and at major colleges and universities throughout the country. She also conducts frequent master classes for young aspiring clarinetists throughout the Maryland Public School Districts.

Chief Diehl has performed with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Grand Opera, Galveston Symphony Orchestra, Galveston, Texas; and with the Dallas Wind Symphony. She is currently the Principal clarinetist of the Londontown Symphony Orchestra in Londontown, MD. She has studied clarinet with Thomas LeGrand, Keith McCarty, Carmine Campione, Edward Palanker, William Wright, Ricardo Morales, Andrew Cresante, and James Mahoney. She has studied conducting with Anthony Maiello; and has played under the baton of such prestigious conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Christoph Eschenbach, Sergiu Commissiona, Giselle Ben-Dor, Gerhard Samuel, Anthony Maiello, and James Sudduth.

Her military awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3 awards), Meritorious Unit Commendations (2 awards), Navy Good Conduct Medal (3 awards), National Defense Service Medal (2 awards), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and she was named the Naval Academy Band Sailor of the Year for 2001. In addition to the performance of her instrumental assignments, she is USNA Band's Clarinet Section Leader, Travel Representative, Festival and Convention Coordinator, Awards Writer, and USNA Commandant's Staff Urinalysis Program Coordinator.

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