Derek Gleeson (Conductor: Rigoletto)

Dublin-born Derek Gleeson studied music in Dublin, London and Vienna and now resides in the U.S. He represented Ireland as an orchestral musician in the E.U.Youth Orchestra where he performed in the great European Festivals including Salzburg, Edinburgh and Lucerne under such luminaries as Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein and Sir Georg Solti. In 1989 he directed his time exclusively to conducting and composition.

Amongst others, Gleeson has conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the NOS Orchestra, Holland, the Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, the RTL Orchestra Luxembourg and the Los Angeles Composers Guild Chamber Orchestra.

Derek Gleeson has conducted the premier CD recording of Tchaikovsky’s Oratorio Ode to Joy, the original Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture and Prokofiev’s Zdravitsa with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, available on Carlton Classics/IMP Masters.

As a composer, his concert work entitled “Buenos Aires” had its first airing in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Evelyn Glennie has commissioned him to compose a percussion concerto which will be premiered in 2009.