He is a clarinetist who studied under Heins Deinzer and received a scholarship from the Studienstifung des Deutschen Volkes and in 1982 the Konzerte Junger Kunstler selected him as a young musician.
In 1982 he became a member of the contemporary classical music group Ensemble Modern and became its Managing Director in 2003. He remained with the ensemble until 2015.
While with the Ensemble Modern he performed with Frank Zappa and his track “Roland’s Big Event/Strat Vindaloo”, which appeared on the 1999 album EIHN (Everything is Healing Nicely) is named after him. He also performed and recorded “New York Counterpoint for 12 clarinets” written by Steve Reich.
In June 1993 he performed the world premier of Gra by Elliott Carter at the Pontino Music Festival in Sermoneta, Italy.
He has appeared on many recordings during his career with just a few of these including Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire; Chamber Symphony No. 9, Music for 18 Musicians, Harrison Birtwistle: Theseus Game; Earth Dances and Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera with Ensemble Modern and Civilization Phaze III, Everything Is Healing Nicely and The Yellow Shark by Frank Zappa.
In the field of musical education he has been the chairman of the International Ensemble Modern Academy and as part of the academy worked in a residency program at the Tokyo Wonder Site in 2008.
Frank Zappa and Ensemble Modern recordings
Outrage at Valdez
Barking Pumpkin 8122-71600-2 (The Yellow Shark)
He performs here…
Sources:
- https://www.ensemble-modern.com/en/about-us/members
- https://www.tokyoartsandspace.jp/en/creator/index/D/218.html
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/416805-Roland-Diry
- https://www.clarinetallmusic.com/products/carter-gra-for-unaccompanied-clarinet-boosey-hawkes
- https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Roland_Diry
- https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/EIHN_(Everything_Is_Healing_Nicely)
- https://www.wnyc.org/story/4285-music-clarinet-encore/
- https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/roland_diry/credits/
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/roland-diry-mn0001631728