Gerardo Dirié

photo: Andrea Thompson

Gerardo Dirié was born in Cordoba, Argentina. In his youth, he played bass in instrumental rock bands and studied classical guitar, clarinet, and cornetto. He became immersed in electronic music as well as choral, folk, and early music ensembles. He graduated from the National University of Cordoba with a degree in Composition. He received a Fulbright Fellowship to study Composition at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. From 1994 to 2003, he worked as a faculty member at the Jacobs School. In 2003, he moved to Australia to take a teaching and research position in Music Theory and Composition at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. 

Dirié has received awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (United States), the National Tribune of Composers (Argentina), the National Tribune of Electroacoustic Music (Argentina), and the International Rostrum of Composers and International Forum of Electroacoustic Music (Finland). Argentina’s National Fund for the Arts awarded Dirié a grant to study Music and Mathematics, and he received a grant to study Contemporary Choral Music Conducting from the International Encounters of Contemporary Music organization. In Australia, he received the APRA-AMCOS Nomination for Best Vocal-Choral Work, and his collaboration with Karin Schaupp and Katie Noonan won the 2017 ARIA Award for Best World Music Album. 

In the 1980s, Dirié was a founding member of the innovative Collegium Center for Music Research and Education in Cordoba, where he directed its main choral ensemble. During the 1990s, he coordinated the Latin American Music Center at Indiana University. From 1993 to 1996, Dirié was an associate artist, composer, and sound designer at the Indiana Repertory Theater. He has written music for soloists and chamber ensembles, and he has composed chamber operas, electroacoustic music, choral music, and structured improvisations. His music appears on albums released by international labels, such as Crystal Records, Elektramusic, Ravello Records, Conaculta-UNAM, Eroica Recordings, and Doublemoon.

Albums

Noctuary Duos

Release Date: July 12, 2024
Catalog Number: RR8104
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Viola da gamba
NOCTUARY DUOS from composer Gerardo Dirié explores sonic worlds of shifting hues, puzzling lyricism, and dramatic trajectories. Inspired by the enigmatic beauty of the night sky and the rich astronomical knowledge of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, NOCTUARY DUOS is a collection of contemporary chamber music featuring Diego Montes on bass clarinet and Johanna Rose on viola da gamba. The compositions borrow from Gregorian chant, heavy metal, and even include a quote from Stephen Hawking and a nod to particle physics. At once playful and deeply reflective, NOCTUARY DUOS invites listeners to consider their place in the cosmos.

Concertante

Release Date: November 9, 2018
Catalog Number: RR8000
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Guitar
Percussion
Piano
While New Zealand guitarist and composer Campbell Ross cites influences as varied as Claude Bolling, Manuel Ponce and Benjamin Britten when discussing the works featured on CONCERTANTE, it is clear that his own distinctive style is manifested throughout the album. The first of CONCERTANTE’s Modern Works For Guitar opens with the three-movement Concertante for guitar, jazz trio and strings - a work that allows all of the album’s performers to be featured as soloists. Its kaleidoscopic first movement reveals elements of Latin, Blues, Jazz, and Classical genres that, when combined with the Spanish touches in the final movement, encompass the major musical styles that have influenced Ross over the past 30 years.