FEATURED ARTISTS

Mr. Dean made his New York Philharmonic debut in the world premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’ Garden of Light and returned the following season for a concert performance of Street Scene His other successes include Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Richmond Symphony; Haydn’s The Creation and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic.

On opera stages Mr. Dean has made frequent appearances with the legendary New York City Opera and was seen and heard as Jason McFarlane in the “Live from Lincoln Center” broadcast of Lizzie Borden. Other notable operatic performances include Roméo et Juliette with Los Angeles Opera; Don Giovanni and Ernani at the Landestheater in Linz, Austria; Le nozze di Figaro in Antwerp, Belgium; Of Mice and Men at Arizona Opera; and La bohème in Strasbourg and Berlin. Michael Dean has received high critical praise for his numerous recordings of baroque opera, including Agrippina, Ottone, Dido and Aeneas, Radamisto, Giustino, and Serse.

Michael Dean is currently the Music Department Chair and Professor of Voice at The University of California, Los Angeles, and a member of the voice faculty at the Chautauqua Music Festival.

JOHN GRAU , tenor

John Grau, a specialist of oratorio and opera from the Baroque to 20th-century music, has performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, the Ravinia Music Festival, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, the Boulder Bach Festival, the Colorado Bach Ensemble and Oratory Bach in Minneapolis, Minnesota. John, a strong advocate for contemporary music, received his BA from St. Olaf College, a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University, and his doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota. Having taught at the University of ColoradoBoulder and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Dr. Grau is currently head of the voice division at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and appears with many professional vocal ensembles.

MICHAEL DEAN , bass-baritone

Lauded by the New York Times for his “strong appealing bass-baritone,” American Michael Dean has been hailed by the San Jose Mercury as “the standout, his voice a penetrating wake-up call.” Recent performance highlights include Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and Bach’s St. John Passion at the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Haydn’s The Creation with the Florida Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Eugene Symphony.

In other recent seasons he was featured soloist in Messiah with the Richmond Symphony; in Faure’s Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park (the latter recorded and released); Messiah with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony; and Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Naples Philharmonic. He recently made his debut with the Utah Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and with the Boulder Bach Festival as soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

STEPHEN MUMBERT, baritone

Quickly gaining attention on the concert and opera stage throughout the United States and England, Stephen was recently praised for being vocally the most promising singer and for possessing an assured and stylish technique at the Aldeburgh Festival in England. Recent performances have included Amahl and the Night Visitors and Mozart’s Requiem with the Dakota Valley Symphony (which was broadcast on Twin Cities Public Television) and several appearances in Handel’s Messiah, including the Oratorio Society of Minneapolis.

Mr. Mumbert is active in the Central Florida area as a voice adjunct professor for the Rollins College Department of Music and is a frequent guest soloist with the Messiah Choral Society of Orlando and the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park. Stephen earned his BA from Stetson University, his MM degree at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and is currently working toward a doctorate at the University of Minnesota.