Dylan Tyree

Praised by Friends of Chamber Music for his ability to “represent the next generation of chamber music artists,” Dylan Tyree is a cellist, composer, and arts administrator based in Denver, Colorado. An eclectic artist, he is passionate about exploring the boundaries between genres of music and creating an immersive experience for performers and listeners alike.

As a cellist, Dylan thrives in the worlds of chamber music, studio recording, recital repertoire, rock/pop shows, symphonic music, and everything in between. Inspired by bringing new works to life as a composer and performer, he has worked closely with celebrated composers including: Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, Caroline Shaw, Christopher Tin, Roger Holland, and Sarah Quartel, among others. Most recently, he was featured as a soloist in the world premiere recording of Christopher Tin’s new work “Song Offerings” and “Transfigurations,” set to debut on Decca Records in 2025. In 2022, he was featured as the soloist in collaboration with Eric Whitacre for the premiere of his work, “The Sacred Veil,” for solo cello, strings, and choir at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, which was also broadcast on Colorado Public Radio. As a chamber musician, Dylan has been mentored by the Cavani String Quartet, Steven Mayer, Basil Vendryes, Stephanie Cheng, Matthew Zalkind, Alice Yoo, and Igor Pikayzen and has made appearances at the Encore Chamber Music Festival, Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Sunset ChamberFest, and the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program. He is the founding cellist of the Empyrean Quartet with Lucy Nemeth, Sarah Campbell, and Joshua Felser, and is the lead cellist in Duality, a multi-genre cover band with pianist Mitchell Galligan.

As a composer, Dylan values exploring the fusion of different genres of music and creating an immersive experience for performers and listeners alike. A two-time Finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards and Presser Award Scholar, he has been commissioned by leading soloists, ensembles, and festivals, including the Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Sunset Chamber Festival, Soaring Arts Music Collective, and the University of Denver; and soloists including Matthew Zalkind, Martin Kuuskmann, Joshua Felser, Zoe Weiss, and Danny McDonnall. An advocate for writing new music for electric cello, he was awarded a PinS grant from the University of Denver to compose and record a new large-scale work for the instrument with live electronics. Dylan is equally active as a composer and arranger outside of the Western classical music world. He was commissioned by the director of the Denver School of the Arts orchestra program to arrange the B side of The Beatles' album Abbey Road for string orchestra, harp, and percussion, which has been frequently featured at the National Western Stock Show. He regularly arranges music for Duality and professional chamber music ensembles. 

In 2023, Dylan co-founded the Soaring Artists Music Collective (SAMC), a non-profit organization focused on redefining the relationship between the artist and the audience, and questions how different genres of music play to their respective audiences in the local Denver (CO) community. SAMC presented their first season, “ELEMENTAL,” in December 2024, highlighting how music connects to the universal elements. They are preparing to unveil their upcoming season, “Fables, Fangs, and Freestyle,” in December 2025, which will focus on the art of storytelling across genres.

As a certified Suzuki teacher, Dylan loves working with all ages and believes exploring different kinds of music and understanding how they work is essential for learning an instrument and fostering a creative imagination. In addition to exploring the cello from a classical lens, he explores improvisation, music theory, and composition and arranging. 

Dylan completed his B.Mus. in Cello Performance under the guidance of Matthew Zalkind and Alice Yoo; his B.Mus. in Music Composition under Sean Friar, Stephen Coxe, Leanna Kirchoff, and Nathan Hall; and his Performance Certificate in Suzuki Pedagogy through all ten books under Heather Hadley in 2025. Dylan is now pursuing a double M.Mus. in Composition and Cello Performance at the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Ralph Kirshbaum, Seth Parker Woods, Donald Crockett, Andrew Norman, and Ted Hearne.