Dempster (M.M., Composition, 2004; D.M.A, 2010) previously founded the music program at ASMSA in 2018 and has since brought the program to regional recognition and acclaim for its innovative curriculum and student achievements. He also had a work premiered by members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at an ASO River Rhapsodies chamber concert. The work, Canticle of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, premiered on March 1, 2022 at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR. The piece was commissioned by the Arkansas Symphony and its principal bassoonist.
