Scott Dean - Director of Worship & Music
For the past twenty-five years Scott Dean has directed music full-time in Presbyterian and Lutheran churches. His adult, youth, and handbell choirs have made recordings, sung for conventions of choral directors and have made five international tours with performances in cathedrals and concert halls as well as small, rural parishes throughout Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Dean received the Bachelor of Arts (Music Education) and Master of Music degrees from California State University, Fullerton where he was awarded honors from the Department of Music studying with Howard Swan, David Thorsen, and Gordon Paine.
Dean studied with Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival for nine seasons and has also studied with some of America's foremost conductors including Paul Salamunovich, Robert Shaw, Howard Swan and Roger Wagner as well as performing with Gian Carlo Maria Giulini, Zubin Mehta, Aaron Copland and Krystof Penderecki . He has prepared choruses for Roger Wagner, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and organist Paul Manz, as well as for recording artists Shirley Jones and Mel Torme.
Mr. Dean has served as the National Chairman, Northwest Divison Chair, and Washington State Chair for Music and Worship of the American Choral Directors Association. With a keen interest in sacred concert music, Dean enjoys research privileges at the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, the British Museum, London, and various libraries in Rome. He has guest conducted in Munich, Germany and is a frequent adjudicator, columnist, clinician and lecturer.
In 1989 Dean assumed the first full time position of Music Director at FPCB. Since that time the Music Ministry has grown from 45 singers in two choirs to more than 350 participants in eleven ensembles. Dean conducts the Chancel Choir, select chamber choir "Ensemble", "Bel Canto" youth choir, in addition to the Festival Orchestra and Brass. As Director of Music and Worship he oversees the four Sunday services, festival services, concerts, and staff. He resides in Kirkland, Washington with his wife, Cynthia, a music specialist with a Masters of Arts and soprano soloist. Dean has two grown children: Nathan and Elizabeth.