Dean Witten, Professor of Percussion and Director of Percussion Studies at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, since 1979 died on March 16, 2018, after a battle with cancer.

Witten gave the world premier performances of more than 40 works for percussion. He had served as principal percussionist of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, New York Chamber Orchestra, NY Virtuosi, New York Pops, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Guild, and many Broadway theater orchestras.

As a performer on Baroque timpani, he recorded the Haydn “Creation” with the Pro Artis Ensemble, a New York ensemble specializing in the use of period instruments. Dean was a member of the percussion sections of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Opera Companies of Philadelphia and Boston. He performed at two PASICs, hosted PASIC ’90 in Philadelphia, and served four years on the PAS Board of Directors.

He toured the world as a member of Frank Sinatra’s orchestra for almost eight years and performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Buddy Rich Band and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. He played in the Broadway pit orchestras of Porgy and Bess, Les Miserables, Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La Boheme, A Catered Affair, Sweet Charity, Sunset Boulevard, Jekyll and Hyde, Beauty and the Beast, The King and I, Cyrano the Musical, The Secret Garden, Oklahoma, Tommy, Promises Promises, Dracula the Musical, City of Angels, An Inspector Calls, The Drowsy Chaperone, Blood Brothers, and Grand Hotel.

Witten appeared on recordings by Frank Sinatra (Duets), Frank Sinatra Jr., Harry Connick Jr., Celine Dion, Denis DiBlasio, Betty Buckley, Linda Eder and others, as well as on the movie soundtracks to Femme Fatale, Lucky Numbers, Snake Eyes, and Godfather 3. Dean was a member of the staff orchestras at Resorts International, Tropicana, and Sands Hotel Casinos in Atlantic City, where he performed with Peter Allen, Paul Anka, Susan Anton, Frankie Avalon, Burt Bacharach, Charlie Callas, Diahann Carroll, Perry Como, Petula Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Bill Conti, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr., Dom Deluise, Jose Feliciano, Fifth Dimension, Aretha Franklin, Mitzi Gaynor, Robert Goulet, Joel Grey, Joey Heatherton, Clint Holmes, Lena Horne, Englebert Humperdink, Lanie Kazan, Carol Lawrence, Jerry Lewis, Liberace, Gloria Loring, Patti Lupone, Rich Little, Melissa Manchester, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Maureen McGovern, Liza Minelli, Anthony Newley, Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, Patti Page, Lou Rawls, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Neal Sedaka, Frank Sintara, Steve and Edye, Keely Smith, Connie Stevens, Leslie Ughamms, Ben Vereen, Dionne Warwick, Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, Paul Williams and others. He was also heard on nationally broadcast television commercials for Smith Barney, Right Guard, Visa, the U.S. Postal Service and NBC Nightly News.