Dr. Jay Dean has been the music director of The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra since 1988. During his tenure, the orchestra has risen to enjoy an international reputation that enhances not only the university, but also the state and region. His recruiting efforts have turned the organization into a multinational conglomerate. Dean’s vision literally has brought the world to Mississippi, including performances across the state with internationally known classical icons such as Plácido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Sir James Galway, to popular celebrities including Patti LaBelle, Doc Severinsen, Ray Charles, and countless others. He has also guest conducted many orchestras in the United States, Latin America, and Europe. The symphony regularly performs to sold-out houses with audience members representing a diverse cross-section of the southeastern United States.

Dean received his DMA in orchestral conducting from The University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to The University of Southern Mississippi, he was music director of Dekalb Youth Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, the Mercer University/Atlanta Chamber Orchestra, the Columbus State University Orchestra, the Atlanta Festival Orchestra and Chorus, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Southwest Chamber Orchestra. He also served as assistant conductor for the Austin Lyric Opera.

He is the executive director of the Professional Resource Institute for Musical Excellence, the executive director of the Vicksburg International Chamber Music Festival, and president of the Mississippi Orchestra Teachers Association. Previously, he was artistic director of the Southern Arts Festival, state president of the National Opera Association, regional membership chair for the International Conductors Guild, and past president of the Mississippi Music Educators Association Orchestra Division.

He served as the representative from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning on the advisory board for the formation of Mississippi School for the Arts, and has served on the board of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters and the Mississippi Opera Education Committee. He was also the music coordinator for four international art exhibitions presented by the Mississippi Commission for International Cultural Exchange, and Dean is a member of the International Conductor's Guild and a clinician for the Scherl and Roth Musical Instrument Company.

The symphony is a study in international relations as students from over 15 different countries come together for one purpose – music. Dean’s priority for the orchestra - establishing a group that is an impetus to change people’s lives in a positive way. The orchestra strives for professional excellence in performance and first rate musical opportunities for its audience as well as its members. The musicians have opportunities to showcase their talents through various musical activities as well as interaction with other businesses and organizations in the region. Members of the orchestra play with virtually every other orchestra within a 100-mile radius, serving not only the Southern Mississippi community but also providing a service to other communities in the state and beyond. Dean’s skilled leadership created unique partnerships that allow members of the orchestra to provide musical performances in every school and senior center in our city.

Jay Dean is a musical ambassador for Mississippi. He does this for the community and state he loves without thought of accolade or reward. His central mission is to provide life-changing experiences for his students and raise the quality of life in the community of which he is a part.