“stands out from the crowd”
— Gramophone
Composer Henry Dehlinger is an exciting new arrival on the contemporary classical scene. Hailed by Gramophone for his “vibrantly colorful palette” and "exquisite piano-playing," he has produced an impressive catalog of music for choruses, chamber groups and orchestras, as well as music for solo vocalists. Fourteen of his compositions—three choral works, one chamber work, and ten art songs—made their world premieres this 2019-20 season alone.
His compositional voice exemplifies a modern but tonal American aesthetic. Merging classical and vernacular elements, he renders themes from a diverse palette of musical styles to amplify the texts he sets. These rich musical fragments are then woven into meaningful aural experiences that Audiophile Audition calls “stunningly superb” and "formidably essential listening!" Equally celebrated are his stylish arrangements of the Duke Ellington Songbook. With their melodic lines and edgy vocal and piano writing throughout, they have achieved widespread appeal. Fanfare Magazine calls them "superbly judged, from the lyricism through to the stride.”
Henry’s recent projects include Kohelet, an epic cantata in five movements for mixed chorus, soloists and orchestra. Co-commissioned by the Washington Master Chorale and the Santa Clara Chorale, it combines lush, modal melodies, energetic meters and colorful harmonic textures with Hebrew text from Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, premiering at the National Philharmonic at Strathmore, is a sweeping rhapsody for voice and orchestra that Henry adapted from the famous poem by T.S. Eliot. Composed for Metropolitan Opera soprano Danielle Talamantes, it uses the melodic and rhythmic contours of Eliot’s stream of consciousness narrative to dictate mood and melodic character.
Henry’s choral works are accessible to a broad range of ensembles and have been performed by professional, volunteer and high school choruses from across the country. His choral songs adapted from poems by James Joyce, including Night Piece, Strings in the Earth and Air, and Bahnhofstrasse for SATB and piano, are especially admired and continue to be performed. His vocal chamber repertoire includes Preludes of T.S. Eliot, a setting of Eliot’s four-part poem that explores themes of modern urban life, and Amore e ‘l cor gentil sono una cosa (“Love and the gentle heart are one and the same”), a love sonnet from La vita nuova by Dante Alighieri.
Henry’s fourth album is eagerly awaited and scheduled for a fall 2020 release. At That Hour is the world premiere recording of Henry’s compositions for solo voice and marks the beginning of his association with AVIE Records, the UK-based independent classical music label. It was recorded over three days at Sono Luminus studios in rural Boyce, Virginia, with soprano Danielle Talamantes and bass-baritone Kerry Wilkerson and produced by Grammy-winning producer Erica Brenner.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Henry grew up studying piano and voice. His mentors were piano virtuoso Thomas LaRatta and choral conductor William "Doc" Ballard, artistic director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus, both of whom Henry credits for his early success as a musician. He earned a reputation as a prodigious talent, singing with the San Francisco Opera and performing with major orchestras under conductors such as Riccardo Chailly and Edo de Waart. He later graduated from Santa Clara University where he studied piano with Hans Boepple. Henry’s official website is www.HenryDehlinger.com.
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“Formidably essential listening!”
— Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition
“Dehlinger's own arrangement expands the envelope of the original to a more intense experience”
— Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine
“I am stunned. This is easily one of the best recordings of the year.”
— Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition
“Dehlinger rises to the challenge . . . especially effective in the driving harmony underscoring the voice”
— Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold, Fanfare Magazine
“a stunning performance capturing the brilliance of these Duke Ellington songs”
— Kim McCormick, Pan Pipes
“stunningly superb”
— Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition
Apr 27 2020
Henry was recently interviewed by Lucy Nino at Santa Clara Magazine. Henry and Lucy talked about “premiering musical magic at SCU,” his epic new choral work, Kohelet, and its upcoming performance by the Santa Clara Chorale and Santa…
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Mar 26 2020
We're sad to say that the world premieres of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock with the National Philharmonic at Strathmore on April 18, 2020 and Kohelet with the Santa Clara Chorale on May 8, 2020 have been cancelled…
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Feb 10 2020
Henry is delighted to announce that Bahnhofstrasse, one of his latest works for mixed chorus with text from James Joyce's poem, will be performed at the 44th Annual Military School Band and Choir Festival at Randolph-Macon Academy February 21-23.
