Born in Dublin, Ireland, Derek Gleeson studied piano, percussion, composition and conducting at the music conservatories of Dublin, London and Vienna, and film scoring at the University of California, Los Angeles. By the age of 11, Gleeson was the recipient of many piano and percussion competition prizes within Ireland and Great Britain. At the age of 15, he was selected to represent Ireland as an orchestral musician in the European Community Youth Orchestra, where he had the opportunity to perform at the great European music festivals, such as Salzburg, Edinburgh and Lucerne Festivals under Maestros Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein and Sir George Solti. These early experiences moved him specifically toward a career in conducting. In 1984 he was prize winner in the Shell/London Symphony Orchestra music scholarship program.
As a freelance orchestral musician, Gleeson performed with most of the British orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Orchestras, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, before directing his time exclusively to conducting and composition in 1989. He was Music Director of the Rűckert Orchestra of Dublin (1990 through 1993) and, since 1997, he has been Music Director and Conductor of the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Thanks to the authority & dynamism of their young and talented conductor Derek Gleeson, the orchestra excelled itself." The Irish Times (Dublin)
"His Mahler's Fifth Symphony was glorious." The Irish Times (Dublin)
An ardent champion of contemporary music, Gleeson has provided many premier performances of works by living composers, his own works also having been broadcasted in Europe and the U.S. Percussionist Evelyn Glennie has commissioned him to compose a concerto for her. His recordings as conductor include premieres of contemporary American and Irish composers with both the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Bulgarica.
In 2009, under the auspices of Columbia Artists Management, Inc., Gleeson conducted the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra on its inaugural 49-city coast-to-coast tour of the United States. In the summer of 2010, Gleeson and the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra will make a 15 concert tour of China/Asia.
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, released on Carlton Classics/IMP Masters.
"Performances are entirely convincing, polished and stylish under Irish conductor Gleeson's able leadership." In Tune Magazine
"Derek Gleeson conducted with spirit . . . striking detail . . . A must for anyone who loves Russian music." Classic CD Magazine
Amongst others, Gleeson has conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra (Ireland's national broadcaster), the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra (Ireland), Orchestra Da Camera Fiorentina (Italy), the Brohuslav Martinu Philharmonic (Czech Republic), Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra (Czech Republic), Philharmonic Orchestra Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic), RTL Orchestra (Luxembourg), NOS Orchestra (Holland), the Rűckert Orchestra (Ireland), Szombathely-Savaria Symphony Orchestra (Hungary), the Danish Radio Concert Orchestra (Denmark), Orchestra of the Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet (England), Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonica Bulgarica, the Vratza Philharmonic, Plovdiv State Opera and Bourgas State Opera (Bulgaria), and the Los Angeles Composers Guild Chamber Orchestra (U.S.A.). Gleeson's opera repertoire includes performances of Verdi's La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, and Un Ballo in Maschera, Mozart's La Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute, Bizet's Carmen, and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. In September 2008, Gleeson conducted Rigoletto for the "Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival."
Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival ('08)
"Conductor Derek Gleeson kept perfect pace and never overwhelmed the action……I doubt if there has been a better Rigoletto in Dublin … … The President of Ireland led a prolonged standing ovation, and deservedly so." - The Sunday Business Post. September ‘08
Gleeson recorded the first Gaelic rendition of Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf. He conducts the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra ("DPO") in Carolan Suite on Patrick Cassidy's CD, Deirdre of the Sorrows (BMG/Windham Hill), and with The DPO recorded and conducted American composer Don Ray's orchestral suite, Family Portrait and the premier recording of Ray's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, released on Albany Records in 2004. He recorded Ray's Homestead Dances with the DPO, released on Albany Records in 2007. In 2010 he will conduct the premier recording of composer Patrick Cassidy's new Mass with the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
Derek Gleeson composed film scores for the feature films The White Pony (Director: Brian Kelly), Irish Whiskey (Director: Jon Stevens), Moving Target (Director: Paul Ziller), The Doorway (Director: Michael Druxman), Kitchen (Director: Kieron Walsh) and additional music on The Suicide Club (Director: Rachel Samuels). In addition to composing music for film, Gleeson is Director of Screen Training Ireland's Film Scoring Programme, Dublin. He served as Composer Advisor to Moonstone International (sister company to Sundance Festival) and also as Music Jury Chairman of the Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA).
