Derek Keller

Derek Keller is an award-winning composer and guitarist. As a guitarist he has won and placed in both region and national competitions. With his own ensemble, Keller recently performed at the Festival of New American Music at California State University, Sacramento. He also enjoys performing with his duo partner, Colin McAllister, championing contemporary music by Steve Reich, Helmut Lachenmann, Vinko Globokar and Franco Donatoni. Keller has performed in master classes with Christopher Parkening his guitar mentor is John Sutherland, of Atlanta.

As a composer, Keller's music investigates the coexistence, intermingling and hybridity between academic and popular spheres of musical expression. Recently, be premiered his new solo work, Twenty Mule Team, at the Sacramento World Music and Dance Festival and he is currently completing a newly commissioned work for the Empyrean Ensemble at UC Davis. Along with several other pieces, Impositions and Consequences, a recently completed commission from John Zorn, is featured on Keller's new CD of the same title on Zorn's Tzadik label. In addition, Keller has also received commissions from Fondation Royaumont, RedFishBlueFish, NOISE, Cantoria Choir at Truman State University, Cappella Gloriana, Athens Master Chorale and Mark Menzies. His music has been performed in the U.S., Mexico, France, Germany, Brazil and Australia.

Keller studied under the direction of Roger Reynolds at the University of California at San Diego, where he earned a Ph.D. in 2004. He has also studied composition with Anthony Davis, Chaya Czernowin, Rand Steiger, George Crumb, Jean-Luc Hervé, Brian Ferneyhough, David Lang and Charles Wuorinen.

Recordings of his playing and compositions are available on the Tzadik, Centaur, and Ole King Cole labels. For more information and excerpts, please visit www.derekkeller.com.

Lessons (home) »

Our Instructors
Click each for details.

Dave Lynch
Doug Pauly
Nokes Kelley
Greg Williams
Ken Billeci
Joe Lev
Melissa Collard
Tyson Graf
Jared Gardner
Derek Keller
Adam Block
Gerry Pineda