(b. 29 October 1950, Glasgow, Scotland).
British composer of mostly orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and piano works that have been performed throughout the world.
Mr. Dillon is self-taught as a composer. He had early experiences with traditional music for bagpipes and played with his band Influx in the late 1960s. He studied art and design at the Glasgow School of Art in 1968, linguistics at University College London in 1970 and piano with Eleanor Purse in 1970–71. He later studied acoustics at the University of North London in 1971, rhythms of music from India with Punita Gupta in 1971–72 and mathematics with Gordon Millar at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London in 1972 and attended seminars on computer music at IRCAM in Paris in 1984–85. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Huddersfield in 2003.
Among his honours are First Prize in the competition of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in West Yorkshire (1978), the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt (1982), the title Classical Musician of the Year from The Sunday Times in London (1989), a fellowship from the Japan Foundation in Tōkyō (1996), and five prizes in the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards (Chamber-Scale Composition, 1997, for Traumwerk, Book 1; Chamber-Scale Composition, 2002, for The Book of Elements 5; Chamber-Scale Composition, 2005, for String Quartet No. 4; Large-Scale Composition, 2010, for Nine Rivers; Chamber-Scale Composition, 2017, for Tanz/Haus: triptych 2017). Retrospectives of his music have been given in Paris (1985), Oslo (1989), Toulouse (1991), Brussels (1992), and New York, New York (2001).
He taught at the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt from 1982–92, directed the faculty of composition at the Gothenburg Summer Academy in 1991 and served as co-composer-in-residence with Brian Ferneyhough at the Fondation Royaumont in 1996. He taught as a guest composer at Goldsmiths, University of London in 1989–90 and in 1991–92 and at Birmingham City University in 1993–94 and in 1995–96. He taught as International Distinguished Fellow at New York University in 2001–02. He later taught as Professor of Composition at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis from 2007–14, now emeritus. He has given guest lectures in Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA.
His publisher is Edition Peters.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Philomela (music/théâtre in 5 acts, text by the composer, after Sophocles, Thales of Miletus, Eva Hesse, R. Buckminster Fuller), soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass-baritone, small orchestra (flute [+ piccolo, alto flute, bass flute], oboe [+ English horn], clarinet [+ bass clarinet], alto saxophone, bassoon [+ contrabassoon], French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, harp, piano [+ celesta], accordion, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass), fixed media, live electronics, film, 2002–04
ORCHESTRAL:
Windows and Canopies, small orchestra (20 players), 1985
Überschreiten, small orchestra (16 players), 1986
helle Nacht, large orchestra (90 players), 1986–87
Introitus – Nine Rivers 8, 11/12 strings, fixed media, live electronics, 1989–90
ignis noster, large orchestra (100 players), 1991–92
Blitzschlag, flute, large orchestra (66 players), 1988–96
Via Sacra, large orchestra (80 players), 1999
Concerto, violin, large orchestra (79 players), 2000
La Navette, large orchestra, 2000–01
Physis I & II, large orchestra (84 players), 2004–05
Andromeda, piano, large orchestra (80 players), 2004–06
torii, small orchestra (17 players), 2009–10
White Numbers, large orchestra (77 players), 2010–11
THE GATES, string quartet, large orchestra (80 players), 2016
Pharmakeia, small orchestra (16 players), 2016–20 (two of its four sections may be performed separately: [1] Temenos, 2020; [3] Circe, 2016)
Polyptych: Mnemosyne... (Acts of Memory and Mourning), orchestra (8 winds, 2 flügelhorns, 2 bass trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, harp, 2 pianos [both + electronic keyboard], 3 percussion, 11 strings), 2021–22
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Crossing Over, clarinet, 1978
Ti.re-Ti.ke-Dha, drum kit, 1979
...Once upon a Time, alto flute (+ piccolo), oboe (+ English horn), clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, double bass, 1980
Parjanya-Vata, cello, 1981
East 11th St. NY 10003 – Nine Rivers 1, 6 percussion, 1982
String Quartet No. 1, 1983
Zone (...de azul), clarinet, French horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, piano, 1983
Le Rivage, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute), oboe, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), French horn, bassoon, 1984
Sgothan, flute, 1984
Diffraction, piccolo, 1984
Shrouded Mirrors, guitar, 1988
Del Cuarto Elemento, violin, 1988
L'ÉCRAN parfum – Nine Rivers 2, 6 violins, 3 percussion, 1988
La Femme invisible – Nine Rivers 4, flute (+ piccolo), alto flute (+ bass flute), oboe, English horn (+ oboe), clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 soprano saxophones (2nd + alto saxophone), piano, 3 percussion, 1989
L'Œuvre au Noir – Nine Rivers 6, bass flute (+ alto flute, piccolo, triangle), bassoon (+ contrabassoon, crotales), tenor-bass trombone, bass trombone, harp (+ sleigh bells), 2 percussion, 2 cellos (1st + rainstick, 2nd + crotales), double bass (+ sleigh bells), live electronics, 1990
