Dennis Tini has served as Music Director and Conductor of the "Annual Salute Concerts" for 27 years and has been a faculty member at Wayne for 30 years. This annual concert, which celebrates the City of Detroit and the holiday season, was founded by the late Professor Malcolm Johns in 1967 as a Thanksgiving choral concert. As an expression of gratitude and appreciation, the State of Michigan Special Tribute was presented to Tini to thank him and the WSU Department of Music for continuing this time-honored tradition.
Professor Dennis J. Tini, Chairman of the Department of Music, is Director of Choral Activities and Co-Founder/Co-Director of the Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media Program at Wayne State University. Tini is internationally in demand as a conductor, clinician/adjudicator, arts advocate and jazz pianist, and has appeared regularly at major music festivals, universities, and conferences throughout Europe, South Africa, Canada, South America and the United States during the past thirty years.
Professor Tini administrates fourteen undergraduate and graduate degree programs with over ninety resident and adjunct faculty at Wayne State University. Tini is the recipient of numerous National, State, Congressional and University awards for musical excellence and service.
Tini, a full professor at Wayne and past College/University Chair for the American Choral Directors Association/Michigan, conducts the Concert Chorale, Symphonic Chorus and Orchestra, heads the Graduate Program in Choral Conducting, and serves as a judge for the ACDA National Conducting Competition. Conducting teachers have included Robert Shaw, Sixten Ehrling, Malcolm Johns, Howard Swan, Harry Langsford and Charles Hirt. Choral clinics have been taken with Roger Wagner, William Dawson, Gregg Smith, Margaret Hillison, Alice Parker, Julius Herford and Weston Noble. Tini's voice studies were taken with MET artists Blake Stern and Robert Cowden. Professor Tini has been designated an External Accreditation Evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music.
Dennis Tini has conducted orchestras for Hollywood movies, directed national corporate musical productions, composed music for documentaries/commercials and has appeared with The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, his Quartet, Jon Faddis, Buddy Rich, J.C. Heard, and Don Ellis, among others. He has directed and appeared as piano soloist with the WSU Jazz Lab Band, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Jazztet in numerous concert tours throughout Europe.
Tini has chaired National Endowment for the Arts Music Review Panels, served on the United States Information Agency International Arts America Evaluation Committee, and is Past President of the 9000 member International Association of Jazz Education with members from 36 countries and founder of the IAJE International Music Relief Effort for South Africa.
Dennis Tini serves on the Board of Trustees for the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, the IAJE Past-Presidents Advisory Council, is Past-President of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society/WSU Chapter, and served on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Education Advisory Council. He appears regularly as a choral director with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and has prepared the Symphony Choruses for Neeme Jarvi, Antal Dorati, and Erich Kunzel, among others. Tini is the 1996 recipient of the prestigious President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and 1999 President's Exceptional Service Award at Wayne State University.