Hermes Dan

Dan Hermes, born 1970, is an internationally recognized audiovisual artist, composer, and founder of the Hermes Orchestra. Mr. Hermes debuted his audiovisual exhibition at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2005: moving digital paintings accompanied by his original piano music. His debut CD, “Hermes Orchestra: Live”, aired on National Public Radio and in Europe in 2004. As announced in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Boston Phoenix, the Hermes Orchestra completed a concert series in 2003 sponsored by International Society at the Tremont Theatre in Boston. Mr. Hermes scored six films for the Boston-based “Midnight Shorts” project. He was sound editor on NYC-shot short film “Malefactor”, which screened at the Pawtucket Film Festival in 2003. Commissions include Suite for Cello, Flute, Piano and Synthesizer for the Essex Chamber Music Players. For composer Mark Perreault, Mr. Hermes produced a CD of the Newton Symphony Orchestra entitled “The Testing LP”. Mr. Hermes DJed a rap battle for T-Nice Records in Waltham, MA. He produced, arranged, and engineered pop, rock, soul, folk, and industrial dance music. Mr. Hermes performs solo piano concerts, most recently at the Zeitgeist Gallery, Tremont Theatre, and at the Essex Chamber Music Players Piano-thon. He is author of the workbook series “Classigroov: Modern Improvisation for the Classical Musician”. Mr. Hermes studied computer science, classical composition, and piano performance at the College of William and Mary. Jazz composition, improvisation, music production, recording, and engineering studies at Shenandoah Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music. Composition studies with William Defotis, Edgar Williams, Thomas Albert, Robert Larson and Robert Parris. Piano performance with Claudia Stevens, Anna Balakerskaija, Ron Elliston, and Bruce Katz. He has led and performed in the Blue Ridge Jazz Quartet. Performances with Common Thrill, the Thomcats, Natural Blend, Feerful Heet, and the “Easy” Smith Quartet. Performance study with Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, and Stephen Drury. Self-trained as a visual artist, Mr. Hermes devoted years to the study of masters such as Van Gogh, Degas, and Daumier. His influences range from Jackson Pollock, DeKooning, Milton Resnick, and Picasso, to video artists such as Bill Viola. His work continues the lineage of the Abstract Expressionists in a 21st century medium: moving digital paintings set to music.