Dean McNeill B.Mus, M.Mus, Dip.

Department Head & Professor of Music

Department Head of Music
Faculty Member in Music

Office: Education 1045

Research Area(s)

Jazz
Music
Improvisation
Creativity
Composition
Classical
Baroque
Interdiciplinary

About me

Bio: An award-winning musician, composer, educator, and arts administrator, Dean McNeill has been contributing to the arts scene provincially and nationally for decades. Dean has been a Professor at the University of Saskatchewan for over 25 years and he holds a Music Diploma from MacEwan University, an undergraduate music degree from McGill University, and a Master’s degree in music from the University of North Texas. Dean been the recipient of the U of S’s Dwaine Nelson Teaching Award, University of Saskatchewan Student’s Union Teaching Excellence Award, Saskatchewan Jazz Festival’s Special Recognition Award, Saskatchewan Choral Federation’s Outstanding Administrator’s Award, and in 2023, Dean was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Saskatchewan).

Dean performed as soloist Kalla composed by Dr. Allan Gilliland with the New Edmonton Wind Symphonia. Kalla won a Western Canadian Music Award and since then several other musical projects involving Dean have been nominated for Western Canadian Music Awards in their own right including Jeff Presslaff’s The Complete Rebirth Of The Cool and the Regina Jazz Society’s The Saskatchewan Suite: The Story of Us.

Dean has composed and arranged music for symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, large and small brass ensembles, jazz combo, and large jazz ensemble and his arrangements of the jazz standard All of You won an award from Downbeat Magazine for University Student Arrangement of the Year. Crediting much of his success to diligence, strong musical role models, Dean is honored to have shared the professional concert stage with the likes of Jon Ballantyne, Tommy Banks, David Braid, Phil Dwyer, Hugh Fraser, Mark Fewer, Guy Few, Wycliffe Gordon, Kelly Jefferson, Ingrid Jensen, Michael Kaeshammer, Alastair Kay, Bob Mintzer, PJ Perry, Maria Schneider, Denzal Sinclaire, and Brad Turner among others. Dean is currently serving as Artistic Director of the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra and is a Yamaha Artist.

Dean McNeill is currently the Head of the University of Saskatchewan Department of Music.

Related videos:

1) McNeill's Jazz & Classical Trumpet Performance Example Collage Compilation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK2BLFryaQg

2) Collaboration with A&S visual artist Prof. Allyson Glenn. This collaboration resulted in the creation of 2 awarded winning videos that explored connections between synesthesia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia and music composition & performance with one of these videos winning a significant L.A. Film Prize: The related 2 videos can be found at:

Above The Deluge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hCA5NoWbtU
In The Fray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqfJrOCb9zw
Interview with the artists involved in the creation of Above the Deluge: https://youtu.be/yphijsidO2U

3) Collaboration between A&S visual artist Prof. Lisa Birke, A&S music and art students and a variety of water-based scientists/researchers wherein we created an animated video intended for young kids entitled Water You Waiting For that can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/635538101.

4) Collaboration between composer Jeff Presslaff, UofS Professor Mathematics Dr. Steven Rayan and Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra: Explored linkages between hyperbolic geometry and jazz music composition/performance. Related article can be found at: https://news.usask.ca/articles/colleges/2023/usask-concert-will-mix-music-and-math.php. This collaboration culminated in a special performance opportunity for the SJO and a subsequent article that was recently published in the on line periodical Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-quantum-math-theory-turned-into-a-jazz-concert/. Archival recording of the concert can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blgtebX1UoY.

5) Collaboration between McNeill (as AD of the SJO) and various poets and composers producing a SJO concert that explored connections between music and poetry focusing the artistic outputs on our shared experiences moving through the Covid 19 global pandemic. This concert was entitled Poetics of Jazz. It featured Grammy Award winning drummer Larnell Lewis and selected poems (e.g. Past SK Poet Laureate Glen Sorstad OC) set to jazz music by various Canadian poets including Margaret Attwood. An example of this collaboration can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13xdilLuX4.

