Diana Doherty was born in Brisbane and began studying violin, piano and oboe at the ages of six, seven and eight respectively. She studied at Queensland Conservatorium and at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, where she was awarded the MENSA prize for top graduating student. She won the Other Instruments section of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition and was named Most Outstanding Competitor Overall for 1985. Receiving an Australia Council Overseas Study Grant, she studied in Zurich with Thomas Indermuhle and took courses with Maurice Bourge. She won first prizes in the International Lyceum Club Competition, the International Chamber Music Competition in Martigny and Prague Spring Festival Competition of 1991, where she was awarded an additional prize for best interpretation of a Czech concerto, performing Martinů. She was joint winner of the 1995 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. Between 1990 and 1997, Diana Doherty was Principal Oboe in the Symphony Orchestra of Lucerne and a member of the Basler Kammerensemble, the Lucerne Wind Soloists and the trio La Patisserie. Her first CD of concertos by Haydn, Mozart, Martinů and Zimmerman with the Symphony Orchestra of Lucerne was released in Europe on Pan Classics in 1995. She joined the Sydney Symphony as Principal Oboe in July 1997. Her second CD, Romantic Oboe Concertos with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under Werner Andreas Albert was released on ABC Classics in 1998. She has performed with all of the Symphony Australia network orchestras, touring China with the Queensland Orchestra in 1994. She has been a soloist at the Prague Spring, MusicaRiva, Bratislava Music, Brisbane and Spoleto Festivals.