Catherine Asaro is a Nebula® Award-Winning author of science fiction and fantasy. May 2009 saw the publication of her twenty-fourth book, Diamond Star (Baen Books).
In April 2009, Starflight Music released a companion music CD, also titled Diamond Star, that offers readers a soundtrack for the book. The songs are performed by Point Valid, a vibrant young rock band from 
Baltimore, with Catherine as guest vocalist.
As the latest in Asaro's novels of the
Ruby Dynasty, Diamond Star tells the story of Del, the renegade prince who would rather be a rock singer than sit on the throne. The royal family wants him to stop, his friends want to use him, his label wants to own him, and his enemies want to kill him. Del just wants to 
sing--without starting an interstellar war.
Point Valid has performed selections from Diamond Star at science fiction conventions, with Catherine as a
guest vocalist, including venues such as the 2008 Balticon, where their panel on rock music in sf was one of the best attended new panels at the con. In the summer of 2008, Catherine was the Guest of Honor at Trinoc*con, and Point Valid 
came with her as featured musical guests, where they did panels and a concert.
After Point Valid dispersed for the school year, off to college in different
parts of the globe, Donald Wolcott joined the Diamond Star Project. An accomplished pianist in jazz, rock, and classical music, he performs in a jazz-oriented duo with Catherine, accompanying her vocals. 
Together they do works from the CD and covers of jazz and pop songs by such artists Nora Jones and Sade.
Donald Wolcott - Jazzing Up The Stars
At age five, Donald Wolcott received a special Christmas present--a used piano. That gift began a life-long passion. He started lessons in classical piano, but the young prodigy soon expanded his horizons beyond Beethoven and Mozart. When he joined his middle school's jazz band, he was exposed to the genre that dramatically reshaped his music.
In 2005, Donald received acclaim from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia as a top soloist in their annual jazz festival. In 2006 he was accepted as a bassist into the Montgomery County Honors Jazz Ensemble. In 2007 he earned an honorable mention for jazz performance in the National Distinguished Scholar Competition, and in 2008 he was one of only four people who received the coveted "Maestro Award" for individual performance at the Washington D.C. Heritage Music Festival.
After his high school graduation in 2008, Donald accepted a scholarship to Towson University, where he majors in Jazz Performance and is the pianist for the Towson Big Band, the school's premiere jazz ensemble. In the fourteen years he has been playing music, Donald has become an in-demand pianist in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. He plays for musical theatre productions, composes arrangements of songs on commission, and often performs for weddings, parties, and corporate events. He also teaches private piano, bass, guitar, and drum lessons. As Catherine's keyboard accompanist, Donald showcases the Diamond Star Project with his exciting arrangements and delightfully jazzy style.
