Vendestiny: an interview with pianist and composer Kym Alexandre Dillon
In his famous poem, “Song of Myself,” American poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” Those words came to mind as I listened to Kym Alexandre Dillon’s debut album, Vendestiny. Her musical influences are broad; the pieces featured on this recording include traces of Medieval folk song, nods to Thomas Newman and Joe Hisaishi, Franz Liszt, and the jazz language of Keith Jarrett. As a collection, this album is a natural reflection of a multi-disciplinary artist who has chosen to celebrate all the life paths someone can take, and the many different elements that give humanity its diversity and complexity. .
Kym Alexandre Dillon is a gifted, sensitive pianist who plays beautifully in a range of styles. In addition, she’s a successful composer and a presenter. Her works have been commissioned by multiple orchestras, yet when she knew it was time to release her debut album, she chose to feature the piano. Why? Because, in her own words, “The piano is my home, it’s the lens through which I process the world.”
In Dillon’s capable hands, all the paths and threads that form her identity as an artist find a beautiful and hopeful musical home. From inside jokes to tongue-in-cheek references to video game music, a thread of optimism runs through each track, even the ones that reference life’s darker moments. I’m honored to feature Kym Alexandre Dillon and her music on No Dead Guys.
At what age did you begin playing the piano and what drew you to the instrument?
I was 7, living in the Netherlands at the time, and asked my parents if I could please learn the piano, after seeing that my older sister was learning. It loved it straight away, apparently never having to be told to practice as I actually loved putting the time in to learn things and improve. I’m very lucky that my first piano teacher was actually a composer, Vanessa Lann. In my first year of piano I asked her whether we could learn “The Entertainer”, which we did (a simplified version, of course…)
I read that you composed your first composition when you were in Grade 6. What was the name of it and what inspired you to write it?
That’s right, it was called “Crystal Gazing”, I recall wanting to paint a musical picture of a cavern of translucent crystals. One of these days I have a plan of taking that title and writing something new for it to honor my young self…anyway, after that point I remember starting to write big band and orchestral arrangements from about grade 9. I felt drawn to compose music for ensembles.
You’ve created a category-defying artistic career for yourself as a composer, pianist, and presenter. When did you choose to become a professional musician and who or what encouraged you to do so?
I sort of fell into it, as it happens! In high school I was part of a jazz trio with excellent drummer and bass player friends of mine at the same school, and we started to pick up gigs at restaurants and the like. I also started getting picked to play the piano in pit orchestras for the local musicals, I was subbing in for other jazz ensembles, what have you.
I decided to study music at university because at the time I was enamoured with film music, like so many young composers are, and so sought to study as a composer, which I did at the Victorian College of the Arts. Along the journey of pursuing composition I found work conducting choirs, giving talks about music, performing in all sorts of contexts, jazz and classical, as well as getting some commissions, it’s a real ‘portfolio’ career that has all been the result of me following my interests and energy and continually working to develop every facet of my musical skills over time. The word I often use to tie it all together is ‘love’ — my love of music continually gives me energy to share that love with people in all sorts of contexts.
One of the things I enjoy about your piano playing is how beautifully you perform both jazz and classical music. What style of music were you first trained to play and when did you begin branching out?
Early on I thrived more as a jazz pianist (shout out to my high school jazz piano teacher John Shawcross!), but to me this wasn’t because I inherently preferred jazz, but rather because it is a style of music where creativity, play and composition are absolutely central and necessary. I was always a very creative musician, and so finding a style of music where that was celebrated was key.
After studying composition and being exposed to the incredible, fantastical world of art music, particularly 20th century composers such as Stravinsky, Messiaen, and Bartok, my heart really went in that direction, and as a result my skills as a classical musician developed purely out of my love for playing the repertoire, devouring great recordings, finding new piano techniques through Liszt, Schumann and Debussy. I was approaching classical music with the jazz philosophy of creativity, understanding the musical language, and adding it into my internal library. To me switching between jazz, classical and everything in between is akin to acting, to learning to switch to a new character with their own accents, mannerisms, and patterns. But there is always still a bit of yourself in each character.
As a composer who was a finalist for the Australian Art Music Awards and has been commissioned by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra and others, why did you choose solo piano for your debut recording?
