Paul Dice

BIOGRAPHY

After many years of playing in rock and jazz bands throughout the Midwest and New England, Paul Dice committed himself to composition and studied at the Boston Conservatory of Music with Joel Kabakov, privately in Boston with John Clement Adams, and with Lou Harrison at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida and in California. His commissions include those from the American Composers Forum, Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble, the experimental vocal ensemble Listen, Chinese pipa (lute) artist Gao Hong, Chinese guzheng (zither) artist Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu, the Edina Concert Orchestra, the Chinese Heritage Foundation, and Fedogan & Bremer Publishing among others. Dice has received numerous grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and McKnight Established Artist Awards from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council. Finding enjoyment in composing for foreign or unusual instruments, Dice has composed for western symphonies, chamber ensembles and soloists; traditional Chinese and Japanese instruments; Indonesian gamelan; Philippine kulintang; toy piano: accordion; melodica; metal sculpture, harmonic singers and more. His music is primarily inspired by movements and sounds found in nature, and techniques and practices used in other art forms or cultural traditions that he adapts for use in his own special brand of music.

Dice’s music has been performed in China, Vietnam, Australia, Russia and the US at the Beijing Modern Music Festival, Carolina Chamber Music Festival, TUTTI Festival, Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society, Central Conservatory, a nationwide guqin (ancient zither) conference at East China Jiaotong University in Nanchang, China; World Music Institute (NYC); Brown University; UNLV; University of Pittsburgh; Macalester College; Carleton College; Coe College; Cincinnati Art Museum; Walker Art Center; Denver Art Museum; Orchestra Hall (Minneapolis); Ted Mann Hall (Minneapolis); Landmark Center (St. Paul); and numerous other locations. Performers of his music include the Filarmonica Quartet of Novosibirsk (Russia), Sybarite5, Sydney Contemporary Orchestra, Oneota Valley Community Orchestra, Kenwood Chamber Orchestra, Edina Concert Orchestra, LEVEN String Quartet (China), Julius Quartet (Dallas), a string quartet comprised of members of the Minnesota Orchestra; violinists Catherine French and Rachel Harmatuk Pino, violist Amadi Azikiwe, and cellist Jennifer Lucht at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival; Thomas Piercy (Japanese hichiriki); Luna Nova; cellist Craig Hultgren; pianists Ronan Apcar (Australia), Shirley Weston, and Xin-Yan Chan; violinists Marion Kroska and Gary Schulte; Heartland Marimba, Spirit of Nature (professional Chinese ensemble); Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble, Chinese musicians Chen Tao (dizi), Liu Li (guqin), Cao Dewei (erhu), Chen Xiangyang (yangqin), Gao Hong (pipa) and others.

In 2009 Dice became the only foreigner to be commissioned by a new program at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing designed to encourage composers to combine western and traditional Chinese instruments in their works. In 2016 he was awarded a Dunhuang Cup in China for his composition Back to the Bass Licks for guqin (ancient Chinese zither) and bass.

Dice was Music Advisor for the six-part TPT-PBS series Made in China, English editor for the Hal Leonard Pipa Method Book written by Gao Hong, and producer of several world music albums published by ARC Music (UK); innova (US), Indigenous Treasures (US), and IFTPA (US). Dice was also an Artist-in Residence at the Xian Conservatory, a member of the 1992 People to People Citizen Ambassador Program Music of the Minorities Delegation to China and Kazakhstan, and presented papers at Chinese and ethnomusicology conferences in Chicago and Rock Island, Illinois; Heidelberg, Germany; and Wuxi, China. He was the only foreign judge for the 2021 Dunhuang Cup Composition Competition (China) and has served as a panelist for the Minnesota State Arts Board and Iowa Composers Forum and curator for MNSpin. Dice was a founder and former vice president of the Minnesota Gamelan Society and is the founder and president of International Friendship Through the Performing Arts, a nonprofit organization that promotes intercultural friendship, understanding and interaction through activities in the performing arts. He was also hired to write program notes for Minnesota Orchestra’s Lunar New Year concerts in 2022 and 2023.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL : https://www.youtube.com/@pauldicecomposer

