Derek Charke (; born 1974) is a Canadian classical composer and flutist.

Career

In 2012, Derek Charke won the Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year for his work, "Sepia Fragments." The following year Charke's work, "Between the Shore and the Ships" received an ECMA for Classical Composition of the Year. Derek's compositions increasingly pair electroacoustic elements—many of which are derived from environmental sounds—with acoustic instruments. Ecological sound as an artistic statement on environmental issues has become an impetus for many works, and his interest in the Arctic has like-wise played a role in many of his compositions. His music bridges a divide between this play of pure sound, collecting natural and environmental sound, and a continuation of the Western "classical" tradition—albeit with contemporary and popular influences. Derek Charke earned his bachelor's degree in composition at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

, a master's degree in composition from the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, a master's degree in flute and a doctorate degree in composition from the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

. While at Buffalo he studied composition with

David Felder David Felder (born November 27, 1953) is an American composer and academic who was a SUNY Distinguished Professor at the University at Buffalo until his retirement in 2022. He was also the director of both the June in Buffalo Festival and the Rob ...

and flute with Cheryl Gobbetti Hoffman. Previous composition teachers included

Louis Andriessen Louis Joseph Andriessen (; 6 June 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Dutch composer, pianist and academic teacher. Considered the most influential Dutch composer of his generation, he was a central proponent of The Hague school of composition. Although ...

Steve Martland Steve Martland (10 October 1954 – 7 May 2013) was an English composer. He helped to curate the Factory Classical label of Factory Records, featuring contemporary British composers. Life and music Martland was born in Liverpool, and studied co ...

and Cindy McTee. Charke is currently an associate professor of music theory and composition at Acadia University School of Music in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. Charke is also co-director of the Acadia New Music Society, and he actively performs as both a soloist and new music improvisor on the flute. In addition to his responsibilities as a full professor at Acadia University, Charke is an associate composer of the

Canadian Music Centre The Canadian Music Centre was founded in 1959 by a group of Canadian composers who saw a need to create a repository for Canadian music. It now holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music, and works to promote the music of its As ...

(CMC). To date, Charke has received numerous awards and commissions, including a BMI student composer award for his work ''Xynith'', the Outstanding Undergraduate Award in Composition from the University of North Texas, and an honorable mention from the Kubik Prize for his composition ''What do the Birds Think?'' Charke has been commissioned by ensembles such as Duo Turgeon, the

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

, the

Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toronto ...

, the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba. The WSO presents an average ...

, and the

St. Lawrence String Quartet The St. Lawrence String Quartet is a Canadians, Canadian string quartet, and one of Canada's premier chamber ensembles. The Quartet was founded in 1989 and has served residencies at the Juilliard School, Yale University, the University of Toront ...

. Dr. Charke and his wife currently live in

Kentville Kentville is an incorporated town in Nova Scotia. It is the most populous town in the Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the town's population was 6,630. Its census agglomeration is 26,929. History Kentville owes its location to the Cornwallis River ...

Discography

*2010 – ''Sea to Sea'' (St. Lawrence String Quartet Centrediscs / Centredisques CD-CMCCD 16310) (Includes ''Sepia fragments'') *2011 – ''A Canadian Music Sampler: Centrediscs 30 Years'' (Centrediscs / Centredisques CD-CMCCD 17311) (Includes ''Sepia fragments'') *2012 – ''...Between the Shore and the Ships...'' (Centrediscs / Centredisques CD-CMCCD 17912) (Includes ''Blizzard''; ''Between the Shore and the Ships'') *Anderson, Chenoa. ''Krishna's Flute.'' Brent Lee, Derek Charke, Ian Crutchley, Keith Hamel, John Oliver, & W.L. Altman. Earsay Productions, 2014. CD. *Charke, Derek. ''In Sonorous Falling Tones.'' Derek Charke (soloist) and WIRED! Ensemble. Mark Hopkins. Centrediscs, CD-CMCCD 23917, 2017. CD. *Charke, Derek., et al. ''Kitchen Party.'' Derek Charke & Mark Adam. Centrediscs, 2014. CD. *Charke, Derek. ''Live Wired.'' NBG Ensemble and Acadia University Wind Ensemble. Mark Hopkins. Canadian Music Centre Distribution Service, CD-ANMS 001, 2015. CD. *Charke, Derek. ''Tundra Songs.'' Tanya Tagaq & Kronos Quartet. Centrediscs, CD-CMCCD 21015, 2015. CD.

References

External links

Official web page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charke, Derek 1974 births 20th-century classical composers Canadian classical composers Musicians from Nova Scotia Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Pupils of Louis Andriessen Canadian male classical composers 20th-century Canadian composers Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year winners 20th-century Canadian male musicians University at Buffalo alumni People from Kentville, Nova Scotia