About

Dean is a Vancouver-based pianist, composer, and educator originally from Sylvan Lake, Alberta. His Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Composition was completed after a unique educational trajectory that included Red Deer College, Berklee College of Music, and Capilano University. Currently, Dean enjoys a busy career gigging within the local jazz and improvised music scenes as a sideman with a number of established groups including jazz bands, wedding events, choral groups and theatre and dance productions. In recent years his performing included international tours to the United States, UK, and India. Besides playing, Dean is an accomplished composer and arranger. His arrangements for horn groups and string ensembles can be heard on a number of his peers’ albums and performances. His small ensemble and 14-piece jazz orchestra under the shared name of STRANGER FRIENDS are his creative outlets that explore his personal compositional and improvisational stylings.