Obituary: Richard Dyer, influential classical music critic, 82

On Sunday (22.9.) WashingtonPostTim Page writes: “Richard Dyer, who is chief music critic of the Boston Globe from 1976 to 2006, died Sept. 20 in a Boston hospital. He was 82. The cause was a series of strokes, his brother, Davis Dyer, said. During his decades in Boston … Mr. Dyer exerted enormous influence as a cultural tastemaker. The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ned Rorem once introduced him to a New York friend in the 1980's: “This is Richard Dyer. He runs Boston.” Mr. Dyer, who also wrote about film and literature, was valued for the breadth and depth of his musical knowledge, particularly in the fields of opera and piano. He twice received the American Society of Composers and Performers' Deems Taylor Award for outstanding music criticism … Richard Morgan Dyer was born Dec. 29, 1941, in Mineral Wells, Texas, and grew up in Enid, Oklahoma, and Hiram, Ohio. His father and mother were both teachers. His grandparents took him to opera performances as a child, which left an indelible impression…After leaving daily journalism, Mr. Dyer taught at the Tanglewood Music Center and conducted seminars at the New England Conservatory, Boston University, and the Aspen Music Festival…In addition to his brother, he is survived by his longtime partner, Philip Sweeney.”