Bio
 
 
 
Fromm Commission recipient Derek Hurst (Somerville, MA), is a composer of acoustic and electroacoustic concert music, which broadly exhibits a precarious balance between visceral solemnity and muscular jocularity. His compositions have been performed in a smattering of locations throughout the United States and abroad, with works featured on Left Coast Ensemble's 2001-2002 concert season, Boston Cyberarts, ICMC 2001 and 2004 concerts and Interensemble's Computer Arts Festival (Padova, IT). He was a recipient of a 2007 Artist’s Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and his "Interloper" (for piano trio) was the winning composition in the Wayne Peterson Prize competition. He has also received awards and fellowships from The Copland House Residency, The Wellesley Composer's Conference, Portland State University and Brandeis University (including the Irving Fine Fellowship for Music Composition) and holds degrees in both guitar performance and composition. 

Originally from Denver Colorado, Derek received the Ph.D. in composition / theory (2006) from Brandeis University. He has studied composition with composers as diverse as Tomas Svoboda, Bryan Johanson, John Melby, Eric Chasalow, Martin Boykan, Yehudi Wyner and David Rakowski; electronic music with Scott Wyatt, Eric Chasalow and Josh Skallar / Mario Davidovsky. He is particularly interested and versed in electro-acoustic / computer music and sound design having worked in studios at the University Illinois, Brandeis and Harvard. He currently teaches in the Composition Division at Berklee College of Music and Brown University and has taught courses in electroacoustic music, music theory and composition at Berklee college of Music, Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Wheaton College and Central Connecticut State University.