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.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SACC welcomes our new Executive Director, Roland Barrera!

Image
SACC is so excited to welcome our new Executive Director, Roland Barrera! Hi Roland!!! Roland is a  native South Texas baritone who grew up in Converse.  He attended Judson High School in San Antonio and sang in choirs directed by SACC Vice President Kay Sherrill.  For college, he went to  Texas State University School of Music and sang in the Texas State Chorale, during which he participated in a choir tour to South Africa, one of Roland's fondest musical memories.  He completed school in 2012 and worked as the Box Office Coordinator for the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts from 2014 to 2016.  He then worked as the Office Manager and Concierge for Conspirare gaining valuable experience in non-profit arts management.  Roland currently lives in Austin where he serves as the Director of the Chancel Choir at Tarrytown United Methodist Church and also sings with the Conspirare Symphonic Choir.  Tell us about yourself, Roland! What is your proudest singing musical moment ? S
Read more

Anna Osterman is the Soprano in the Spotlight today!

Image
Anna Osterman, Soprano, has sung with SACC for 4 seasons and we're thrilled to be able to welcome her again for both our "A Spiritual Awakening" concert TODAY Saturday Jan. 13 and our "Psalms in Song" concert next weekend! Tell us about yourself, Anna! I am a San Antonio native and  have loved music for as long as I can remember!   I come from a musical family as well--my dad was an all state trumpet player and my mom plays the piano beautifully! Choir was always my niche (I’m not coordinated enough for most instruments!).   I went to high school in Northside ISD where  I was a 3-year all-stater, was involved in musicals, and helped with an elementary honor choir.  I also sang for my church; I basically did anything that came my way!   I graduated from O’Connor High School in 2005 and from there braved the West Texas winds to attend Texas Tech University in Lubbock.  At Tech I was a member of the University Choir which provided many opport
Read more

Announcing the Alamo City Street Choir!

Image
The San Antonio Chamber Choir is excited to announce our new community connection program and affiliate ensemble – the Alamo City Street Choir . Together in partnership with Corazon Ministries , we honor the voices of the city's most vulnerable population. The mission of our new choir will be to offer an artistic outlet to those experiencing homelessness and the severely disadvantaged. This dynamic ensemble will meet weekly and have their debut performance in the fall, details announced soon. As we enter our 15th Anniversary Season, we are thrilled with the progress and growth we have seen and we're so excited to be able to serve more San Antonians. With your support, we look forward to reaching new heights in the coming years. We are already well on our way to getting the Alamo City Street Choir up and running, having raised over $10,000 of our $20,000 fundraising goal. Your generous donation will allow us to give San Antonio's neediest citizens the gift of music
Read more