PODCAST : Techniques and Ideas Used in Gulls Circling a Bay : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pn4NvGquwtZspeytt-8zMXCDUAnnR-uH/view?usp=sharing

AUDIO STORY ON KBEM-FM

Covid-19 Gives Paul Dice the Opportunity to Compose but not Perform Musical Compositions

Hosted by Phil Nusbaum

https://beta.prx.org/stories/327952?fbclid=IwAR2E3gBqPQyBRG_0ID_COBjsJFXGDWQTTmtGGb2Vw_17M76tszYjVhP7Tq8

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2024 NEW COMPOSITIONS YET TO BE PERFORMED

Children of the Lost For flute, mezzo-soprano and piano.

Angelic Creatures Alighting from Above For viola, cello and piano

Road Trip For wind band.

River Cruise at Midnight For 7 flutes.

Journey Along the Grand Canal For string orchestra.

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SELECTED LIST OF PERFORMED COMPOSITIONS

Road Trip (2023)

For English horn, horn, piano and cello. Premiered during Luna Nova’s 3-city Iowa tour in September 2023 at Saint Ambrose University, Davenport; the Porter House Museum, Decorah; and Cedar Rock in Quasqueton. Performed by Michelle Vigneau, English horn; Robert G. Patterson, horn; Craig Hultgren, cello; anf Perry Mears ll, piano.

Hops and Quivers (2023)

For melodica. Premiered virtually on April 21, 2024 and recorded by David Bohn for inclusion on an upcoming Vox Novus album.

Between the Stars (2019, 2020, 2022)

Original version for Chinese erhu (fiddle) and yangqin (hammered dulcimer) premiered by Cao Dewei, erhu; and Chen Xiangyan, yangqin on Friday May 3, 2019 at Kracum Performance Hall, Carleton College, Northfield, MN; and was also featured in the 2020 ICF Digital Festival of New Music. String quartet version premiered by the Julius Quartet at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Version for violin and bass premiered October 30, 2022 at the University of North Georgia. Funded through a 2019 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant.

Encounter (2018, 2022)

Solo pipa (Chinese 4-stringed pear-shaped lute) version performed by Gao Hong in 8 southeastern Minnesota locations during her 2018 tour and commissioned by Gao Hong with funds from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council. Pipa and dizi version commissioned by Gao Hong and Chen Tao with funds from a Creative Support for Individuals Grant from Minnesota State Arts Board.

Final Thoughts (2022)

For Japanese taishogoto (keyed zither). Workshopped and recorded by David Bohn for inclusion on an upcoming Vox Novus album.

Dance of the Ghost Crab (2022)

For Toy Piano. Recorded by David Bohn for “One Minute More:Toy Piano” YouTube channel.

Opening New Doors (2022)

For Japanese hichiriki (wind instrument). Live premiere performance on April 13, 2024 in Hanoi, Vietnam by Thomas Piercy. Virtual premiere by Thomas Piercy as part of Vox Novus’ Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame program through Virtual Concert Halls.

Variations on a Theme by Alida Dice (2021)

For piano. Premiered on January 30, 2022 at Iowa Composer Forum’s Pedagogical Piano Concert at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bettendorf, Iowa by Xin-Yan Chan. Subsequent performances in Sydney, Australia by Ronan Apcar, and at February 15 and March 21, 2024 concerts at Murrayville Library Auditorium in Gainesville, Georgia by Diana Peoples. A recording will also be included as part of a NACUSATHON installation at NACUSA’s 2024 National Conference at the University of North Georgia.

Hops and Scampers (2021)

For piano. Premiered by Ronan Apcar at TLC Theatre in Sydney, Australia.

Searching for Answers (2021)

For Japanese hichiriki. Premiered by Thomas Piercy on Composers Voice broadcast, June, 2021.