6) Sweetwater Fanfare composed by Paul Suchan performed by Dean McNeill, Guy Few & Aaron Bueckert: https://youtu.be/e1HJT-hV65U. This video was produced by Research Profile and Impact with Media Production and features many USask water security research locations that tells the story of water coming from the glaciers and the Yukon, flowing through the plains, and finishes with USask drone footage.

7) Trumpet and Strings: (2023) Song Without Words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL8UHz2VpEY.

8) Brass Ensemble: (2023) Inventio Fanfare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX3T8lqa3dM.

9) Songs and poem collaborations including Dean McNeill: Floruit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsmn7Rth3m4, Such Sweet Sadness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13xdilLuX4.

10) Description of McNeill's musical contribution to the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra's Suite 150: A Big Band Portrait CD https://youtu.be/kEzGV4kCs6A

11) A conversation between Dean McNeill and Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra Conductor Eric Paetkau discussing the differences and similarities between classical and jazz music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owgrzmlaKew&feature=youtu.be

12) A video describing the recent work and mandate of the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHOLyeKnRdU

13) Short TV interview re connections between Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra and Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra: https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-jazz-orchestra-continues-big-band-tradition-1.4591236

14) Premier performance of Scene of Plains Peoples Mov. III. The Fiddlers Where Grey Stones Stand composed by Paul Suchan, performed by the UofS Jazz Ensemble conducted by Dean McNeill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKOcwR1CbI0&feature=youtu.be

15) A 2008 video on Engaging Minds at the UofS (i.e. comments on faculty research, scholarly and artist work): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfOCy4Blcj8&gl=CA

16) Promotional video: The rediscovery of the orchestral music by Heinz Moehn: https://youtu.be/Y6u6RAgZtrY

17) Dean McNeill performs that Last Post and Reveille: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-orbOoNb1Y&feature=youtu.be

18) Fanfare from the Albason https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqUeVY8hCgI

19) A Future Of Hope trumpet fanfare video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQwn834k6Ow

20) (trumpet/piano duet) Fiddlers Where Greystones Stand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k2sjtDtrxQ

21) Examples of McNeill's Big Band compositions:

A) Wheeler Dealer: https://youtu.be/CV8JbQR0MPw

B) Daze: https://youtu.be/h9JoKB7nJAo

C) Vasquez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXxnjsPgfzM

D) A Common Place Fanfare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSPPLc0RpiU

E) Your Absence Is Noted: https://youtu.be/ldm2YkZYCkY

22) MacEwan Convocation speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYMeAqzl6-w (@ 1 hour 13 min).

Related articles:

2023 Sk Arts article on Dean McNeill and recent USASK B.Mus. Trumpet major Graeme Dyck. Graeme also graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelors degree in Honours math: https://www.sk-arts.ca/news-resources/sk-arts-75th-anniversary/dean-mcneill-and-graeme-dyck.html.

2023 Article on the "Hyperbolic Band" Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra performance featuring new music composer Jeff Presslaff and mathematician Dr. Steven Rayan: https://news.usask.ca/articles/colleges/2023/usask-concert-will-mix-music-and-math.php

2023 Article on Award given to Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra Directed by Dean McNeill: https://artsandscience.usask.ca/news/articles/8665/Longtime_jazz_ensemble_receives_special_recognition_at_Saska?utm_source=paws&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=asupdate

2022 Article on the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestras 'Poetics of Jazz" concert: https://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/saskatoon-jazz-orchestras-poetics-of-jazz-a-local-lyrical-start-to-the-season

2020 Article on UofS Certificate in Jazz: https://artsandscience.usask.ca/news/articles/5354/Alumni_tout_value_of_USask_s_jazz_certificate_program.

