Composer for film, television, and theater
Dewey Dellay passed away June 16, 2023 at home in Cambridge, MA. As a composer and sound designer, Dewey was highly versatile in style and types of media. He was known for his imaginative, often achingly beautiful, compositions.
His career in music began as a professional bass performer, and grew to include composing for advertising, television, and film, children’s books, podcasts, and eventually original music for theater.
“Dewey Dellay was a truly brilliant composer,” said theater director Scott Edmiston. “In his original music he heard astonishing dimensions in a play that no one else did. I believe he was touched by genius.”
The Boston Globe’s Terry Byrne wrote that he made a “compelling contribution to dozens of Boston-area productions.”
Dewey began writing incidental music for drama in 1999 while living in New York City for the OffBroadway world premiere of The Countess, which ran for two years and continued in London’s West End. Word of his talent spread to Boston where he became a beloved member of that theater community, admired by actors, directors, producers, and fellow designers. He composed music and designed sound for more than
100 productions across New England, collaborating with the American Repertory Theater, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Lyric Stage Company,
Central Square Theatre, Gloucester Stage, and the Huntington, among others. His music for Operation
Epsilon was heard this past fall at London’s Southwark Playhouse.
Dewey’s theater music was critically acclaimed. Earlier this year, he received the Elliot Norton Award, Boston theater’s highest honor, for August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. In 2007, he received the Norton for “Overall Design Excellence” (for Miss Witherspoon, Nine Parts Desire, The Women). He also received seven Independent Reviewers of New England Award (IRNE) nominations, winning for Five by Tenn.
Dewey composed for television, including five seasons of “Our America with Lisa Ling,” on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). He contributed music to” This Is Life with Lisa Ling” (CNN) and was composer for many National Geographic Television Explorer shows, as well as Discovery Channel’s “Miami Jails.” He was commissioned by Hans Zimmer’s “Bleeding Fingers” for the show “Alaska State Troopers,” among others. His music is featured on the “Big Picture Science” podcast.
He also composed for indie films and national commercials, often with composer Randy Courts. “He was a generous collaborator,” said Courts.
“He was a musician’s musician and a singularly gifted composer.”
Born in 1954 in Stamford, CT,
Dewey Clark Dellay was the only child of Jean and Alfred Dellay (a
New York City actor known as Alan Dellay). Dewey began his career as a performing bassist in Connecticut, and attended Berklee College of Music where he pursued composition and arranging. In the Boston area, he performed with Gary Burton with Pat Metheny, DeeDee Bridgewater, Chuck Chaplin, and others, while deepening his study of contemporary bass with Dave Holland and classical bass with Larry Wolfe of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Subsequently Dewey moved to New York City where he lived for more than 25 years. He performed or toured with many artists, including Jo Jones, Oleta Adams, Ronni Spector, Joel Forrester, Danny Gottlieb, Joe Morello, David Berger’s “Sultans of Swing,” Betty Buckley, and Esther Satterfield, among others. He performed in cabaret clubs in New York and was a member of
AFM Local 802.
He earned his BA in psychology at SUNY Empire State and studied social work at NYU while a working musician.
Dewey was also a teacher, offering courses in music theory, design and production at New England Institute of Art, Bay State College, and individual bass instruction at Columbia University Teachers College.
Dewey loved his work. He was happiest in his studio and grateful to spend his entire life in music.
Prized for his wit, grace, and artistry, Dewey was kind, intuitive, irreverent, grounded, and hilarious. He was modest in his art, as well as in all things. He faced pancreatic cancer with quietly extraordinary courage.
Dewey leaves his wife, Cathleen McCormick; half-siblings, John Hawkins (Niki) and Tinka Goslee (John); the Russell family; mother-inlaw Phyllis McCormick; brothers-inlaw, Bill McCormick, John McCormick, and Tom McCormick (Blu); sistersin-law, Anne McCormick Hubbard (Seeley) and Maggie McCormick; nieces and nephews, Mary Butler Hawkins, Brad Hawkins, Heather Skelly, Todd Wright, Stacy Bennett (Scott), Adam LeVasseur (Lee), Jason LeVasseur (Laura), Andrew LeVasseur (Emily), and their children, and
Addisu McCormick; cousins, John Clark, Aubrey Clark (JT), Denise
Dellay Bishop (Chuck), Sandy Dellay Linder (Ron), Mary Berhalter, Tom McCormick, Michael McCormick (Magda), and their children. He was predeceased by his parents; halfsisters, Margaret Quaintance and Heidi LeVasseur; brother-in-law Charles Quaintance; and nephew Christopher Wright.
He also leaves many adoring friends and professional collaborators, some of whom claimed him as a brother.
A tribute event will be held June 3, 2024, 7 pm, at Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider gifts to the charities of Dewey’s choice:
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or Wounded Warriors Project.
For more information: www.cinephonix.com www.deweydellay.com