The piano to me has always felt that it can emulate an orchestra, or a rhythm section, or so many other things, and this pursuit has drawn my energy and curiosity since I first started to play. I think of it as the lens through which I experience the world, and so for a debut album which is about honing in on the purest essence of my musical voice, it felt right to centre it on the piano. I have also come to realise that the way I perform live is as much a part of the art as the actual music itself, and so creating an album which I could perform for myself, and create a live artwork, was part of the vision. I also feel that my playing is at its best when there’s some element of play and improvisation at play, and so these pieces being for solo piano gave me that freedom to craft it in the moment, and gave the recordings that feeling of being alive.
Congratulations on the release of your debut solo album, Vendestiny. What does “vendestiny” mean and why did you feel it was the perfect name for this record?
To me it’s a word that hovers on the edges of language, which activates a sense of curiosity and openness to whatever may come musically. I think of it as word capturing the many different paths and person can take, how each one of our lives is connected to those around us, about embracing all this multiplicity. When I think of it and hear the music on this album, it activates it in just the right way.
One of the many things I enjoyed about Vendestiny is how stylistically diverse it is. With nods to jazz, classical, and even Medieval music, these pieces cover a a lot of musical ground. In what ways do you feel this diversity of style reflects your vision of vendestiny?
As someone whose activity has led her to develop a language across so many different styles, knowing exactly what kind of musician or artist I am is something I have puzzled over for so long. I think it links with the very human experience of wondering which paths to take, of wanting to open yourself up to something without closing yourself off to something else, of realising just how connected you are to everyone around you and everyone before you. So, rather than try and bracket this, I chose to celebrate it in Vendestiny. The changes in style, while all being emanated from the same person and the same piano, express the embracing of multiplicity, the embracing of all the paths a person can take, the different sides of a personality.
Another thing I enjoy about this album is your virtuosic playing and your fearless embrace of the entire keyboard. Given your command of both the instrument and the musical genres you highlighted, how challenging was it to edit yourself when composing these pieces?
My approach with these pieces was very different from the way I usually work as a composer, where a score is developed first which is then realised. Contrary to that, these pieces were born out of an improvisatory process, where I would play with the material, and see where that took me, and then record what I came up with. I’d then spend time listening to that recording, and noting when I felt things worked, what I’d want to change, where I wanted it to go next, and then I’d come back to the piano and realise these thoughts. I would repeat this process until I loved every moment of each piece, and through working this way I had memorised the pieces through repetition, without them ever getting properly written down. It also meant that the whole piano was being used as I was never worrying about exactly how to notate things, I just made happen whatever my imagination was hearing, whatever I could get my hands to do!
Your jazz-inspired track, “Travelling Tune” is one of my favorites on this album, both for its nod to Keith Jarrett and your masterful use of frequent modulation to create a sense of joyous movement. What inspired this piece?
The opening bars were born out of me enjoying emulating the finger picking of an acoustic guitar, and a feeling of innocent optimism, and movement. All of the modulations, variations and evolutions came through following wherever the ideas led. I was trying to bottle something of the adventurous feeling of a road trip! On the album as a whole it functions as a pathway into the various other places the album will take the listener. But yes, there is a definite nod to Keith Jarrett here, who has had a huge influence on my sound.
“Three, Two, One” is another of my favorites. Am I hearing a nod to Nikolai Kapustin in this piece? If not, what can you tell me about your inspiration for this playful composition?
I can’t say there was a conscious Kapustin reference, but I certainly hear in it the influence of Dave Grusin, jazz fusion, and even MarioKart soundtracks. It was actually a piece that predated the album project, which I wrote for a piano student some time ago! As a sort of Easter Egg, hidden within the piece are references to the melodic outline of the theme tune of ‘Neighbours’, as a running gag between me and this student was the fact that I was once an extra on that show… but I have since evolved the piece and added all sorts of bells and whistles onto it through improvisation. I think of it as a fizzing, creative explosion.
“Fare Thee Well” is achingly beautiful—full of yearning, loss, and gratitude. What would you be willing to share about the story behind this piece? And in what way is this story reflected in the balance between the melody and your beautiful inner melodic lines?