2020 Star Phoenix Article: Creative Isolation: Jazz musician Dean McNeill rallies for the arts: https://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/local-arts/creative-isolation-jazz-musician-dean-mcneill-rallies-for-the-arts.

2019 UofS TEDx Conference speech by Dean McNeill entitled Please Listen Carefully: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHDu3soHFDo.

2018 Bridges magazine article: Luck, opportunity, preparation: Jazz Professor Dean McNeill inspires the next generation through music: https://lfpress.com/life/bridges/luck-opportunity-preparation-jazz-instructor-dean-mcneill-is-inspiring-the-next-generation-through-music/wcm/af21057d-2b4b-455f-8161-8b8fd916c2f

On the importance of Building Cultural Capital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CifxIDq-OSQ&t=1345s (go to 22 min 30 seconds).

For more information visit www.deanmcneill.com.

For More information on the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra visit: www.saskatoonjazzorchestra.com.

McNeill's Selected CD Discography:

• 2024 Paul Suchan/Silas Friesen CD entitled Prairie Convergence features compositions all commissioned by Dean McNeill/UofS and/or Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra

• 2022 MacEwan University Alumni CD <yet to be titled or released>

• 2020 Saskatchewan Suite (composed by Fred Stride, commissioned by the Regina Jazz Orchestra)

• 2018 Suite 150: A Big Band Portrait (Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, McNeill composed 1 movement)

• 2017 Heidi Munro and the Real Groovy Band

• 2016 Anna Maria Soprano Songs In Loving Memory of my Father (with McNeill on Let The Bright Seraphim)

• 2016 Skyscapes, U of S Wind Orchestra (with McNeill as soloist)

• 2015 *Bumper Crop VI Continuance, U of S Jazz Ensemble

• 2014 Complete Rebirth of the Cool (nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award, http://www.jeffpresslaff.com)

• 2013 O Music (contains Kalla featuring McNeill as soloist. Kalla won the Western Canadian Music Award for Best Classical Composition http://www.allangilliland.com)

• 2010 *Bumper Crop V Water Colors, U of S Jazz Ensemble

• 2008 Mélange: New Music for Trumpet and Piano, http://www.msrcd.com/catalog/cd/MS1294

• 2007 *Prairie Fire: The Large Jazz Ensemble Music of Dean McNeill, www.cellarlive.com

• 2006 Urban Diversions

• 2006-2007 *Bumper Crop IV Perceptions, U of S Jazz Ensemble

• 2004-2005 *Bumper Crop III Prairie Rhythms, U of S Jazz Ensemble

• 2004 Morning Pages, Kim Fontaine, www.kimfontaine.ca

• 2002-2003 *Bumper Crop II Outstanding In Their Fields, U of S Jazz Ensemble

• 2000-2001 *Bumper Crop, U of S Jazz Ensemble website

• 1998 Two O'clock Lab Band A Salute to Benny Carter, University of North Texas Two O'clock Lab Band

• 1998 Teaching Music Through Performance In Band (volume two), University of North Texas Symphonic Band, www.amazon.com

• 1997 Wind Dances, University of North Texas Wind Symphony

• 1997 Two O'clock Lab Band, University of North Texas Two O'clock Lab Band

• 1997 Holsinger 5, The Music of David Holsinger - University of North Texas Symphonic Band, amazon.com

• 1997 Live at the Arts Centre Red Deer College, Dean McNeill Jazz Quartet

• 1992 Cookin' The Books, McGill Jazz Ensemble 1, www.music.mcgill.ca

• 1990 Late Late Show, McGill University Swing Band, www.music.mcgill.ca

• 1990 When I Sing (Alberta Cancer Foundation & Colleen Frances Lazoruk)

• 1988 Day and Night CD with guest artist David Liebman, McGill Jazz Ensemble 1, www.music.mcgill.ca

* Conducted by Dean McNeill

Publications

improvisation jazz jazz composition music trumpet