Richard Dyer

Richard M. Dyer (born 1941) is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Described by the music critic Alex Ross as "a dean of the profession", from 1976 to 2006 he was the chief classical music critic of The Boston Globe. Educated with degrees in English, Dyer had studied piano and been an opera fan since his youth. He embarked on music criticism following a well-received 1973 article in The New York Times on the soprano Renata Tebaldi, and soon joined the staff of the Globe. A diverse critic, his writings have extended to numerous other news publications, as well as music encyclopedias, liner notes and program notes. He has served on the juries of many piano competitions, and lectured at a variety of universities.

Born in 1941 in Mineral Wells, Texas, Richard M. Dyer was raised first in Enid, Oklahoma and later in Hiram, Ohio. In his youth he was an avid opera enthusiast, and played the piano. He attended Hiram College, graduating in 1963 with a summa cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in English and minor in French. During his time at Hiram, Dyer studied piano with Beatrice Erdely at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He continued his piano study in Paris at the Institute of European Studies, studying with Jacqueline Eymar from 1961 to 1962. While in Paris, Dyer attended the final masterclasses of Alfred Cortot. At Harvard University, he graduated with a Master's degree in English, and began teaching the subject at the University of Iowa. He soon returned to Harvard, however, being appointed the Briggs-Copeland Lecturer in English, and receiving a PhD in English (1973) with a dissertation on the writer Oliver Goldsmith.

While studying for his PhD, Dyer received nation-wide attention for his 1973 article in The New York Times concerning the soprano Renata Tebaldi's "artistic decline". The article was highly praised, and Dyer joined The Boston Globe that year to work as a music critic under the critic Michael Steinberg. Dyer later reflected on joining the Globe, noting that it was "an unexpected sidestep into journalism"; when Steinberg left the paper in 1976, he succeeded him as chief classical music critic. In addition to the Times and Globe, his music criticism spans numerous other publications: American Music, Opera, Opera News, High Fidelity, Ovation, Symphony Magazine, Chamber Music, Gramophone, Musical America, The Connoisseur, The Nation and the Chicago Tribune. Grove described his criticism as "demonstrat[ing] penetrating insight and a highly sensitive ear to subtleties of performance, especially with regard to the piano." ASCAP awarded him the Deems Taylor Award twice for his music criticism. Dyer stepped down as chief classical music critic at The Boston Globe in 2006, being succeeded by Jeremy Eichler. Reflecting on Dyer's retirement, the music critic Alex Ross noted that Dyer was "a dean of the profession" and that "no critic writes with more authority or passion."

Dyer's writings have extended beyond music criticism, to encyclopedias, liner notes and program notes. His contributions to music encyclopedias, include articles in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (and the subsequent Grove Music Online), the Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Americana. He wrote liner notes including those for Deutsche Grammophon, New World Record, Philips, RCA Victor, Sony Classical and Westminster Classics, while orchestras that he wrote program notes for include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera. Dyer also toured five times with Benjamin Zander and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra as a blogger for the orchestra. Other topics of interest in his writings include literature and film; he was film critic at the Globe for a year.

Due to his experience and familiarity with piano and piano repertoire, Dyer has been a jury member for numerous piano competitions. These includes the Cleveland International Piano Competition, Sendai International Music Competition, Toronto International Piano Competition and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since retirement from the Globe, he has taught at the Tanglewood Music Center and in Dawn Upshaw's graduate program at Bard College. He has also lectured at the Aspen Music Festival, Boston University, the Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory. He has received honorary doctorates from both the New England Conservatory of Music and Salem State University. Other activities of Dyer's include writing podcasts for the Boston Symphony Orchestra each week.

• Dyer, Richard (April 29, 1973). "We Love You Renata But..." The New York Times.
• —— (February 24, 1998). "Sounds Of Spielberg At Work Again, He And John Williams Exult In Their Admiring Duet Of 25 Years". The Boston Globe. p. C1. ProQuest 403934546.
• —— (August 20, 2012). "Lieberson's voice, husband's music make lovely pairing". The Boston Globe.