Derek Barnes

 

 

I trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the London Opera Centre, and began my career as a singer, performing with Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Music Theatre Wales and in London‘s West End before concentrating my work on conducting, composing and arranging.

Working in 14 countries world wide, my engagements have taken me to major venues throughout Europe, including conducting at the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Konserthus in Stockholm and the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam, with repertoire ranging from the operas of Mozart and Puccini and the operettas of Strauss and Offenbach to the music theatre works of Bernstein and Sondheim.

I was Musical Director for Oedipus (dir. Jonathan Kent, 2008-9) at the National Theatre, and was their originating Musical Director for Coram Boy(dir. Melly Still, 2005-6 and revival 2006-7 – six Tony nominations, New York transfer May 2007), Chorus Master for Trevor Nunn's production of The Royal Hunt Of The Sun(2006) and recently workshoppedYMT is a national company (with offices in London and Edinburgh) offering the best opportunities for young people to stage new music theatre in all parts of the UK. We are proud to work with some of the most talented and passionate artistic professionals from within the music theatre industry in the UK and around the world.   Hoffmannianaas composer/musical director (dir. Irina Brown, based on a film script by Tarkovsky, 2009).  For the Shared Experience Company I was Chorus Master for the 2009 production of Caucasian Chalk Circle (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Nottingham Playhouse and the London Richmond and Unicorn theatres).  Although I am London based, much of my work has centred on Scandinavia where I conducted the Scandinavian premiere of La Chiusa’s Hello Again in spring 2008, the Gothenburg première ofCity Of Angels (2007) and A Little Night Music for Gothenburg University (2005). In 2002 I was musical director for Gershwin's My One And Only at London's West End Piccadilly Theatre.  Later in that year I conducted the Scandinavian première of Theater an der Wien’s Mozart! for Musikteatern i Värmland, following on from the success of Elisabeth (also a Scandinavian première) in 1999.  At Gothenburg Opera during 2000 I conducted a revival of  Musikteatern i Värmland’s 1996 first Swedish independent production of Les Misérables, transferring to Malmö Musikteater until 2001.  In 1995, I travelled to Japan as Principal Conductor of Simon Callow's acclaimed Old Vic production of Carmen Jones.

During 2007 I was vocal consultant for Elise Thoron’s Charlotte: Life? Or Theatre? directed at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles by Louis Fantasia, and worked with Faith Prince on her role for John Bucchino’s new musical A Catered Affair,  previewed at the Old Globe, San Diego, and on Broadway from Spring 2008.

My musical The Kitchen, based on Sir Arnold Wesker’s play, was premièred in Tokyo in 2000, and hailed by the critics as a “Masterpiece musical”, and in 2003 was recorded with funds made available from NESTA.  Other commissions include Light Angel, Dark Angel,a collaboration with writer Christina Jones inspired by the writings of Anne Frank and premièred in London1997; the incidental music for the world premièreof Arnold Wesker's Blood Libel (1997) for the inaugural season of the Norwich Playhouse; the score for the world première of Sonja Linden's The Strange Passenger (1996) for Paines Plough Theatre Company (premièred in the USA 1997);  incidental music for James McDonald's  1992 production of The Rivals at Nottingham Playhouse where I also orchestrated and conducted its 1991 production of Tatyana, based on an adaptation of Tchaikovsky's opera “Eugene Onegin”.

Also a busy arranger and orchestrator, my recent commissions included “3  Qatari Pieces” for the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (2008) and orchestrations for the 2007 UK RUG tour of Aspects Of Love.  In 1999 my musical adaptationof Sorozábal’s Zarzuela, The Girl With The Rosesplayed at the Bloomsbury Theatre, and other work has been recorded by the Capella Cracoviensis in Krakov (Jil Bartley’s Requiem 1996) and by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague (Rutherlyn’s The Churchill Music (1995)).  My arrangements also include Cosi Fan Tutte for Music Theatre London and German Television (1993),  La Cenerentola for the Vienna Festival (1992), and A Cavalcade of Coward (1988, London's Piccadilly Theatre). I am currently collaborating on a re-write of Jeanne, a contemporary opera-musical about Joan of Arc by Shirlie Roden, and symphonic orchestrations for her Simply Slovenia Suite to be premiered in 2011.  I was recently commissioned by the Orpheus Opera Trust to write a music theatre piece The Stronger  based on Strindberg’s “Den Starkare” and to arrange and adapt Sorozábal’s Adios A La Bohemia.

Frequently active in community music making, I have written for and trained choirs, music theatre groups, brass bands and orchestras.  For large scale community theatre I devised and arranged the scores for Oxfordshire Touring Theatre's 1993 production of A Passion For The Countryside and Leicester Haymarket's 1991 production of Follow The Man From Cook's.

A specialist and committed vocal coach and teacher, I am in increasing demand internationally for workshops and Masterclasses in sound and voice.  Education workshops have included the National Theatre’s Discover programme (2008, 2009).  I am invited regularly to lead Masterclasses and workshops for the Swedish professional performers' organisation SAMI (2004-2007, 2009) and at Gothenburg Opera (2005-6). I also lecture and demonstrate on the use and therapeutic effects of sound in healing (France, Sweden and the UK), and give seminars to the public and commercial sectors in the skills of presentation.  I am currently a Senior Lecturer for the Music Theatre Course at Chichester University (where I recently musically directed a graduate production of The Matchgirls), am guest musical director for the MA course Christmas production at the Central School Of Speech And Drama, and was adjunct professor of Music Theatre Performance and Head of Vocal Studies at the Music Theatre School of Gothenburg University (2004-2008). I have led workshops in music theatre and voice at San DiegoState University (2005/7, and held a short residency there in spring 2009), and at the Joop van den Ende Academy in Hamburg (2006/7).  I was invited to lead the jury for the Hamburg preliminary round of the Bundeswettbewerb GesangBerlin 2007 für Musical und Chanson.  

A supporter for international peace I was musical director for the London Concert For Peace at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2003.  I also contribute articles on aspects of voice and vocal training for the Yamaha Education Supplement.