Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is a contemporary Australian composer, violist and conductor. He was born in Brisbane, Queensland. In 1981 he was a prize winner in the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards. From 1985 to 1999, Dean was a violist in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Dean was Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne until June 2010 when his brother, Paul, got the job.