DIVA is a concert jazz orchestra steeped in the history of jazz but infused with the progressive harmonies of today. The band is based in New York City and plays contemporary, mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged by band members and renowned writers including Tommy Newsom, Michael Abene, Ellen Rowe, Rich Shemaria, Scott Whitfield, and Jerry Dodgion. The unique quality of DIVA's sound is rooted in the fact that all of the band's music is composed expressly for the individual personalities of the musicians themselves. What audiences can expect to hear from DIVA is powerful ensemble playing and creative soloists playing with all the spontaneity and finesse of the jazz masters who have preceded them.
   DIVA has performed in some of the world's most prestigious music venues, where they have received critical acclaim. Venues include a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Lionel Hampton Jazz Room at Le Meridien Hotel in Paris, France, Teatro de Sistina in Rome, Italy, the Hollywood Bowl for the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Blue Note in New York City, Joel Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Illinois, Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, the Cinegrill in Hollywood, California, the SS Norway and QE2 Jazz Cruises, the Berlin Jazz Festival in Germany, the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Salzburg Music Festival in Austria, the Montreal and Ottawa International Jazz Festivals in Canada, the Jamaica Jazz Festival, the Bogota International Jazz Festival in Columbia, the Zagreb Jazz Festival in Croatia, the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, and Symphony Hall in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, DeeDee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Jones, Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Tommy Newsom, and Randy Brecker have performed with DIVA in the United States and abroad.
   Television appearances include multiple features on CNN's Arts Break, a mini documentary on CBS Sunday Morning, a spotlight presentation on The Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary Special, a feature on Japanese television's NHK network, and various local cable programs. The band is the idea of Stanley Kay, a former manager and relief drummer for the Buddy Rich Big Band. In 1990, Kay was conducting a band where Maricle was playing drums. Impressed by her skill, Kay wondered if there were other women musicians with a similar caliber of musicianship. A nationwide audition of players produced a core group of DIVA musicians who performed their first concert in March of 1993.