musical director
DERRY POPE
Derry's has a proven track record of working with choirs and performers of all ages to produce bespoke musical arrangements and compositions that showcase their talents. His extensive experience as an orchestral arranger further solidifies his reputation as a valuable resource for composers, musical directors, and producers who require versatile and comprehensive musical support. This includes, but is not limited to, creating instrumental backings, vocal arrangements, and orchestrating full-scale scores.
Derry has enjoyed a multifaceted career that encompasses performance, composition, musical direction, and collaboration. His extensive experience spans a diverse range of theatrical genres, including large-scale musicals, intimate plays, and spirited pantomimes. Derry has performed at prestigious venues such as the Cardiff Millennium Centre, the Royal Festival Hall, and the Birmingham Hippodrome. Moreover, his captivating cabaret act, “The Divine Cabaret,” has received recognition for serving as an opening act for esteemed West End and cabaret luminaries, including Maria Kesselman, Janie Dee, and Paul L. Martin. Inspired by the comedic styles of ‘Fascinating Aida’ and Victoria Wood, “The Divine Cabaret” provides a unique and engaging entertainment experience that can adapt to both traditional performance spaces and more informal settings.
Beyond his accomplishments as a performer, Derry is a skilled and innovative composer and experimentalist. His portfolio showcases remarkable versatility, with noteworthy contributions to a wide spectrum of musical styles, including opera, ballet, pop, musical theatre, and cabaret. Derry's compositions are characterised by their distinctiveness, inventiveness, and meticulous craftsmanship, reflecting his profound understanding of musical expression. He is also a committed collaborator, having established a fruitful partnership with Heartbreak Productions. For this company, Derry has composed original music and penned lyrics for several critically acclaimed touring productions across the UK. His notable works include stage adaptations of David Walliam’s popular children’s books, such as "Mr. Stink," "Gangsta Granny," "Ratburger," and "Billionaire Boy," as well as adaptations of Shakespearean classics like "Love's Labour's Lost" and "Richard III." These achievements demonstrate Derry's ability to seamlessly translate the essence of a story into musical form, whether it be a contemporary children's tale or a timeless narrative from Shakespeare.
Ultimately, Derry exemplifies the ideal of a well-rounded musical professional. His diverse talents, spanning performance, musical direction, and original composition, are underpinned by strong communication, collaboration, and organisational skills. Combined with his exceptional understanding of musical arrangement and orchestration, Derry has become a highly versatile professional in the UK performing arts arena. His technical proficiency extends to Sibelius software, which he uses to develop original arrangements and compositions, orchestrate from initial sketches or electronic demos, produce additional orchestrations, create transcriptions, prepare scores for recording sessions, and manage music preparation and transposition.