Gulls Circling a Bay (1991, revised 2016, 2020) 


String quartet version premiered in 1994 by the Filarmonica Quartet of Novosibirsk, in Novosibirsk, Russia. Subsequent performances at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and at the 2017 Carolina Chamber Music Festival. Also chosen for reading session by the Arditti Quartet (England). A version with Chinese pipa (lute) was premiered at the 2017 Minnesota Orchestra Donor Party at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis by Gao Hong on pipa and members of the Minnesota Orchestra. A version for string quintet (with added bass) was premiered by Sybarite5 at the closing concert of the 2020 TUTTI Festival in Ohio, and was featured in the 2020 ICF Digital Festival of New Music.

Staying at Home (2020)

For chamber orchestra. Premiered June 5, 2022 by Oneota Valley Community Orchestra, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. Subsequent performance by the Sydney Contemporary Orchestra at TLC Theare in Sydney, Australia. Broadcast on KBEM-FM, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and “Classical Discoveries.” WPRB 103.3 FM, Princeton, New Jersey.

Portrait (1979, revised 2018)

For solo piano. Premiered in 1981 by Shirley Weston, piano, at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Subsequent performances by Ronan Apcar at the TLC Theatre in Sydney, Australia and at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Broadcasts on Minnesota Public Radio’s Music in Minnesota, KFAI-FM in Minneapolis and NACUSA Web Radio.

Back to the Bass Licks (2016)

For guqin (ancient Chinese zither) and bass. Premiered at a 2016 international guqin conference held at East China Jiaotong University in Nanchang, China, and also performed at the 2017 Beijing Modern Music Festival. Performed by Sun Ying, guqin, and Zeng Zi Heng, bass. Winner of a Dunhuang Cup. Score published by the Central Conservatory of Music.

Pitter-Patter (2014)

For Chinese dizi (bamboo flute), pipa (lute), erhu (fiddle), guzheng (zither), yangqin (hammered dulcimer) and Chinese percussion. Included on the EP New Music for Chinese Instruments (Indigenous Treasures).

Father and Son Mock Fishing at Duck Creek (2014)

For Chinese dizi (bamboo flute), pipa (lute), erhu (fiddle), guzheng (zither), guqin (ancient 7-string zither), and muyu. (wood blocks). Premiered 2014 by the Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble, Carleton Concert Hall, Northfield, MN; subsequent performance in 2014 by Spirit of Nature at Macalester College, St. Paul, MN. Commissioned by Carleton College Chinese Music Ensemble with funds from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council. Included on the EP New Music for Chinese Instruments (Indigenous Treasures), and the album Music from China and Beyond .

Birds in Flight (2011)

For pipa (Chinese lute) and string quartet. Commissioned by the Central of Music (CCOM), Beijing. Premiered in 2011 by Gao Hong, pipa, and the string quartet, Leven, at the CCOM Concert Hall, Beijing. Subsequent performance of the first movement at the 2017 Minnesota Orchestra Donor Party at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis. Score published by the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing.

Meeting a Dear Friend (1993)

For solo pipa. Premiered 1994 by Gao Hong during her 10-city U.S. tour with performances in Denver, Scranton, Cleveland, Pittsburg; Geneva, NYC, Islip, and Albany, NY; and Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. Commissioned by the Minnesota Composers Forum’s Composer Commissioning Program.

Celebrating New Friendships (1990)

For string orchestra and Chinese music ensemble. Premiered 1991 by the Edina Concert Orchestra and Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble in Edina, Minnesota. Commissioned by the Edina Concert Orchestra.

Floodwaters (1990)

For Chinese sheng (mouth organ), erhu (fiddle), dizi (bamboo flute), guzheng (zither), and percussion. Premiered 1990 by the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble at Ted Mann Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, with the composer performing the sheng part.

A Race Through Time (1989)

For 2 narrators and keyboards. John Arthur and Martha Nelson, narrators; Paul Dice, keyboards. Based on the short story A Race Through Time by Donald Wandrei. Premiered at the 1989 book release party for Colossus: The Collected Science Fiction of Donald Wandrei at Bakken Library in Minneapolis. Commissioned by Fedogan & Bremer Publishing.

The Music He Paints (1989)

Musical Impressions of a painting in stages. A multimedia collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Rodger Gerberding. Premiered in 1989 at a writer/artists convention in St. Paul, MN. Music broadcast on KFAI-FM Radio, Minneapolis.

