Dexter G. Morrill

1938 - 2019

Dexter G. Morrill 1938 - 2019
Dexter G. Morrill, Charles A. Dana Professor of Music emeritus at Colgate University, was born June 17, 1938 in North Adams, MA. He began trumpet lessons at age eight and by 19, studied with Dizzy Gillespie at the Lenox School of Jazz. At Colgate University '60, he studied composition and led a Dixieland jazz band, the Colgate Hi-Five. He completed his MA at Stanford in 1962. He was a Ford Foundation Young Composer Fellow, and later taught at St. John's University in New York, that commissioned his Three Lyric Pieces for violin, premiered by Ruggiero Ricci at Lincoln Center in 1969. Morrill studied composition at Cornell University and received his DMA in 1970.
Morrill returned to teach at Colgate in 1969 and established one of the first mainframe computer studios in the world. He conducted analysis/synthesis of trumpet tones, received composition grants from the NYSAC and NEA, worked on a special jazz project for Wynton Marsalis, and authored two books.
In 1984, Morrill received a NEA grant to compose his most prominent work, Getz Variations. It was written for, and premiered by saxophonist Stan Getz, and incorporated jazz improvisation and computer-generated sounds. During the 1980s, Morrill developed a MIDI trumpet instrument and performed in many concerts around the world. His compositions received performances in the United States and globally; and by ensembles including the Northern Illinois Philharmonic, the Syracuse and Baltimore Symphonies and were recorded widely.
Dexter passed away, July 2, 2019, of complications from Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy (PSP). He was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Beatrice Morrill; his brother; and sister. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Dodds Morrill; daughters, Jennifer and Allison Morrill Chatrchyan (Tigran); and grandchildren, Elena and Robert.
A Memorial Service will be held later at Colgate.