"There are no two points so distant from one another that they cannot be connected by a single straight line -- and an infinite number of curves."
Composer Lawrence Dillon has produced an extensive body of work, from brief solo pieces to a full-length opera. Three disks of his music are due out in 2010 on the Bridge, Albany and Naxos labels. In the past year, he has had commissions from the Emerson String Quartet, the Cassatt String Quartet, the Mansfield Symphony, the Boise Philharmonic, the Salt Lake City Symphony, the Ravinia Festival, the Daedalus String Quartet, the Kenan Institute for the Arts, the University of Utah and the Idyllwild Symphony Orchestra.
Although he lost 50% of his hearing in a childhood illness, Dillon began composing as soon as he started piano lessons at the age of seven. In 1985, he became the youngest composer to earn a doctorate at The Juilliard School, and was shortly thereafter appointed to the Juilliard faculty. Dillon is now Composer in Residence at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he has served as Music Director of the Contemporary Ensemble, Assistant Dean of Performance, and Interim Dean of the School of Music. He was the Featured American Composer in the February 2006 issue of Chamber Music magazine.
Just back from Boston and a lovely (and rare) opportunity to perform with my wife. She’s a fantastic flutist and I am a mediocre pianist, so I always feel like I’m holding her back a bit, but it’s still a great pleasure to share the stage from time to time. The piece was a slight work of mine, suitable for a mediocre keyboard player -- so it’s fair to say that the performance was masterful.
Another highlight of the trip was the chance to visit with my sister in Jamaica Plain and take a long walk through the Arboretum on Saturday morning, passing through a thousand lilacs with pointed blossoms and heart-shaped leaves.
Tonight’s the premiere of my Sonata: Motion for flute and piano. It’s going to be played by Tadeu Coelho and Allison Gagnon. I heard a rehearsal last Thursday that reminded me how fortunate I am to have such unbelievable artists dedicate so much time and hard work to my music. Allison is a pianist of tremendous sensitivity, and Tadeu makes everything look easy. You can never tell when he is circular breathing: there’s no break in the sound or sign of effort.
The premiere of Blown Away went very well on Friday night, according to the disk I received yesterday. I’m very happy with the piece. It was my first attempt at writing for wind ensemble, so I was ready for disappointment -- I wasn’t sure I had a secure grasp of the medium. But it worked beautifully, and it was also an excellent learning opportunity for me, if I ever decide to write for wind ensemble again.
Heard a rehearsal of another piece of mine yesterday, one that’s slated for a premiere next week -- but more on that later.
posted by Lawrence Dillon
7:14 AM
