About
Dylan Tyree is a Los Angeles and Denver-based composer, cellist, and arts administrator whose musical practice lives at the crossroads of tradition and rebellion. An eclectic artist, he seeks to craft immersive experiences that engage both performers and audiences.
Equally at home in concert halls, recording studios, and cross-genre collaborations, Dylan has built a multifaceted career as a performer. He appears as a soloist on Christopher Tin’s album Song Offerings (Decca Gold, 2025), available on all major streaming platforms. Committed to the art of collaboration, he is a member of the Empyrean Quartet and plays lead cello in Duality, a multi-genre cover band with pianist Mitchell Galligan. Passionate about bringing new music to life, he has worked closely with composers/artists including Eric Whitacre, Christopher Tin, Veronika Krausas, Samvel Krajian, Mia Asano, Roger Holland, Lucy Shelton, and Ola Gjeilo. Dylan is scheduled to tour with Brad Mehldau, Chris Thile, Matt Chamberlain, and John Davis as part of the Thornton Chamber Virtuosi in Fall 2026.
As a competition-winning composer, Dylan’s music has been presented by festivals and institutions throughout the United States and Canada. He has written music for organizations/ensembles including the Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Sunset Chamber Festival, Soaring Arts Music Collective, University of Denver, and the Elara Trio; individuals include Matthew Zalkind, Martin Kuuskmann, Joshua Felser, Zoe Weiss, and Danny McDonnall. At the core of his compositional process lies improvisation. He approaches composition as an exploratory and collaborative process, using improvisation to uncover narrative direction and architecture. This emphasis on spontaneity and storytelling inspires him to write music that invites listeners into an active, shared experience. An advocate for writing/performing new music for electric cello, he was awarded a PinS grant from the University of Denver to compose a new large-scale work for the instrument with live electronics. Most recently, he was announced as a recipient of the 2026 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. He is equally active as a composer and arranger outside of the Western classical music world, and regularly arranges rock/pop music for Duality and professional chamber music ensembles. His arrangements have been repeatedly featured at the National Western Stock Show.
A Suzuki-Certified cello instructor, Dylan’s teaching philosophy is rooted in meeting students where they are and supplying them with a meaningful music education that balances strong technical foundations with exploration, imagination, and collaboration. Alongside developing musical literacy and technical skills, he encourages students to improvise and tangibly connect to the music they study through movement, active listening, and play. He views teaching as a continual process of learning, one in which he grows alongside his students by remaining curious, adaptable, and responsive to their needs.
In 2023, Dylan co-founded the Soaring Artists Music Collective (SAMC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the bonds between diverse musical communities in Denver, CO. Recent partnerships include working with Denver Fringe Festival, Convict Coffee Company, Tenn Street Coffee and Books, St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, and Luther Strings.
Dylan is pursuing a double M.Mus. in Composition and Cello Performance at the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Donald Crockett and Ted Hearne for composition, and Seth Parker Woods for cello. He previously earned his dual B.Mus. in Cello Performance (Matthew Zalkind and Alice Yoo) and Composition (Sean Friar, Leanna Kirchoff, and Nathan Hall), as well as a certification in Suzuki Cello Pedagogy (Heather Hadley) from the University of Denver.
