Dean Roberts

Master of Music, Viola Performance

Preston “Dean” Roberts recently earned his Master of Music in Viola Performance at the University of Texas at Austin's Butler School of Music. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Missouri. Roberts has performed alongside the viola faculty at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and has played across the Midwest as Principal Violist for the Missouri Symphony and the award-winning Leme Ensemble. He currently performs with the Austin Civic Orchestra, and has also served as Principal Violist for the Odyssey Chamber Series, Columbia Civic Orchestra, Southside Philharmonic, Quincy Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Principal Violist with Austin Pops Orchestra. Roberts has also had success as a violinist, as he was awarded Concertmaster for the 2022 Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Convention Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Peter Wilson. 

​At Mizzou, Roberts was Principal Violist of the University Philharmonic for three years. With the UPO, he premiered André Thomas’s Mass: A Celebration of Love and Joy at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City. He achieved first place in the Missouri Music Teachers Association Strings Competition in 2021 and 2022. He served as Principal Violist for the 2022 Missouri All-State Collegiate Orchestra, directed by Christopher Lees. At UT, Roberts was Assistant Principal Violist for the Butler Opera Center and the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, he was honored with the Kimmel Distinguished String Player Award and the Mary Winton Green Endowed Presidential Scholarship.

Dedicated to inspiring the next generation of musicians, Roberts is faculty at the Orpheus Academy of Music as a violin/viola instructor, and also sits on the chamber music committee for the program. He has previously taught at Texas String Project, Missouri String Project, the Missouri Academy of Music, and the Missouri Symphony Conservatory.

His extensive training includes masterclasses with members of the Balourdet Quartet, Miro Quartet, Cong Wu, Sheila Browne, Jonathan Moerschel, Julio Elizalde, and Michael Casimir. He has also received instruction from esteemed musicians such as Morgan Owen, Leslie Perna, Mikhail Galaganov, Dr. Ruben Balboa, Wilhelm Magner, and Roger Myers.