Dominick DiOrio
Dominick DiOrio (he/him) 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, now in its 150th season, where he has had the honor of preparing the singers for performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra. In April 2024, he will have the honor of conducting his original music with NOTUS to accompany William Shatner’s spoken-word performance during the total solar eclipse at the Indiana University Memorial Stadium in front of tens of thousands of people.
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 premiered over 50 original works, and he has collaborated with Paquito D’Rivera, Melissa Dunphy, Marques L.A. Garrett, Han Lash, Caroline Shaw, Moira Smiley, and Christopher Theofanidis. Committed to diversity and inclusion 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, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He writes music for singers and players of all ages and experiences, and his recent commissioning partners include the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (for performance with the San Francisco Symphony), 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 choral conducting faculty at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he serves as Professor of Music and leads the select, new music vocal ensemble 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. NOTUS’ most recent album with Navona Records is What is Ours: Music for an America in Progress, which celebrates the diversity of American composers writing music today.
DiOrio recently completed a term as president of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (2018-2022). For his leadership during the pandemic, he was honored with NCCO’s inaugural Distinguished Service Award. DiOrio has also previously served as treasurer of NCCO, as chair of ACDA’s Composition Initiatives Standing Committee, and as a member of the board of directors for Chorus America. 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.