[2] Raised in what Neuen described as "the small, enormously musical, Swiss-Mennonite community of Berne, Indiana,"[citation needed], Neuen studied under and was heavily influenced by Robert Shaw (the former Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, founder of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus in Georgia,[citation needed] and famous for his Robert Shaw Chorale).
Neuen served as the Assistant Conductor and the Director of Choral Activities for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
[citation needed] Neuen led the Los Angeles-based Angeles Chorale as Artistic Director for 13 years, from 1996 to 2009.
[citation needed] Before his tenure at UCLA, Neuen was a member of the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
[3] Neuen is a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity.