dominickdiorio
conductor composer
two letter D inside a blue circle

New album release: WHAT IS OURS

There are generally two ways one can face a crisis. One can give up, or one can persevere and use it to one’s advantage. Choir director Dominick DiOrio definitely chose the latter during the pandemic, turning his reflections and sentiments about it into a profoundly engaging, almost philosophical choral album titled WHAT IS OURS. DiOrio conjures a formidable cross-section of music by a range of contemporary composers that not only reflects the diversity and multiplicity of modern-day America, but also its underbelly of struggle, challenge, and an eventual triumph of humanity.

upcoming events

friday, march 31 2023

DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM

NOTUS

NOTUS and director Dominick DiOrio present the world premiere of IU faculty composer Chi Wang's Dynamic Equilibrium for chorus and live electronics. The program also features the world premiere of Braeden Ayres Factum est silentium, the world premiere performances of the NOTUS student composition contest prize-winning works, and consortium premieres by Christine Donkin and Christopher H. Harris, in addition to works by Gabriela Lena-Frank, Christopher Theofanidis, and Ysaÿe Barnwell.

saturday, april 15 2023

Penn Symphony Orchestra - Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony No. 2

Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia & Penn Symphony Orchestra

The Penn Symphony & conductor Thomas Hong conclude the semester with Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection." This epic work promises to encourage our audiences with hope and optimism. We will also be joined by mezzo-soprano Meg Bragle (director of Collegium Musicum singers and Opera workshop at Penn) and soprano Robin Leigh Massie (voice faculty at Westminster Choir College and Cairn University) along with the distinguished Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia (Dominick DiOrio, artistic director). Learn more here.

saturday, may 6 2023

A LIGHT HAS DAWNED

Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia

The Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia and artistic director Dominick DiOrio present Maurice Duruflé's Requiem, Op. 9 in the version for solo organ, paired with contemporary composer (and Philly native) Rex Isenberg's Messiahs: False and True, a seering account of words of prophets and leaders throughout history, featuring a narrator, solo organ, and bass drum. Solo artists to be announced. Learn more at mcchorus.org.

about dominick

dominick smiling with arms crossed

Dominick DiOrio is a conductor and composer who has won widespread acclaim for his contributions to American music. He has been recognized with The American Prizes in both Choral Composition (2014) and Choral Performance (2019, with NOTUS). In July 2020, he became the 14th Artistic Director & Conductor of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, where he has had the honor of preparing the singers for performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

DiOrio has conducted ensembles around the world, from the Houston Chamber Choir and Choral Arts Initiative in the USA to Allmänna Sången and Ars Veritas abroad. A strong advocate for new music, he has collaborated with Paquito D’Rivera, Melissa Dunphy, Tawnie Olson, Caroline Shaw, Moira Smiley, Christopher Theofanidis, and the late Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström. Committed to diversity, inclusion, and representation in artistic programming, DiOrio proudly programs works that reflect the diversity of our world.

As a composer, DiOrio has been hailed for a keenly intelligent, evocative style, which shows “a tour de force of inventive thinking and unique colour” (Gramophone). His over 50 published works have appeared at major venues around the world including the Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. He writes music for singers and players of all ages and experiences, and his recent commissioning partners include the Children’s Chorus of Washington, the Worcester Youth Orchestras, The Choral Arts Society of Washington, and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.

Since 2012, he has been a member of the faculty at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he serves as Professor of Music (Choral Conducting) and leads the select, new music chamber chorus NOTUS, one of only 24 choirs in the world selected by competitive audition to perform at the 12th World Symposium on Choral Music in Auckland, New Zealand, before it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

DiOrio recently completed a term as president of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the Yale School of Music, as well as the MMA and MM in conducting from Yale and the BM in composition summa cum laude from Ithaca College.

press

24 february 2023
CCM Chamber Choir and CYC featured in ACDA Welcome Concert

The CCM Chamber Choir and Cincinnati Youth Choir opened the performance with the premiere of "The Vast and Boundless Sky" by Dominick DiOrio. It was commissioned for the 30th anniversary of the Cincinnati Youth Choir, CCM ensemble-in-residence. Full of energy and hope, this bright work highlights the courage, creativity and pure joy that cannot be stifled by dark times.

14 march 2023
The Power of Intergenerational Music-Making

Both organizations are impactful in their own rights – combined, they can create significant change and meaningfully influence the conversation around how and why music is valuable in our communities.

recent news

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.

Fetter & Air Release with Navona Records
Fetter & Air Album Cover

An emotional and collaborative tour de force, Dominick DiOrio’s FETTER & AIR presents the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia’s own words set to a haunting soundscape that explores each member’s innermost hopes, fears, dreams, and desires. The massive undertaking is a skillful combination of 562 audio files comprising spoken word and singing by 61 chorus members, combined into a single piece by DiOrio and sound designer Justin “JG” Geller. The personal thoughts and interweaving arrangements create a raw expressiveness and intimacy, ultimately rendering a reminder of how our own stories echo within us.

Release date: January 28, 2022. Learn more and listen here.

World Premiere Virtual Release: Moira Smiley "Wire You Here"
Wire You Here

Released today, August 6, 2020: the world premiere recording and virtual release of Wire You Here by singer, composer, song-collector, and IU alumnus Moira Smiley. Recorded individually during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the work focuses on the spoken words of thirteen Indiana University students as they create art and share their anxieties and hopes in a time of disconnection and upheaval. Featuring NOTUS and produced by Moira Smiley, IU Jacobs School faculty members Dominick DiOrio and D. James Tagg, and video designer Samantha Dowd. Watch the video.

Appointment as 14th Artistic Director & Conductor of Mendelssohn Club Chorus of Philadelphia
Dominick DiOrio

On April 1, 2020, Mendelssohn Club Chorus of Philadelphia (MCC) -- one of the most historic choral organizations in the country, now in its 146th season -- announced my appointment at their 14th Artistic Director & Conductor, effective July 1. Read the full press release or visit their website to learn more. In the press release, I describe the new partnership as based on mutual values which are “grounded in an artistic vision that is aspirational, adventurous, and collaborative. ... Together, we will start a new chapter in our collective journey, one in which the music we sing is sung not only because of its greatness or beauty, but also because of its potential to touch our listeners’ hearts, to comment on our collective stories, and to reach out to those in isolation, welcoming them into a greater song of hope, a wider circle of belonging.”

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