dominickdiorio
conductor composer
two letter D inside a blue circle

Philadelphia Orchestra Premiere

My original work A Home Is Found at Christmas will see its Philadelphia premiere performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia on December 14th and 15th as part of "The Glorious Sound of Christmas," a series of concerts made famous by Eugene Ormandy's recording of many years ago. William Eddins conducts the performances, with the Mendelssohn Chorus prepared by yours truly.

upcoming events

friday, january 24 2025

NOTUS: Voices & Video Games

NOTUS * Dominick DiOrio, conductor

NOTUS and an ensemble of IU student instrumentalists join forces with student arrangers from the Music in Games Society to put on a concert of video game music featuring haunting and powerful vocal tracks from today's most popular games. Free and open to all.

Never One Thing

saturday, february 22 2025

NEVER ONE THING

Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia * Heather Mitchell, associate artistic director

Never One Thing invites you on a transformative musical journey that celebrates diversity, reflection, and the power of change. In her debut as Associate Artistic Director, Heather Mitchell presents a captivating program that weaves together a tapestry of sound, emotion, and thought-provoking themes. From the triumphant Song of Miriam by Franz Schubert to the haunting beauty of Randall Thompson's Alleluia, to the contemporary resonance of Vienna Teng's Hymn of Acxiom, this concert promises to challenge and inspire. More information here.

thursday, march 6 2025

The Theory of Five Elements: Gold (The Metal Tale)

Laxian Youth Chorus - Hong Qingxing, conductor

The Laxian Youth Chorus will present a selection of exciting repertoire from the 19th century to the present day, singing the "gold" from around the world, featuring my work The Red-Gold Darkness of Rain. More information here.

about dominick

dominick smiling with arms crossed

Recognized with The American Prizes in both Choral Composition (2014) and Choral Performance (2019, with NOTUS), Dominick DiOrio is an energetic conductor and composer who has won widespread acclaim for his contributions to American music. He is professor of music and chair of the department in choral conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he joined the faculty in 2012, and where he serves as director of NOTUS.

DiOrio also serves as the fourteenth artistic director and conductor of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, where he regularly prepares the chorus to sing with The Philadelphia Orchestra, including a "near ideal" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) performance of Carmina burana in March 2024 with conductor Fabio Luisi. DiOrio’s guest conducting appearances regularly feature his original compositions, including in April 2024 when he had the honor of writing original music for William Shatner, part of a spoken-word performance at IU’s Memorial Stadium moments before the total solar eclipse.

DiOrio’s original music has been hailed for its keenly intelligent, evocative style, which shows “a tour de force of inventive thinking and unique colour” (Gramophone). His over 60 published works have appeared at major venues around the world including the Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, as well as internationally.

He composes for musicians of all ages and experiences and has completed over 70 commissions in the last decade. Some recent commissioning partners include the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and the San Francisco Symphony, the Children’s Chorus of Washington, the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble & Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, The Choral Arts Society of Washington, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and many academic institutions.

DiOrio is deeply committed to strengthening the profession by empowering others, and he recently completed a four-year term as president and president-elect of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (2018-22), for which he was honored with NCCO's inaugural Distinguished Service Award. DiOrio has also served as chair of ACDA’s Composition Initiatives Standing Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors for Chorus America. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music, as well as the M.M.A. and M.M. in Conducting from Yale and the B.M. in Composition summa cum laude from Ithaca College.

press

07 november 2024
Camerata Ama Deus celebrates Vivaldi at St. Martin’s Church

"In her score, Snider displays a delicate ear for the texture of choral writing, an imaginative feel for harmony and a lilting lyricism that sets the mood of the text beautifully. DiOrio led the Mendelssohn Chorus and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with technical command and emotional vitality, eliciting a stirring ovation from the audience that nicely filled Holy Trinity’s stately Victorian/Romanesque sanctuary."

19 december 2024
Piffaro, The Crossing celebrate the holidays on the Hill

From start to finish, this year’s edition of “A Feast of Carols” was performed at the highest level I can ever remember the Mendelssohn Chorus singing. Ensemble, tuning, blend, diction and balance were consistently immaculate.

recent news

Philadelphia Orchestra Premiere

My original work A Home Is Found at Christmas will see its Philadelphia premiere performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia on December 14th and 15th, 2024 as part of "The Glorious Sound of Christmas," a series of concerts made famous by Eugene Ormandy's recording of many years ago. William Eddins conducts the performances, with the Mendelssohn Chorus prepared by yours truly.

NOTUS to perform with William Shatner for IU's Eclipse celebration
William Shatner. Photo by Jason Shook.

Beloved actor William Shatner, an Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner best known for his role as Captain Kirk in “Star Trek,” will deliver a spoken-word performance on April 8th at Indiana University's Memorial Stadium before the total eclipse of the sun. Shatner’s spoken-word performance will be a collaboration with students and faculty from the IU Jacobs School of Music. It will include new original music written for the occasion by Dominick DiOrio, performed by student musicians from NOTUS, the Jacobs School’s internationally renowned contemporary vocal ensemble. Read the press release here.

NOTUS @ NCCO10 National Conference

NOTUS has been selected to be one of the performing ensembles for the National Collegiate Choral Organization's 10th Biennial Conference at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia: "Coming Home." DiOrio and NOTUS will present a program of music titled "America in Progress," which includes selections from NOTUS' recent album What Is Ours. Featured composers include Reena Esmail, Moira Smiley, IU alumni Kahan Taraporevala and Alex Berko, and DiOrio's own A Chain is Broken. Read more about NCCO10.

NOTUS second album release: "What Is Ours"
What Is Ours

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music new music chamber chorus NOTUS recently released its second album, “What Is Ours: Music for an America in Progress,” on Navona Records. The recording is available on numerous digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. Learn more.

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dominick smiling and looking out