Jay Dean saw his first opera more than three decades ago, and his passion for the art has grown since then.
"I had never heard an opera until I was in college, and it's an art form that has become more and more interesting to me over the years," he says. "It's a great combination of music, art, theater, dance, costumes, scenery and lighting. ... For me personally, it is the most exciting physical art form there is."
Dean, in his mid-50s, has been the music director of the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra since 1988. This week, Mississippi Opera announced Dean as the company's new artistic director.
In his new position, Dean is working on his debut performance "Passion and Fireworks: The Heart of Opera" on Nov. 6. The part-time position allows him to commute from his home in Hattiesburg, and continue his tenure at USM.
Dean moved to Hattiesburg in the early '70s to attend USM where he earned his bachelor's degree in music education in 1975 and master's degree in conducting in 1976. He moved to Texas for a few years, where he received his doctoral of musical arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992.
As USM's musical director, Dean brought national recognition to the school's orchestra and recruited guest performers such as Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Joshua Bell and John Browning. Dean is also the founding artistic director of Festival South, a multi-week music festival in Hattiesburg.
In 2009, Dean and the USM Symphony Orchestra received the Governor's Award for Leadership in the Arts.
Mississippi Opera presents "Passion and Fireworks: The Heart of Opera" at Belhaven University's Center for the Arts Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. For more information visit Mississippi Opera's website.
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