Jon Deak

Jon Deak (b. Hammond, April 27, 1943 - ) – Double bassist and composer. Raised in a musical family in Hammond, Jon Deak went on to study music at Oberlin, Juilliard, University of Illinois, and the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Deak joined the bass section of the New York Philharmonic and served as associate principal bassist from 1973 to 2009. He also chaired the artist advisory committee that appointed director Kurt Masur. Under contract with Carl Fischer, Deak has composed works that have been played by major American orchestra, including the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Rochester Philharmonic. Known for incorporating visual and even theatrical effects into his works, he has served as composer in residence for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Apple Hill Chamber Players (Nelson, New Hampshire), Colorado Symphony Orchestra (Denver), and the Grand Teton Music Festival (Jackson Hole, Wyoming). In 1990, Deak’s Concerto for Contrabass and Orchestra (“Jack and the Beanstalk”) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Furthermore, his theatrical B.B. Wolf for solo bass is in the standard repertoire. (Below are performances of this work by the composer and David Murray, who teaches bass at Butler University.) Several of Deak's 300 compositions have been recorded on major labels such as Centaur, CRI, Innova, and Cabrillo.