Tony Dehner's in the Spotlight today!

David Anthony (Tony) Dehner is next in our Singer Spotlight series!  This is Tony's first season with SACC and we're delighted to have him join us for our The Mystery of Christmas concert on Dec. 16 and 17!

Tell us about yourself, Tony!
I'm originally from Kentucky where my father pastored churches. I sang in church as a child and in high school choirs, ensembles, and musicals when I attended Holmes High School in Covington, KY and Bradley County High School in Cleveland, TN. I won the international male vocalist award in Teen Talent 1984, won a National Association of Teachers of Singing division, and was in the Kentucky State Honor Choir in 1981. After graduation in 1982, I attended Lee University in Cleveland, TN for my Bachelor of Art in Music, voice concentration. I then got my MA in Music, Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from Middle Tennessee State University and my DMA in Voice, Musicology, and Music Theory from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Music and Worship. In 2013, I attended Westminster Choir College's Choral Institute at Oxford with James Jordan and James Whitbourn.

I've held numerous positions as a Music Minister, Voice Instructor, and Soloist and am currently serving as the Director of Fine Arts at Cornerstone Christian School and the Dean of Cornerstone Conservatory and I also maintain my own voice studio, the Dehner Voice Studio. I've been honored as a Grammy Music Educator of the Year Finalist and I've received awards for music education from the Harmony Association and the California Assembly among others. I served as president of the SFBA Chapter of NATS from 2015-2017.

In 1986, I married Ruth Elizabeth Campbell from Parkersburg, WV, who is now a radiologic technologist and mammographer.


If you could be any other vocal part, which part would you be?
Alto - I love the Mezzo Sound!


What's your favorite choral piece to sing?
“O Sacrum Convivium” Olivier Messiaen


What piece has been the most influential to you?
Brahms' German Requiem


Who are your singer crushes?
Devony Smith, soprano, and Christian Pursell, baritone, because I know them, I taught them, and I am proud of them.


Conductor crushes?
Joshua Haberman and John Talberg - effective and nice!


What about your instrumentalist crushes?
Nobuyuki Tsujii, a brilliant Japanese pianist and composer who was born blind


What's the most valuable lesson you've ever learned in choir or voice lessons?
When singing in Romania during the reign of Nicolae Ceaușescu, I learned that music can bring light into darkness.


Who inspired you and encouraged you to pursue music?
My father encouraged me to pursue music. My parents were my best cheerleaders until I met my wife. Now she is!

What's your favorite musical tradition?
Handel's Messiah


What's your fondest musical memory?
Standing in front of my high school choirs at Carnegie and the Vatican

What's your favorite holiday carol?
A babe is born (Mathias)


What's your proudest musical moment?
Hearing my students discover who they are as they sing


What's your favorite guilty musical pleasure?
Bobby McFerrin


Do you have any other passions or hidden talents?
Watercolor, motivational speaking, and I have seen 65 performances in NYC!


What's your dream choral piece to perform?
Carmina Burana or the B minor Mass

If you love Tony and want to support his singing endeavors, please consider donating to the San Antonio Chamber Choir so that we can continue to provide San Antonio and South Texas with performances of the finest choral music featuring Tony and all our extremely talented singers!  For a limited time, those who make a donation of $100 or more to SACC will receive a free copy of SACC's newest recording, Unfrozen: Christmas in the Baltics, a beautiful album of Christmas and solstice music from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia now available on iTunes!  It makes a perfect holiday gift for the classical music lover in your life!  

Concert Time!
Don't forget to see Tony in person on December 16 and 17 for our The Mystery of Christmas concert!  This event celebrates 100 years of recorded jazz and 1,000 years of choral music in a combined concert with special guests, the Jazz Protagonists.  Also featured will be the North East School of the Arts Dancers and the Clark High School Choir.


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