A Futurist Game of Tang (1989)

For Philippine kulintang. Performed at a workshop at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, by Filipino composer Jose Maceda.

Twilight (1988)


For baritone and soprano harmonic singers. Commissioned by Listen. Premiered by Monica Maye, soprano, David Harris, baritone, at Red Eye Collaboration Theater, Minneapolis.

Moon Phases: Odden Opus I (1987)

For metal sculpture. Paul Dice performed on the metal sculpture Moon Phases created by multidisciplinary artist Mike Odden at several writers/artists conventions in the Midwest as well as at the Minnesota State Fair, Bloomington Art Center, and Metropolitan State Univeristy in Minneapolis with the improvisational group AIRE (Artist Interdisciplinary Repertory Ensemble) with painters Rodger Gerberding and Mike Odden, and writer/storyteller Ed Shannon.

The Will of Erich Zann (1986)

For 2 violins and harmonic singer. Premiered at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in 1987 by Marion Judish and Gary Schulte, violins; and David Harris, harmonic singer. Subsequent performances at Cincinnati Museum of Art and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Included on the album Fungi From Yuggoth DELUXE 2 disk set published by Fedogan and Bremer.. Broadcast on These Thing Happen on KFAI-FM, Minneapolis, with host John Brower.

The Festival (1986)

For piano. Premiered by Paul Dice at the Palmer House in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Subsequent performances at Brown University, Providence, RI; Quaker Meeting House, Madison, WI; and Palmer House, Chicago. Included on the album Fungi From Yuggoth DELUXE 2 disk set published by Fedogan and Bremer. Broadcast on These Thing Happen on KFAI-FM, Minneapolis, with host John Brower.

Gending for New Friends (1986)

For Javanese Gamelan. Recorded by Lou Harrison, Bill Colvig and friends on the Gamelan Is Betty in Aptros, California. Daniel Schmidt, Director. Composed during study with Lou Harrison at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in new Syrian Beach, Florida.

Magician (1986)

For solo piano. Inspired by the ink drawing The Enigmatic Conjuror by Jon Arfstrom. Premiered and recorded by Paul Dice in Minneapolis in 1986. Included on the cassette recording The Festival (now out-of-print). Performances by Dice include writers/artists conventions throughout the Midwest and Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Broadcast on These Things Happen with host John Brower on KFAI-FM Radio in Minneapolis.

Momentary Release (1985)

For accordion. Performed by Guy Klucevsek at a Minnesota Composers Forum workshop in Minneapolis.

Irish Fantasies (1971)

For solo piano. Premiered by Paul Dice in 1973 at LeClaire Park Bandshell in Davenport, Iowa, during a rainstorm that interrupted a performance by the band, Stoneking. It was later recorded with vocals by the band, Ivory Coast.

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2024 UPDATES

In every month this year so far, Paul Dice’s music has been either performed live or virtually and/or recorded for upcoming albums or YouTube channels. Included have been pieces for toy piano, taishogoto (Japanese keyed zither) and melodica written for David Bohn, a performance by Thomas Piercy in Hanoi, Vietnam of Dice’s Opening New Doors for hichiriki (Japanese wind instrument), and two performances by Diana Peoples in Georgia of his solo piano piece Variations on a Theme by Alida Dice (Paul’s daughter). An audio of the piece performed by Australian pianist Ronan Apcar is included on the 2024 NACUSATHON YouTube compilation.. Dice also traveled with his wife, Gao Hong, to The Netherlands, London, Washington, D.C. and Anchorage for performances of her compositions and her performance as a pipa soloist with the South Netherlands Philharmonic on Tan Dun’s Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa . Due to the enthusiastic applause and multiple curtain calls she also played her own composition Silk Road as an encore at each performance. While in London, Dice also took a “surprise” trip to Rome with his daughter as an early Father’s Day present. In June, Dice will return as a judge for the Dunhuang Cup Composition Competition in China, and in August and early September he will be a judge for instrumental performance competitions in Asia.

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CONTACT:

itreasures2@yahoo.com

(952) 210-3628