Diana Krall - Nanaimo

From childhood Sunday sing-a-longs around the piano with her family in Nanaimo, Diana Krall has become a jazz superstar who performs all over the world.

A vocalist and a pianist, she is a wonderful example of a young British Columbian who started in a small community, set her sights high, and with hard work and determination is now achieving many of her goals. She has provided great inspiration to many young people interested in careers in music. The greatest talent in the jazz field to come along in a generation, Diana Krall won a Grammy this year for best jazz vocal performance for her song "When I Look In Your Eyes" and was nominated for album of the year.

She frequently acknowledges her roots in Nanaimo where she began performing professionally at age 15. She won a Vancouver Jazz Festival scholarship to study in Boston at Berklee College of Music, returned to the West Coast where she was "discovered" by jazz bassist Ray Brown, moved to Los Angeles to study with Jimmy Rowles, moved to Toronto, and is now based in New York City. She epitomizes Canadian culture and is an outstanding citizen and good-will ambassador for British Columbia.

Her visits to B.C. have included concerts to benefit the leukemia/bone marrow transplant program at Vancouver Hospital. British Columbians follow Diana Krall's accomplishments with great pride, knowing she is one of our province's finest citizens.