Jon Deak

Who is Jon Deak?

Jon Deak is an American composer, contrabassist and education specialist. He is former Associate Principal Bassist of the New York Philharmonic, a position he held from 1973-2009 after joining the Philharmonic in 1969 under Leonard Bernstein, and a prominent contemporary composer of orchestral and chamber works. He currently serves as the Young Composers Advocate of the New York Philharmonic, where he founded the award winning Very Young Composers Program 13 years ago.

Jon Deak was born in Hammond, Indiana and grew up in an artistic environment. His father and mother were sculptors and painters from Eastern Europe; he himself has worked in sculpture and was active in the "performance art" movement in New York's Soho district. He attended Oberlin College, The Juilliard School, the University of Illinois, and the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome as a Fulbright scholar.