Introducing: Professor Tia Fuller’s “Diamond Cut Big Band”:
Where Precision Meets Purpose, and Every Player Shines
There’s a reason Tia Fuller calls her students “diamond cut.” In her world, diamond cut isn’t just a sound—it’s a standard. It’s the belief that every musician already carries brilliance within them, and the work of the ensemble is to reveal it with intention, pressure, and a whole lot of community.
Step into the Diamond Cut Big Band for the first time and you feel it immediately: the energy is focused, electric, and deeply human. Students describe it as walking into a rehearsal where every chair is a seat at the table, every voice matters, and the expectation is simple: show up fully.
As a Grammy-nominated artist, saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, Tia Fuller infuses this ensemble with a level of expertise and heart that defines her legacy at Berklee. Fuller teaches her students that being “diamond cut” is a three-step process rooted in purpose and service. Step one: you may look like a piece of coal, but you must know you have purpose. Step two: you rise through the earth’s surface, enduring pressure and heat. Step three: once you reach the top, it isn’t about shining—it’s about reflecting the light. Fuller reminds her students that their brilliance is not solely for themselves. “It is our obligation to not only be great, but to give the greatness back by reflecting the light. That is where the true brilliance lies, in a diamond.”
This philosophy shapes every rehearsal. Fuller challenges students to balance discipline with imagination, honoring big band lineage while crafting their own artistic identities. The result is an ensemble defined by precision, expressive depth, and collective responsibility.
This season, the ensemble brought that brilliance to Berklee’s Holiday Extravaganza, performing Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s iconic Nutcracker Suite, featuring special guest and Berklee alumnus Jaleel Shaw.
The Diamond Cut Big Band continues to shine as one of Berklee’s standout ensembles, shaping musicians who are not only technically sharp but artistically fearless.
