American bass-baritone Michael Dean has appeared with leading opera houses and orchestras of the U.S. and Europe. The New York Times lauded his “strong appealing bass-baritone,” while the San Jose Mercury News considered him “the standout, his voice a penetrating wake-up call.” During the 16/17 Season Michael’s engagements will include Handel’s ‘Messiah’ with the Richmond Symphony and Faure’s Requiem with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park.

His 2015-16 season engagements included the Messiah with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony and Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Naples Philharmonic.

During 2014-15 season his appearances included debuts with the Utah Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Boulder Bach Festival performing Bach’s Mass in B-minor, and a return to the Winter Park Bach Festival for performances and a new recording of Mozart’s Requiem.

Michael 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 recent appearances on the concert stage include Handel’s Messiah with the Pacific Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and I Musici de Montréal; Mozart’s Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Modesto Symphony, and Quad City Symphony; Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Richmond Symphony; and Haydn’s Creation and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic.

Mr. Dean has made frequent appearances at New York City Opera, where he has performed the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, George in Of Mice and Men, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and included Jason McFarlane in the “Live From Lincoln Center” broadcast of Lizzie Borden.  Other recent operatic performances include Gregorio in Roméo et Juliette with Los Angeles Opera; the title role in Don Giovanni and Silva in Ernani at the Landestheater in Linz, Austria; Le Nozze di Figaro in Antwerp, Belgium; Of Mice and Men at Arizona Opera; and Colline in La Bohème in Strasbourg and Berlin. Dean has also received 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 Associate Professor of Voice at The University of California-Los Angeles and a member of the voice faculty at the Chautauqua Music Festival.