"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. Partially deaf from birth, Dillon grew up in a bustling household with seven older siblings. He 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 North Carolina School of the Arts, where he has served as Music Director of the Contemporary Ensemble, Assistant Dean of Performance and Dean of the School of Music.
Dillon's music, in the words of American Record Guide, is "lovely...austere...vivid and impressive." His works are recorded by Albany Records, Channel Crossings and CRS, and published by American Composers Editions. He is represented by Jeffrey James Arts Consulting.
Checking in late (two days after his birthday) with my favorite Feldman memory: it was back in the 70s when I was a teenager -- right at that age when we were convinced we knew what was important and what was frivolous. One of us made a snorting, dismissive comment about Copland, and he fixed us with a fierce stare and said, “Never underestimate the amount of skill and concentration that Copland put into choosing every note.”
Great, great lesson, and one that has stuck with me to this day: critique the music, not the style.
