Album Notes

Dirié’s music is known for its expressive, engaging and balanced combination of sonic explorations, enigmatic imaginary stories, and awe inspiring detail and virtuosity. Deep emotive connections run through the musicians who shape these performances, as if holding a precious thread of unspoken or fictitious traditions.

Born in Córdoba, Argentina, Gerardo Dirié studied at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Among his teachers were Argentinean maverick modernists César Franchisena and Oscar Bazán, as well as the distinguished music educator Atilio Argüello.

After several years of performing rock, early music, conducting chamber music, and teaching in Argentina, Dirié continued studies in the US, earning Master and Doctorate degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied with Eugene O'Brien and microtonal opera composer and MacArthur fellow John Eaton.

As an expert on Latin American Music, during the 1990s he served as assistant director for the Indiana University Latin American Music Center, promoted the repertoire and the composers of the Latin America providing consultation for projects with the American Composers Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the National Geographic, and the TV hit Law & Order, among incalculable number of institutions and musicians around the world.

During his residency in Indiana, he wrote music for many stage productions at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, establishing himself as an associate artist of this prime theatre company. He has designed music for directors Libby Apel, Janet Allen, and David Hochoi among others, and created tailored stage music for actors such as Mira Furlan (known to fans through Babylon 5 and Lost) and Tim Green’s monumental Almost a Holy Picture (he is widely known for his roles in Clear and Present Danger, and The Insider). Before moving to Australia, he developed several multi arts works/events in collaboration with Academy nominee singer Moira Smiley, violist Stacia Spencer, and choreographer Emily Stuart-Bogart.

Dirié’s music has been distinguished with awards from Fulbright, ASCAP, the International Tribune of Composers, the National Tribune of Electroacoustic Composers of Argentina, the National Fund for the Arts, and the Encounters of Contemporary Music Foundation. His music has been performed at Town Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Colón Theatre in Buenos Aires, the National Theatre in Taiwan, at the Istanbul International Music Festival, and numerous other concert stages throughout Europe, India, Malaysia, and all the Americas. His music appears on recordings from Aguavá, LAMC, Crystal Records, Melos, DoubleMoon, and his own label Retamas.

When time permits, Gerardo loves to play choros on the cavaquinho with his students in Brisbane, and explore musical traditions through his directing the world music ensemble at the Queensland Conservatorium.