Scott Dunn is one of the most complete, versatile and distinguished musicians of his generation. The American conductor, pianist and arranger is a noted advocate of American and contemporary music and has a special interest in film music and cross-over composers – ranging from George Gershwin and Richard Rodney Bennett to Leonard Rosenman and Danny Elfman

He has appeared with the Atlanta Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Russian Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Vienna Radio Orchestra (RSO) and countless other distinguished ensembles. Dunn has collaborated with numerous headliners, including Trey Anastasio, Beck, Chris Botti, Bill Charlap, Elvis Costello, Sutton Foster, Steve Martin, Leslie Odom Jr. and Rufus Wainwright among others.

Dunn’s interest in music outside the usual classical canon can be traced to his long friendship with the late Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. Through Bennett, Dunn discovered the concert works of song-writer and composer Vernon Duke (a.k.a. Vladimir Dukelsky) whose ‘lost’ piano concerto (written for Rubinstein) Dunn orchestrated and premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1999. In 2007 he recorded the piano concerto with other Duke works with the Russian Philharmonic (Naxos,2007). In 2012 he edited the Vernon Duke Songbook for Hal Leonard and in 2013 he reconstructed Duke’s THE END OF ST. PETERSBURG oratorio for performance in St. Petersburg Russia. Other Duke recordings include violin concerto and complete works for violin with Elmira Darvarova (Urlicht 2015) and a ‘new’ Duke musical MISIA (PS Classics, 2015) arranged and adapted by Dunn with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and a brilliant cast headed by Marin Mazzie. In subsequent projects, Dunn adapted and performed Julius Eastman’s GAY GUERILLA (2018) for four pianos and arranged and premiered Duke Ellington’s NEW WORLD A-COMIN’ for solo piano and chamber jazz ensemble (2019). Most recently, Dunn’s acclaimed 2023 recording, I Watch You Sleep – Scott Dunn Celebrates Richard Rodney Bennett with Claire Martin and the Royal Philharmonic (Stunt STUCD-23012, 2023), consisting of Bennett’s own jazz songs as well as Bennett’s favorite standards to play and sing – all orchestrated and conducted by Dunn, was named RECORD OF THE YEAR (and Track of the Year) by The Arts Desk UK in 2023.

Dunn’s interest in film music stems from his friend and mentor, Leonard Rosenman, whose brilliant score for REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) Dunn arranged for live orchestra to film for premiere in 2016 with the LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall. He often conducts REBEL and other live orchestra-to-film concerts through out the US and Europe. His work with other film composers, includes Rachel Portman, for whom he conducted the BBC Philharmonic in MIMI AND THE MOUNTAIN DRAGON (Decca, 2019) for world-wide annual Christmas BBC broadcasts; with Lior Rosner for whom he recorded SUGAR PLUM ON THE RUN with the Royal Philharmonic and Jeremy Irons (Sony, 2019) and with Danny Elfman, for whom he worked on DANNY ELFMAN’S MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF TIM BURTON and has conducted around the world – as well as work on other Elfman concert works including his 2008 ballet RABBIT AND ROGUE for Twyla Tharp and the American Ballet Theatre.

As a pianist, Dunn is a Steinway Artist and has recorded and concertized extensively. Early in his career he toured with Martha Graham Dance Company and as soloist toured Eastern Europe for the USIA – introducing former states of the Soviet Union to great twentieth century American works including Ives’ CONCORD SONATA.

Born and raised in Iowa, Dunn studied piano with the legendary Byron Janis and is a former assistant to Lukas Foss – whose complete solo piano works Dunn recorded (Naxos, 2007). He has had a remarkably extensive education, which, in addition to music degrees, includes an M.D., residency and board certification in eye surgery. Dunn has served as Associate Conductor for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra since 2012 and previously held positions at Pittsburgh, Glimmerglass and New York City Operas. He also currently serves principal conductor of the Parnassus Society at the Soka Performing Arts Center in Orange County CA.

For the 2024-25 season, watch for Dunn’s new solo piano release in Dolby Atmos – Scott Dunn Celebrates the Hollywood Modernists featuring Dunn’s arrangements of music from such classic mid-century film scores as REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, PSYCHO, STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and others; as well as the launch of the SCOTT DUNN ORCHESTRA, consisting of the world’s greatest studio musicians and presenting concerts celebrating the heritage of Hollywood film music and musicians. 

Of Dunn’s 2023 recording I WATCH YOU SLEEP, Rex Reed wrote: 

“My heartfelt thanks to Scott Dunn …… what makes the whole thing a rare and heart-stopping work of purity and nuance are Dunn’s arrangements. Every time I hear them I learn and discover something new.  It’s like musical interpretations of Stanislavski’s method acting, bar by bar….I really feel inadequate as I search for ways to describe how I feel about them. I could go on feebly trying, but all I want to do is listen again…….the gorgeous placement of strings inspires in me something like passion.

In a world drowning in mediocrity, this revealing and heartbreaking album raises the bar to new heights of audio ecstasy.  “

Of his remarkable musicianship, one New York critic noted:

“He is a conductor of great promise, a pianist of note, and a sensitive and intelligent artist. All of these elements came together to give the audience an experience closer to heaven than most of us will get in this lifetime.

February 2nd, 2024