Dirk Hillyer

Conductor, musician, arts advocate and mentor, Maestro Dirk Hillyer is fast becoming one of the most recognizable figures on Boston's North Shore. He brings a full resume of musical experience to one of the nation's great cultural area. The multi-faceted musician possesses conducting and performance credentials that include the most popular works of classical music, opera and musical theatre. From Autumn Leaves to Hello Dolly to Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the talented Maestro Hillyer provides musical versatility for any event.

Maestro Dirk Hillyer brings a wealth of musical experience and expertise to the podium.  A professor in Salem State College's Music Department since 1985, Dr. Hillyer maintains an active performance schedule as both a French horn player and a conductor.  He is a member of the Boston Lyric Opera orchestra and the Boston Virtuosi and performs regularly with other orchestras throughout the New England region. 

In February 2003 he directed The Merry Widow for New England Light Opera to critical acclaim from Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe.  Dr. Hillyer was invited by Richard Conrad in September 2003 to conduct Wagner's Siegfried Idyll for a WagnerFest inaugurating Conrad's new opera company The Bostonians.  In 2001 and 2002 he conducted the highly popular "Evening of Opera Arias" to sold out houses in Salem, Massachusetts and was invited to conductor workshops at Carnegie Hall led by Daniel Barenboim (2001) and Pierre Boulez (2002).  Additionally, Hillyer conducted for the International Women's Forum featuring Maya Angelou and Coretta Scott King.  He was praised for his conductions at The Boston Conservatory of Music in productions of Sondheim's Follies and Anyone Can Whistle.  In 2005, Dr. Hillyer had been invited to conduct Kurt Weill's Street Scene for The Bostonians.  The WCRB Classical Concert Series on the Esplanade has invited the Hillyer Festival Orchestra to perform for three years consecutively. Maestro Hillyer takes great pride in the HFO having conducted all fifty-four concerts in its short history.

Elsewhere, Dirk Hillyer has conducted Hansel and Gretel, The Crucible, The Old Maid and the Thief, Barber of Seville, Threepenny Opera, Kiss Me Kate, Cabaret and West Side Story.  He has worked as stage or musical director at the Aspen Music Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Lakewood Theatre (Oregon), Boston Conservatory of Music and the Lake George Opera Festival.

He is a tenured member of The Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Virtuosi and performs regularly with other orchestras throughout the New England region.  Opera credits include:  La Traviata, Salome, Aknahten, Barber of Seville, "Carmen on the Common", Aida, Magic Flute, Madame Butterfly and Don Carlos.