Donald E. Dillard
Donald Eugene Dillard was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and received his early education in the Philadelphia Public Schools. His early musical training included study with concert pianist Charles Engel at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He received a full Philadelphia Board of Education Scholarship to West Chester University, where he was a double major in piano and voice, studying piano with Charles Sprenkle and voice with Dr. Frank T. Cheeseman.
After teaching music in several Philadelphia area schools, Donald pursued graduate studies at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he also served as Graduate Teaching Assistant in Music Theory and received the Master of Music degree. He has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the National Association of Negro Musicians. His teaching positions include West Chester University, Villanova University, and the Academy of the New Church High School, and College. He has served as Director of Music and Organist at churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, and California.
Donald is a composer of works for solo voice, instruments, choral, piano, organ, various ensembles, and orchestra, producing over 180 compositions in these disciplines, in styles ranging from classical to gospel and jazz, and exploring various techniques of modern composition. His works have been performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, and venues in Europe, Japan, Canada, and South America. His symphonic works have been performed by the Detroit Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Delaware County Symphony, the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, and by members of the Indianapolis Symphony, the Lafayette Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Donald Eugene Dillard was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and received his early education in the Philadelphia Public Schools. His early musical training included study with concert pianist Charles Engel at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He received a full Philadelphia Board of Education Scholarship to West Chester University, where he was a double major in piano and voice, studying piano with Charles Sprenkle and voice with Dr. Frank T. Cheeseman.
After teaching music in several Philadelphia area schools, Donald pursued graduate studies at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he also served as Graduate Teaching Assistant in Music Theory and received the Master of Music degree. He has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the National Association of Negro Musicians. His teaching positions include West Chester University, Villanova University, and the Academy of the New Church High School, and College. He has served as Director of Music and Organist at churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, and California.
Donald is a composer of works for solo voice, instruments, choral, piano, organ, various ensembles, and orchestra, producing over 180 compositions in these disciplines, in styles ranging from classical to gospel and jazz, and exploring various techniques of modern composition. His works have been performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, and venues in Europe, Japan, Canada, and South America. His symphonic works have been performed by the Detroit Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Delaware County Symphony, the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, and by members of the Indianapolis Symphony, the Lafayette Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.