éileadh sguaibe – Nine Rivers 7, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, tenor-bass trombone, bass trombone, tuba, 2 percussion, live electronics, 1990
String Trio, violin, viola, cello, 1990–91
nuée, bass clarinet, 2 percussion ad libitum, 1991 (section of L'Évolution du vol; may be performed separately)
String Quartet No. 2, 1991
Siorram, viola, 1992
Lumen naturæ, violin, viola, cello, 1992
Vernal Showers, violin, ensemble (flute [+ piccolo, alto flute], oboe, harp, guitar, mandolin, harpsichord, percussion, viola, cello, double bass), 1992
l'ascension, 2 percussion, 1993 (section of L'Évolution du vol; may be performed separately)
le vent, l'arbre et le temps, double bass, 1993 (section of L'Évolution du vol; may be performed separately)
Redemption, clarinet, violin, piano, 1995
Traumwerk, Book 1, 2 violins, 1995–96
Todesengel, clarinet, vibraphone, 1996
String Quartet No. 3, 1998
Eos, cello, 1999
La Coupure – Nine Rivers 5, percussion, live electronics, film, 1989–2000
Two Studies, accordion, 2001
Traumwerk, Book 2, violin, harpsichord, 2001
Traumwerk, Book 3, violin, piano, 2001–02
The Soadie Waste, piano, string quartet, 2002–03
Diogenes, bass clarinet, 2005
The Magic Stick, piano, percussion, 2005
String Quartet No. 4, 2005
The Hesperides, cello, piano, 2007
Theatrum: figuræ, oboe (+ English horn), clarinet (+ contrabass clarinet), bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, 2 percussion, 2007
String Quartet No. 5, 2003–08
The Leuven Triptych, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute, bass flute), oboe (+ English horn), clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet), bassoon, trombone, harp, electric guitar, piano (+ synthesizer), percussion, cello, double bass, live electronics, 2008–09
String Quartet No. 6, 2010
Oslo/Triptych, flute (+ piccolo, bass flute, shortwave radio), clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, shortwave radio), piano (+ harmonium/synthesizer), percussion (+ shortwave radio, voice transformer), 2 violins, viola, cello, 2011
New York Triptych, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute, bass flute), oboe (+ English horn), clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet), piano (+ electronic keyboard), percussion, violin, viola, cello, shortwave radio, fixed media, 2011–12
String Quartet No. 7, 2013
Darkroom, piccolo, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, 2015
...from three angles, bass clarinet, 2015
String Quartet No. 8, 2016–17
Tanz/Haus: triptych 2017, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute), clarinet (+ bass clarinet), electric guitar, piano (+ harpsichord), accordion, percussion, violin, cello, double bass, fixed media, 2017
String Quartet No. 9, 2018
The Freiburg Diptych, violin, fixed media, live electronics, 2019
EMBLEMATA: Carnival (15 Character Pieces for 6 Players), flute, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), piano (+ electronic keyboard), percussion, violin, cello, 2020
The Acrobat, accordion, electronic organ (+ electronic keyboard), percussion, 2022
CHORAL:
Viriditas – Nine Rivers 3, 16 mixed voices, 1993–94
Oceanos – Nine Rivers 9, 16 mixed voices, orchestra, live electronics, 1985–96
Hyades, 12 mixed voices, 1998
residue..., 24 mixed voices, 1998–99
Vapor (text by Titus Lucretius Carus), 4 mixed voices, string quartet, 1999
Stabat Mater Dolorosa, 12 mixed voices, flute (+ piccolo, bass flute), clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet), bassoon (+ contrabassoon), trumpet, trombone, electric guitar, piano (+ electronic keyboard), percussion, violin, cello, double bass, live electronics, 2013–14
VOCAL:
Who do you love, female voice, flute (+ piccolo, bass flute), clarinet, violin (+ viola), cello, percussion, 1980–81
Evening Rain, any voice, 1981
Come live with me (text from the Song of Solomon), female voice, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute), oboe (+ oboe d'amore, English horn), piano, percussion, 1981–82
A Roaring Flame (texts by Alexander Carmichael, Clara d'Anduza), female voice, double bass, 1981–82
Time Lag Zero (text from the Song of Solomon), female voice, viola, 1982
L'Évolution du vol, female voice (+ hurdy-gurdy), E-flat clarinet (+ bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet), double bass, piano (+ harmonium), 2 percussion, 1991–93 (sections 2–7 of its eight sections may be performed separately: l'homme et la vérité, female voice, piano; l'ascension; l'être-ange, female voice [+ hurdy-gurdy], E-flat clarinet; nuée; descente/désir, female voice, bass clarinet, double bass; le vent, l'arbre et le temps)
...Upon the Cloudy Night (text by William Blake), countertenor, piano, 2009
The Louth Work (Orphic Fragments) (text from various sources assembled by the composer), soprano, clarinet, viola, cello, percussion, fixed media, 2016
PIANO:
Dillug-Kefitsah, 1976
Spleen, 1980
black/nebulae, 2 pianos, 1995
The Book of Elements 1, 1997
The Book of Elements 3, 2000
The Book of Elements 2, 2001
The Book of Elements 4, 2002
The Book of Elements 5, 2002
Charm, 2009
Dragonfly, 2009
Fūjin, 2010
'echo the angelus', 2016
amethyst, 2018
Purple Blooms and Scarlet Stains, 2018
Lament ('Ae, fareweel, and then forever'), 2022
HARPSICHORD:
Birl, 1986
TV PRODUCTION (DIRECTOR):
Temp'est, female voice, piccolo, flute, oboe, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, bass trombone, electric guitar, piano, 2 percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 1994 (Simon Reynell)