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Dylan Ward is a saxophonist, musician, improviser, and sound artist recognized for his ethereal playing and distinctive experimental approach (Vital Weekly). Specializing in experimental electroacoustic music, he explores the boundaries between human, natural, digital, and historical consciousness, creating unique sonic universes.
His recordings, released on the labels Neuma, Mother Brain, and XAS, have been praised for their originality, clarity, and expressive intensity, offering music that is at once beautiful, intellectually stimulating, and playful (Pan M 360).
A multifaceted artist, Dylan Ward has performed at many of the most renowned American festivals:
➤ Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend
➤ Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab
➤ Mostly Modern Festival
➤ Oh My Ears Festival
➤ Kansas City Contemporary Music Festival
➤ Kansas City Open Spaces
➤ iHearIC Series
➤ Charlotte Street Foundation Capsule Series
➤ Kansas City Classical Revolution
➤ Kansas City Public Library Series
He has also distinguished himself as a soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, the Georgia Philharmonic, the Raleigh Symphony, and the Jackson Heights Orchestra, as well as a chamber musician in prestigious venues such as:
➤ Lincoln Center
➤ Constellation Chicago
➤ Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
➤ Mesa Arts Center
➤ Koka Booth Amphitheatre
Tourmaline: a celebrated electroacoustic project
In July 2022, Dylan Ward released his first solo electroacoustic album, Tourmaline, on Neuma Records. Hailed as a “new release gem” and recognized as “a perfectly produced, recorded, and packaged collection of experimental music” (All About the Arts), the album explores ideas of transmutation and sonic alchemy through works by Alexandra Gardner, Viet Cuong, Seth Andrew Davis, Kenneth Michael Florence, and Emma O’Halloran.
Tourmaline moves among diverse creative concepts: from the Cave of Crystals to the cosmogonic Ogdoad, from Paul Klee’s Angel of History to the structure of a documentary on Michael Jordan — an ambitious project in search of the alchemical magnum opus.
Dionysus: the reinvention of the piano trio
Dylan Ward is a founding member of Dionysus, a modern reinvention of the traditional piano trio, with Ali Wright on saxophone and Juliana Balinski on piano. The trio has performed across the United States and internationally, including at the Lincoln Center, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, and at several universities.
In January 2021, Dionysus released its first album, Hocket, featuring works by Augusta Read Thomas, Meredith Monk, Kirsten Broberg, Philip Glass, David Biedenbender, and Marc Mellits. The recording was praised as “a concept album of the highest quality… brimming with musicianship” (The Saxophonist), adding that “Dionysus excels with such precision that one could believe a single saxophone is playing.”
Education and artistic research
Holding a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Dylan Ward also graduated from Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. His work is rooted in a constant search for sonic innovation and the exploration of musical textures.
