Derek Bermel (1967)
Composer/clarinetist Derek Bermel has appeared as a soloist alongside Wynton Marsalis in his sprawling Migration Series for jazz band and orchestra, and performed his clarinet concerto Voices with dozens of orchestras worldwide, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The founding clarinetist of Music from Copland House, Bermel’s chamber music appearances also include the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, festivals across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and with the Borromeo, Pacifica, and JACK quartets.
As both clarinetist and composer, he has collaborated with musicians from an eclectic musical landscape, from jazz luminaries Paquito D’Rivera and Luciana Souza, to virtuoso violinist Midori, and hip-hop legend Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), to composer/conductors John Adams and Tan Dun.
Bermel has twice been nominated for GRAMMY Awards – for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Migrations (Naxos 8.559871), and Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) for Voices (BMOP/sound).
He is currently artistic director of the American Composers Orchestra, and his many honors include the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, Rome Prize, American Academy of Arts and Letters, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships.
For more information, visit www.derekbermel.com.