Dr. Dehner is an alumnus of Lee University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music. He also holds a Master of Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee where he studied conducting with Raphael Bundage. He completed post graduate studies in Voice, Conducting and Counterpoint at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Dr. Dehner earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice, Musicology and Music Theory from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Church Music and Worship in Louisville, Kentucky where he completed a three-year fellowship with Metropolitan Soprano Marilyn Mims and studied conducting techniques with John Dickson. Dr. Dehner also attended The Westminster Choir College’s Choral Institute at Oxford University, where he studied with James Jordan.
Dr. Dehner has a distinguished career in music education, vocal pedagogy, church music and choral conducting. As a music education specialist, he has taught at Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, California and Cornerstone Christian School in San Antonio, Texas. His high school choral programs were awarded continuous command performance. He developed a curriculum in vocal training for young singers and several of his alumni are nationally renown professional artists. His choirs have been featured in KIConcerts in France, Italy, Austria and England. They were featured in the DCINY Excellence in Education Series at Carnegie Hall in 2008. Dr. Dehner was semi-finalists and finalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award. He was awarded a congressional seal, California Teacher of the Year, Western Division Harmony Society Excellence in Education Award and California Legislature Award.
Dr. Dehner has served as a Choral Director for numerous churches for 35 years. He served on state music boards and national committees for the Church of God. He also has served on professional boards for the California Music Educators Association and the San Francisco National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Dr. Dehner taught voice, sight-singing, applied voice and vocal ensemble for SBTS and Boyce Bible College in Louisville. He taught applied voice for Lee University and Secondary Vocal Music Education for Bethany College. He currently directs ORU Choral Ensembles, and teaches Conducting, Class Voice, and Applied Voice at ORU.
Dr. Dehner is also an active clinician and voice coach. He offers clinical work for church choirs and worship teams, school choirs, and community musical theater. He specializes in vocal health, expressive singing, choral voicing and blend and spirit-empowered performance.
His performance career includes touring with Lee Singers, Columbia Artist Alkahest Agency for solo work with the Chattanooga Boys Choir, Soloist with Huntsville Community Chorus and Lee University Choral Union, Soloists with Seminary Choir and Louisville Chorus, Lead roles in numerous Gilbert and Sullivan Operas and Soloist for KIConcert European Tours.