Bermel, Derek

Field of Study: Composer, clarinetist, conductor, and jazz and rock musician

Research Description: Derek Bermel, who was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2010, directs the Edward T. Cone Concert Series at the Institute. His orchestral piece A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace will be performed by multiple orchestras throughout the year, including in Richmond, Tacoma, and Kalamazoo. A recording of his larger ensemble music performed by the group Alarm Will Sound will be released in October by Cantaloupe Music. He will host a panel at the prestigious Output electric-guitar festival in Amsterdam in December, and he is writing a commission for the JACK Quartet to be performed at Wolf Trap in January. This year Bermel will also serve as Composer-in-Residence at Mannes College the New School for Music, and he is creating an intensive all-scholarship annual workshop and mentoring program for young composers, CULTIVATE, based at Copland House.