…
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Jan 5 2020
On February 9, 2020, Kerry Wilkerson, bass-baritone extraordinaire and faculty member of The School of Music at George Mason University, presents an all-Dehlinger program of art songs and duets written especially for Kerry and soprano Danielle Talamantes. The special concert…
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Oct 24 2019
Henry is delighted to announce the world premiere of three new choral settings of poems by James Joyce. Arranged especially for conductor Thomas Colohan and the Washington Master Chorale's 10th Anniversary Season opening concert, Night Piece, Strings in the Earth…
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Sep 23 2019
Henry is back in the recording studio with Metropolitan Opera soprano Danielle Talamantes, with whom he collaborated on his last two albums, and bass-baritone Kerry Wilkerson. This time it's to record his first album as both composer and collaborative pianist…
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Aug 1 2019
Metropolitan Opera soprano Danielle Talamantes and bass-baritone Kerry Wilkerson will premiere Henry's Amore e 'l cor gentil sono una cosa ("Love and the gentle heart are one and the same") at the 2019 Berkshire High Peaks Music Festival in Great…
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Mar 29 2019
The National Philharmonic at Strathmore today announced its new 2019-20 season. On April 18, 2020, conductor Piotr Gajewski will lead the National Philharmonic in the world premiere of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Henry Dehlinger's sweeping rhapsody…
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Mar 26 2019
With five new concert works premiering so far, Henry looks forward to a remarkable 2019-20 season. First up, for the Washington Master Chorale's 10th Anniversary Season opening concert on October 27, 2019, Henry is at work on a brand new…
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Jan 18 2019
Music Reviewer Kim McCormick hails Heaven and Earth: A Duke Ellington Songbook in the Spring issue of Pan Pipes.
The interaction between the two artists is comfortable, conveying Ellington’s wide range of emotions, all making the listener feel as though…
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Dec 26 2017
As 2018 approaches, Henry Dehlinger is back at work on a brand-new extended choral work for soprano, bass-baritone, mixed choir, and orchestra for a Washington, DC choral group. Looking back at 2017, Dehlinger’s creative output included: The Love Song of…
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Dec 8 2017
Henry Dehlinger today announced the publication of his latest opus: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. T. S. Eliot's (1888-1965) poetic masterpiece is reimagined by the composer as a sweeping rhapsody that suggests the symphonic American vernacular of…
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Oct 13 2016
Composer Henry Dehlinger today announced the upcoming world premiere of his new orchestral setting of The Mount on October 23, 2016 at the Manchester Symphony Orchestra's opening concert of its 78th season featuring soprano soloist Danielle Talamantes with Maestro Scott…
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May 16 2016
HENRY DEHLINGER announces the release of HEAVEN AND EARTH: A DUKE ELLINGTON SONGBOOK, his third recording project with soprano Danielle Talamantes. The highly-anticipated album on the MSR label features Dehlinger's sensitive arrangements of Duke Ellington’s music with their melodic lines…
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Feb 13 2016
The world premiere recording of HENRY DEHLINGER'S THE MOUNT releases today. Composed for soprano Danielle Talamantes, THE MOUNT is a new art song based on poet Mark Riddles' collection of sacred poems in which he casts famous biblical passages in…
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Dec 16 2015
PHOTO CREDIT: ROY COX
2016 promises to be an exciting year as Henry Dehlinger prepares to release Heaven and Earth: A Duke Ellington Song book, his second collaboration album with international opera star Danielle Talamantes on the MSR Classics…
May 31 2015
Canciones españolas, Danielle Talamantes and Henry Dehlinger's latest recording of Spanish songs by Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Turina, receives critical acclaim in a sensational review from Laurence Vittes in the May 2015 issue of Gramophone Magazine…
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Jan 18 2015
Canciones españolas, featuring soprano Danielle Talamantes and pianist Henry Dehlinger in a gorgeous recording of Spanish songs by Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Turina, continues to garner critical acclaim. In his December 2014 album review on ConcertoNet.com…
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Nov 5 2014
Soprano Danielle Talamantes, a rising star on the international opera scene, and pianist Henry Dehlinger, widely acclaimed for his interpretation of Spanish classical music, will celebrate the release of their critically acclaimed new album, Canciones españolas, at a CD…
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Sep 30 2014
Pianist Henry Dehlinger returns to California on November 2 for a highly-anticipated concert of piano works by Enrique Granados. The program includes selections from Doce Danzas españolas (Twelve Spanish Dances) and Goyescas - featured in his album, Evocations…
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Aug 5 2014
Soprano Danielle Talamantes, a rising star on the international opera scene, and pianist Henry Dehlinger, widely acclaimed for his interpretation of Spanish classical music, today released their new album, Canciones españolas.
The new MSR Classics release features a gorgeous…
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May 31 2014
Pianist Henry Dehlinger announced today that his new classical album with soprano Danielle Talamantes, entitled Canciones españolas, will be released by MSR Classics. Talamantes and Dehlinger have signed with MSR Classics and are thrilled with the expertise and…
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May 18 2014
Pianist Henry Dehlinger will join Metropolitan Opera soprano Danielle Talamantes and United States Army Chorus tenor Pablo Talamante as they perform operatic favorites by Donizetti, Puccini, Granados, Obadors, and more!
“An Evening of Opera Highlights” will be held…
Read morePlease use the form below to get in touch with Henry. Be sure to include your name and email address. We look forward to hearing from you.
For public performance licensing of Henry's concert works, please contact the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
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011-44-207-439-0909
www.ASCAP.com
