Dean Billmeyer

The American organist Dean Billmeyer began his musical education at the age of five, and his organ teachers have included David Craighead and Robert Anderson in the USA, and Michael Radulescu in Austria. In 1982 he completed his doctorate at the Eastman School of Music, and joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. At this University Billmeyer is the successor to the renowned German organist Heinrich Fleischer, the most prominent disciple of Karl Straube in the mid-20th century United States.

Billmeyer’s performances manifest his desire to combine the deepest artistic expression with substantial musicological and theoretical awareness. Known for the breadth and scope of his performing repertoire, his concerts have consistently been acclaimed by juries and critics in the United States and Europe for their technical prowess and interpretive insight. A Fulbright Scholar, his numerous awards also include prizes in the Dublin International Organ Festival Competitions in 1980 and 1988, and he is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists.

Since 2000 Billmeyer has served as organist and harpsichordist for the Minnesota Orchestra. His concert and lecture tours in Europe have included appearances in Eisenach, Leipzig, Freiberg, and Linz, and he has given master classes under the auspices of the Gottfried Silbermann Society.