The Conductor
Dr. Brian Dehn
Dr. Brian Dehn is the founder and artistic director of Meistersingers, one of the premiere choral ensembles in Southern California. Dr. Dehn is known for high standards in repertoire, vocal pedagogy, and informed performance practice, as well as his ability to shape singers of all levels into extraordinary ensembles. He has conducted his singers in some of the world's most remarkable venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Sistine Chapel, St. Mark's in Venice, St. Peter's in Rome, St. Mathias in Budapest, St. Tomaskircke in Vienna, St. Patrick's and The Riverside Church in New York, St. Anne's Cathedral in Sydney, St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge, St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s in Dublin, St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, and the Beijing Central Conservatory. With Meistersingers, he has led the ensemble through 25 successful seasons, including producing six albums, fourteen world and regional premieres, and eight commissioned works.
Dr. Dehn received advanced degrees from Claremont Graduate University, specializing in Baroque Performance Practice, and San Jose State University, focusing on Choral Conducting and Music Education. Currently teaching at the University level, he for nearly two decades, taught at the high school level where his ensembles consistently earned "Superior" ratings and received invitations to prestigious festivals, including the 2014 and 2018 ACDA Western Region Conventions. He led his students on performance tours to New York, Spain and Portugal, San Francisco, China, Italy, Ireland and England, and Australia.
For over 25 years, Dr. Dehn has held positions as director of music for various Southern California churches. Currently, he is Director of Music at First Christian Church in Orange, where he conducts the Chancel Choir, two Handbell Ensembles, the Children’s Choir, and leads the contemporary band. He is also the artistic director of the Southern California Master Chorale, a 70-voice ensemble performing a wide variety of choral repertoire, including Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and a semi-staged concert performance of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame. Dr. Dehn was also a co-founder of the Orange County Choral Academy, a three-level choral program designed for school-age children to build well-rounded musicians through intense study of voice, choral techniques, performance, music theory, and sight-reading.
As an accomplished tenor soloist, Dr. Dehn has performed in Chicago Symphony Hall for Chapman University, The New Century Singers, The California Women's Chorus, Pasadena Pro Musica, Claremont Graduate University, as well as many other professional music ensembles, colleges, and churches throughout Southern California. An accomplished ensemble singer, he has performed with Zephyr, De Angelis, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Dr. Dehn is a member of several music organizations, including the American Choral Directors Association, International Federation of Choral Music, Music Educators National Conference, California Music Educators Association (where he presented in 2016), Chorus America, and the National Association of Church Music, where he served as a board member for Church Literature. He lives in Orange, California, with his wife Chelsea and their two sons.