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Derrick Spiva Jr.

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Composer Biography Derrick Spiva Jr. Born in Los Angeles, raised in Fresno and Los Angeles, Derrick Spiva Jr’s music reflects the multicultural atmosphere in which he was raised. As a young man Derrick was exposed to a plethora of popular music including rock, hip-hop, world, and jazz, as well as classical music, as he wrote for wind ensembles and symphonic orchestras. While a BA student at UCLA and a MFA student at California Institute of the Arts, world music across many cultures has become an integral part of his musical vocabulary. Derrick’s compositions aim to break down the boundaries between musical genres, using cross-cultural integrative composition techniques that seek common ground between musical traditions. Derrick often uses rhythmic and melodic shapes influenced by American jazz, rock and hip-pop music; scales, modes and rhythms influenced by Persian, Bulgarian, North Indian and West African music; and uses both classical orchestral instruments and ethnic instruments to perform the music. Derrick seeks to avoid the pitfall of “fusion music” which borrows ethnic sounds, yet lacks an understanding of the music’s fundamental identity. Derrick actively performs in ensembles for which he composes, allowing him to understand each musical tradition's internal mechanics. He has trained extensively in world music traditions, studying tabla and Hindustani (North Indian classical) music with Swapan Chaudhuri and Aashish Khan, Bulgarian choir composition with Tzvetanka Varimezova, West African music and dance with Kobla Ladzekpo, World Percussion fusion with Randy Gloss, and Persian music with Houman Pourmehdi and Pirayah Pourafar. Derrick is deeply invested in continuing to develop a pan-cultural integrative compositional style in this unique global community of the 21st century. Currently, Derrick Spiva Jr. has been commissioned to write an original orchestral work for the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra (SCVYO) to premiere May 14th, 2011 as part of the Disney Hall Youth Orchestra Festival. This is part of SCVYO’s current position as a Los Angeles Philharmonic Partner Orchestra. The UCLA Philharmonic, UCLA Wind Ensemble, Chapman University Wind Ensemble, Cal Arts New Millennium Players, UCLA Bulgarian Women’s Choir, the Los Angeles based Persian Liän Ensemble and various other chamber ensembles of culturally diverse instrumentation have performed Derrick’s music. He has written music for the 2009 USA synchronized swim team and is currently contracted to compose original music for the Ohio State synchronized swim team whose coaches and team members are training to compete in the 2012 Olympics. Derrick has also scored music for the dance animation Niu Niu’s Story, directed by Mariel McEwan and choreographed by Jia Wu. Niu Niu’s Story was part of the selective Dance on Camera Festival 2008 at the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center Plaza. An additional score for a 15-minute dance film titled Against the Dark of Night, also directed McEwan and choreographed by Wu, was entered as part of the International Move 09 Festival held in the United Kingdom. Other collaborations include a composition placement titled Twenty-Seven on UCLA and Cal Arts graduate Daniel Rosenboom’s solo Trumpet Album Bloodier Mean Son released by Nine Winds Records in 2006.

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Derrick Spiva Jr.

Derrick Spiva Jr.

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Derrick Spiva Jr.

Derrick Spiva Jr.