Cited for his “effective leadership” (Opera News) and “calm, cool and confident” demeanor (Theater Jones), American conductor Tyson Deaton is known for leading “energetically conducted” (New York Times) performances in a broad range of repertoire. A collaborative pianist, coach, recitalist and chamber musician, Deaton’s musical roots are firmly planted in the traditions of the standard operatic repertoire from the Baroque era to Puccini and beyond. His affinity for contemporary works has been cited by Seen and Heard Internationalwhich said of the world premiere of Robert Paterson’s The Companion with American Modern Ensemble, “under the baton of Tyson Deaton, a special energy reverberated between singers and musicians.”

Deaton is a frequently entrusted musical authority in the development of new works, specifically with text setting, and vocal and orchestral writing.  In 2020, he led a workshop of composer Joel Thompson and librettist Andrea Pinkney’s setting of Ezra Jack Keats’ beloved children’s story The Snowy Day with Houston Grand Opera. He led workshops for The Falling and the Rising by Zach Redler and Jerre Dye, co-commissioned by the United States Army Soldiers’ Chorus and Field Band, and conducted the premiere of this work along with subsequent performances in New York City with Opera America’s New Works Forum.  Additionally, he has led workshops of Carla Lucero’s Touch, Matthew Peterson’s Voir Dire, and Libby Larsen’s technologically innovative operatic version of Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.  His other recent premieres include The Companion and Safe Word from Robert Paterson and David Cote’s opera triptych, Three Way, and Tarik O’Regan and Anna Rabinowitz’s The Wanton Sublime, both with American Opera Projects in New York City.

Recently, Deaton conducted from the harpsichord Kentucky Opera’s production of Le nozze di Figaro. Additional conducting highlights have included Hal Prince’s production of Candide with New York City Opera, American Modern Ensemble’s productions of Robert Paterson and Mark Campbell’s The Whole Truth, and Stewart Copeland and David Bamberger’s The Cask of Amontillado, along with Anchorage Opera’s productions of Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma and Guillaume Tell and Opera Birmingham’s L’elisir d’amore. In 2015, Deaton joined San Francisco Opera as Assistant Conductor of Sweeney Todd.  As guest conductor, he reprised Le nozze di Figaro at The Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center.

Tyson Deaton made his Fort Worth Opera debut in the inaugural production of the “Opera Unbound” series with Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied and is heard on the premiere recording of this work on the Albany label.  Lauded as “Best of 2013” in the Washington Post, it was also rated among the “12 Best Full-Length Opera Recordings of 2014” by Opera News.  Among his digital releases he counts the Offenbach rarity L’île de Tulipatan (Albany), and with Julia Kogan, In Jest (First Hand) recorded at Champs Hill.

Deaton has partnered as a collaborative pianist with artists including Denyce Graves, Michael Norsworthy, Linda Wang, Judith Kellock, Julie Landsman, Victoria Livengood, Craig Mumm, Othalie Graham, Talise Trevigne, and Sherrill Milnes. Along with Steven LaBrie, he worked with the Jessica Lang Dance Company on a staged version of Die Schöne Müllerin at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, “render[ing] the score with compelling artistry,” according to the New York Times.

Deaton has been presented in recital alongside Matthew Grills at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which included Benjamin Britten’s Canticle I, one of the featured events celebrating that composer’s centenary.  He performs regularly with baritone Matthew Worth: their most recent program touches three centuries of the American musical heritage.  A fervent advocate for the music of our time, Deaton has commissioned a number of works including David T. Little’s setting of To a Stranger, co-commissioned by The Walt Whitman Project of New York. ​ Deaton’s academic appointments have included those at the University of the Pacific and Lawrence Conservatory, and as an Artist-in-Residence at McGill University in Montreal. The singers he has coached occupy the rosters of The Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Houston Grand Opera, Paris Opera, The Barbican, Oper Frankfurt and La Scala.

As a clinician for both pianists and singers, he is often invited to give masterclasses.  For Opera America he has served as a panelist for Making Connections and Career Blueprints workshops and for commissioning grants, and acts as a featured contributor to their Artist Link publication.  He has adjudicated the ASCAP Plus Composer Awards, the National Opera Association, and was an interviewee for an article centered around post-secondary classical vocal music education for Classical Singer magazine.  Deaton maintains his primary residence in New York City.

February 2023