The piece has two meanings for me: on a surface level it’s a musical love letter to the sonatas of Beethoven, the lyricism of Keith Jarrett, the harmonies of Joe Hisaishi. But on a deeper level, it was written while I was going through the breakdown of a 12 year relationship, and the feelings I had of wanting to focus on gratitude for the time had with someone, the positive impact they had had on me, wishing them well for their future, all the while working through the difficult feelings of saying goodbye. I think the piece also speaks to feelings of grief — a mixture of sadness and gratitude. The piece centres around a melody and a chord progression, but through variations it grows substantially to contain so many feelings at once, in the way that emotions at times like this are complex and interconnected, almost overwhelming and all encompassing, all the while the melody is still the central path. It ends quietly, in gratitude, and acceptance.
Will sheet music be available for the pieces on this album? If so, where might we purchase it?
I think that day will likely come, but as the pieces aren’t written down in any representative way, it will be a huge project which I haven’t begun! But if there is enough call for it, I’m sure I’ll do that at some point.
What advice can you offer other multi-disciplinary artists who seek to create careers in music?
I have found that the best way to ground yourself amongst a flurry of different and varied projects, outputs, and activity, is to focus in on what your core artistic values are. What kind of art and expression do you want to emanate, how do you want people to come away from what your art represents? For me it is all about the beauty of creativity, of boundless human expression, of the universal connection between all people. And as I mentioned earlier, the concept of ‘love’ — love of music, love of sharing it with people, love of people — this connects all my activity together and gives it context. I think once an artist hones down this core, it can ground expression in all sorts of disciplines. I also think a multi-disciplinary artist should be curious and engaged in experiencing all sorts of art forms — literature, visual art, movement, films, all of it! I think the more you do so, the more your inspiration tank gets filled, and the more interconnected you find all these expressions are. On a more pragmatic level. try whatever comes your way, and see what fits you and what doesn’t!
Kym Alexandra Dillon is an Australian composer, pianist and presenter whose unique path as a musician has led her to cultivating a category-defying artistic career. Equally at home improvising in jazz ensembles, composing for symphony orchestras, performing complex contemporary works or engaging orchestral audiences with her talks on music, her professional activity spans across a multitude of disciplines and genres, all stemming from her deep love of music, and belief in its power to shape and enrich our lives.
As a Composer she has been a finalist for the Australian Art Music Awards (Work of the Year - Large Ensemble 2023), has been commissioned by ensembles such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Forest Collective, Inventi Ensemble, Musica Viva, Homophonic! and the Melbourne Recital Centre. She completed a bachelor of composition at the Victorian College of the Arts, and her Masters in composition at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, and was awarded the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music/Melbourne Recital Centre Composition Prize in 2023. She has learnt from such as Carl Vine, Melody Eötvös, Elliott Gyger, Christine McCombe and John McCaughey. She has been touted by Limelight as “a skilled composer to keep an eye on”, and in a review of her large scale song cycle Diapsalmata: Portrait of a Self, writer Myron May wrote that “Dillon’s skill at bringing highly complex thoughts through classical music, opera and philosophy so seamlessly together is ingenious”. She also has a passion for contemporary orchestral arranging, and was involved as an arranger for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s collaboration with Find Your Voice Collective, ‘Sonder’, in 2026.
As a Pianist she performs widely across both classical and jazz contexts. Originally beginning her piano studies with composer Vanessa Lann in the Netherlands, her sense for play, creativity and collaboration led her into the improvisational language of jazz in her early life, but this soon expanded out into a love for classical and art music. Equally informed by her compositional training and her contemporary improvisational language, her piano voice is known for its unique expansiveness, stylistic versatility, emotional directness and lyricism.
She has performed in the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the 2026 Peninsula Summer Music Festival, and at 2025’s Port Fairy Spring Music Festival she performed the central piano part in Stefan Cassomenos’ opera ‘Eva’ as well as performing her solo show. She has been awarded ‘best accompanist in the finals’ at the 2022 National Liederfest, the ‘Maurie Fabrikant award for piano playing excellence’ from the Victorian Jazz Club, and frequently tours across Australia accompanying performers such as Simon Gleeson, Rachael Beck, Michael Cormick, Gorgi Coghlan, Ian Stenlake, and Harrison Craig. She appeared as part of ABC TV’s The Piano performing her own composition, ‘Epilogue’. In April 2026 she will launch her debut album as pianist and composer, ‘Vendestiny’.
As a Presenter committed to deepening public engagement with music, she regularly delivers pre-concert talks for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, where she unpacks contemporary orchestral repertoire for a general audience. She regularly conducts two large social-inclusion community choirs under the With One Voice program (who have been featured on the ABC and Channel 9), and she has been a guest presenter for ABC Classic radio.